The third meaning of ta’wīl:

It is the reality to which the words ultimately refer, as Allah Most High says:

“Do they await anything but its fulfillment? On the Day its fulfillment comes, those who had forgotten it before will say, ‘The messengers of our Lord certainly brought the truth.’”

Thus, the ta’wīl of the Quran’s accounts of the Hereafter is what Allah has foretold in it will come to pass: the Resurrection, the reckoning, recompense, Paradise, Hell, and the like. Likewise, Allah Most High relates in the account of Joseph that, when his parents and brothers prostrated before him, he said:

“O my father, this is the fulfillment of my earlier dream.”

He thus identified the very event that actually took place as the ta’wīl of the dream. The second meaning is the explanation of speech: the words used to explain an expression so that its meaning may be understood, or its rationale or supporting evidence known. This third meaning of ta’wīl, however, is the very thing that exists in reality.

An example is the statement of ‘Ā’ishah:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say while bowing and prostrating: ‘Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me.’”

He was putting the Quran into practice, meaning His words:

“So glorify your Lord with praise and seek His forgiveness.”

Another example is the statement of Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah: “The Sunnah is the ta’wīl of commands and prohibitions.” The commanded act itself is the ta’wīl of the command to perform it, and the actual thing about which a statement is made is the ta’wīl of that statement. Speech consists of statements and commands. This is why Abū ‘Ubayd and others say, “Jurists are more knowledgeable about ta’wīl than language scholars,” as