And it is said that he is to Ahl al-Sunnah what al-Jāhiz is to the Mu‘tazilah: he is the spokesman for the Sunnah, just as al-Jāhiz is the spokesman for the Mu‘tazilah.

The other view has also been transmitted from Ibn ‘Abbās, as well as from other Companions and a group of the Successors. Those holding this view cited no explicit statement from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in support of their position. It therefore became a disputed question, to be referred back to Allah and the Messenger. The proponents of that view argued that Allah linked seeking discord with seeking its interpretation, and that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, censured those who pursue ambiguous passages, saying:

“When you see those who follow its ambiguous passages, beware of them.”

For this reason, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—beat Subaygh ibn ‘Isl when he questioned him about the ambiguous passages. They also argued that Allah said:

“And those firmly grounded in knowledge say”.

If “and” coordinated one noun phrase with another, rather than introducing a new sentence linked to the preceding one, He would have said: “and they say”.

The other side answered this by pointing to Allah’s words:

“For the poor emigrants who were driven out of their homes and possessions, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure”.

Then He said:

“And those who had settled in the city and embraced the faith before them love those who emigrate to them and do not find…”—to the end of the verse.

Then He said:

“And those who came after them say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith.’”

They said: Here, one noun phrase is coordinated with another, while the verbal clause serves as a circumstantial qualifier of the conjoined phrase alone. This parallels His words: “And those firmly grounded in