Allah and His Messenger have only condemned those who chase the ambiguous verses in order to sow discord and to force a self-serving interpretation from them. Whoever, however, ponders both the definitive and the ambiguous passages as Allah has commanded, seeking to comprehend them and grasp their meaning, is not blamed by Allah; rather, he is enjoined to do so and commended for it. This is further illustrated by reports that some of the Jews who resided in Medina during the Prophet’s time—such as Huyayy ibn Akhtab and others—tried to extract from the disjointed letters at the beginnings of certain surahs an interpretation that would disclose the lifespan of this ummah.