Certainly, the Quran may contain verses whose meanings are unknown to many scholars, let alone others. This is not tied to any particular verse; rather, one person may find obscure what another understands. Sometimes this is because the wording is unfamiliar; sometimes because its meaning is confused with another; sometimes because a misconception within a person prevents him from recognizing the truth; sometimes because he has not reflected deeply enough; and sometimes for other reasons. It must therefore be affirmed with certainty that, regarding His words:

“No one knows its interpretation except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge. They say, ‘We believe in it.’”

the correct view is that “those firmly grounded in knowledge” is conjoined to “Allah,” with “and” coordinating one noun phrase with another. Or both views may be correct, corresponding to two readings, with “interpretation” referring to one thing when knowledge of it is denied and another when such knowledge is affirmed. If, however, the correct view is that “and” begins a new sentence, then the interpretation whose knowledge is denied to anyone other than Allah must refer to the modalities that He alone knows. This, however, is open to question.

It is reported that Ibn ʿAbbās said, “I am among those firmly grounded in knowledge who know its interpretation.” It is also reported from him that those firmly grounded in knowledge do not know its interpretation. And it is reported that he said:

“Explanation of the Quran is of four kinds: an explanation that the Arabs understand through their own language; an explanation that no one is excused for not knowing; an explanation known to scholars; and an explanation known only to Allah—whoever claims to know it is a liar.”

This statement reconciles the two views. It shows that scholars know aspects of its explanation that others do not, and that it contains matters known only to Allah. But anyone who holds that the correct view is to pause at His words “except Allah,” while taking ‘interpretation’ to mean explanation, is unquestionably mistaken.