Yaʿlā in the later of his two positions, and Abū Muhammad—affirmed His being above and regarded His rising over as one of the attributes known through revealed reports, whose meaning, they say, “none knows except Allah.” This also applies if they regard His being above and on high as attributes known through revealed reports, as held by Judge Abū Bakr and most Ashʿarīs, Judge Abū Yaʿlā in the first of his two positions, Ibn ʿAqīl in much of his discourse, Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī, Abū al-Maʿālī, and others who follow their approach. These matters are discussed at length in their proper place.

(The point here is that every group holding views contrary to what the Quran indicates classifies those texts as ambiguous. Then, if they hold that one should pause at His words:

“None knows its interpretation except Allah,”

they say that none knows their meaning except Allah. This necessarily entails that neither Muhammad nor Gabriel nor anyone else knew the meanings of those verses and reports. If, however, they hold that one should pause after His words:

“And those firmly grounded in knowledge,”

they maintain that those firmly grounded in knowledge know what they themselves call interpretation. They say that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refrained from making the truth clear in his words only so that people would strive to discover it independently of him, through their own reason and understanding, and strive to construe his wording according to Arabic usages. Thus, they strive to learn the uncommon linguistic usages that enable them to reinterpret the texts.

This is if they say that, through the Quran and hadith, he intended a meaning that is true in reality. But if they adopt the position of those philosophers and Bātiniyyah who do not accept reinterpretation, they say:

“He intended by these expressions only what ordinary people understand