to divert the words from their evident sense to something that contradicts that sense. Were someone to claim that this is the “interpretation” referred to in the verse and that none knows it but Allah, he would in fact be conceding to the Jahmiyyah that the verse has a meaning contrary to its plain indication, albeit one known only to Allah. This, however, is not the doctrine of the early scholars and the Imams. Their position is to deny and repudiate such interpretations outright, not to withhold judgment about them. In their view, simply reciting the verse or hadith is itself its explanation: it is to pass just as it has come, pointing to its meanings without distortion or deviation.

The proof that these passages are not of the kind whose meaning is unknown is as follows. There is no doubt that Allah names Himself in the Qur’an with names such as “the Most Compassionate,” “the Loving,” “the Almighty,” “the Compeller,” “the All-Knowing,” “the All-Powerful,” “the Most Kind,” and others besides. He likewise describes Himself with attributes conveyed in Surah al-Ikhlās, in the Verse of the Footstool, at the beginning of Surah al-Ḥadīd, at the end of Surah al-Ḥashr, and in statements such as: “Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things,” “and over all things He has power,” “He loves those who are mindful of Him,” “those who act justly,” “those who excel in goodness.” He declares that He is pleased with those who believe and do righteous deeds. He says, “But when they provoked Our wrath, We took vengeance on them,” “That is because they followed that which angered Allah,” and “Allah, however, disliked their setting out.” He affirms, “The Most Compassionate rose over the Throne,” and, “Then He rose over the Throne—He knows what penetrates the earth and what emerges from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein, and He is with you wherever you may be.” He says, “He is the One who is God in the heaven and God on the earth; and He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing,” “To Him ascend the good words, and the righteous deed He raises,” and to Moses and Aaron: “I am indeed with you both; I hear and I see.” He states, “He is Allah in the heavens and on the earth,” and He said to Iblīs, “What prevented you from prostrating to what I created with My two hands?”