Among the evidence cited by those who maintain that those firmly grounded in knowledge know the interpretation is the report established in Sahīh al-Bukhārī and elsewhere, from Ibn ‘Abbās:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, supplicated for him, saying: ‘O Allah, grant him understanding of the religion and teach him interpretation.’”

Thus, he prayed for him to have knowledge of interpretation without qualification. Ibn ‘Abbās explained the entire Quran. Mujāhid said: “I went through the Quran with Ibn ‘Abbās from beginning to end, stopping him at every verse and asking him about it.” Ibn ‘Abbās used to say: “I am among those firmly grounded in knowledge who know its interpretation.”

Moreover, reports transmitted from Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with him, through numerous independent chains establish that he discussed all the meanings of the Quran, both its commands and its accounts. His discussions of Allah’s names and attributes, promises of reward and warnings of punishment, and narratives, as well as his discussions of commands, prohibitions, and rulings, demonstrate that he addressed all the meanings of the Quran.

Ibn Mas‘ūd also said: “There is no verse in the Book of Allah but that I know what it was revealed about.”

Furthermore, they agree that the interpretation of the verses concerning rulings is known; these number some five hundred verses. The rest of the Quran speaks of Allah and His names and attributes; of the Last Day, Paradise, and Hell; or of narratives and the ultimate fate of the believers and the disbelievers. If this constitutes the ambiguous portion whose meaning is known only to Allah,