Now, those whose hearts are diseased turn away from the unequivocal, unambiguous verses such as:
“Your God is One God” (2:163),
“Indeed, I am Allah; there is no deity but Me, so worship Me” (20:14),
“Allah has never taken a son, nor is there any deity alongside Him” (23:91),
“He has not taken a son, nor does He have any partner in dominion” (17:111),
“He neither begets nor is begotten” (112:3),
“Nor is there anyone comparable to Him” (112:4).

Instead, they pursue what is ambiguous, seeking thereby to sow discord—by putting the verse where it does not belong—and to hunt for its taʾwīl, that is, the concrete reality to which it ultimately points.

Speech, after all, is of two kinds: performative (inshāʾ), which includes commands, and informative (khabar). The taʾwīl of a command is the very act that has been enjoined, just as some of the early scholars said, “The Sunnah is the taʾwīl of the command.” ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, related: “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—used to say in his bowing and prostration, ‘Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise; O Allah, forgive me,’ thereby enacting the Qur’an.” She was referring to the verse, “So glorify the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is ever accepting of repentance” (110:3).

As for statements of information, their taʾwīl is the very occurrence of the reality they foretell; it is not simply understanding their meaning. The term taʾwīl appears in several passages of the Qur’an with this sense. Allah, the Exalted, said: