ʿAbd Allah ibn Maslamah also narrated to us; Yazīd ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us; from ʿAbd Allah ibn Abī Mulaykah; from al-Qāsim; from ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her). She said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited: “He is the One who has sent down to you the Book. In it are verses that are precise—they are the foundation of the Book—while others are ambiguous. As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow what is ambiguous of it, seeking turmoil and seeking its interpretation; but no one knows its interpretation except Allah. Yet those firmly grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.’ And none take heed except people of sound understanding.”

ʿĀʾishah continued: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, “When you see people pursuing what is ambiguous in it, they are the ones Allah meant, so beware of them.”

Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Whoever possesses knowledge of a matter, let him speak according to it; and whoever does not, let him say, ‘Allah knows best.’ Indeed, part of a man’s knowledge is to say about what he does not know, ‘Allah knows best.’ For Allah said to His Prophet: ‘Say, I ask of you no reward for this, nor am I of those who fabricate.’ ⦗38:86⦘”