and the warning, all of which is ambiguous. Moreover, not every verse that some people consider ambiguous necessarily belongs to the ambiguous passages.

Regarding Ahmad’s statements, “They cited three ambiguous verses as proof,” and “those ambiguous passages of the Quran concerning which they had doubts,” it may be said that these people—or Ahmad—classified some passages as ambiguous although they do not belong to that category. For Allah’s words:

“Some of its verses are clear—they are the foundation of the Book—and others are ambiguous,”

do not refer here to the general perfection and mutual consistency shared by all the verses of the Quran, as mentioned in His words:

“A Book whose verses have been perfected and then set out in detail,”

and:

“Allah has sent down the best message: a Book consistent in its parts, with recurring themes, at which the skins of those who fear their Lord shiver.”

Here He describes the entire Book as mutually consistent: its parts agree rather than differ, each confirming the others. This is the opposite of the contradiction and disagreement mentioned in His words:

“Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have found much contradiction in it,”

and:

“Indeed, you are of differing views.”

“Turned away from it is whoever is turned away.”

This mutual consistency encompasses the whole Quran, just as the perfection of its verses encompasses it in its entirety. Yet in the passage under discussion, He says:

“Some of its verses are clear—they are the foundation of the Book—and others are ambiguous.”

Thus He describes some of it as clear and some as ambiguous. The term therefore has two meanings. It also has a third, relative meaning: one may say, “This has become unclear to us,” as the Children of Israel said:

“Indeed, the cows all look alike to us,”

even though the cows themselves are distinct and distinguishable from one another. This is a case of confusing truth