The Second Principle: It is obligatory to apply the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah according to their apparent meaning without distortion, especially the texts concerning the attributes, where there is no room for opinion.
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The Shaykh :"It is obligatory to apply the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah according to their apparent meaning without distortion" Obligatory means it is obligatory upon the Muslim community, and especially the scholars among them, to apply the texts of the Book and the Sunnah according to their apparent meaning. The apparent meaning of speech is what is immediately understood from it when used in a general sense. This is the apparent meaning of speech: what is immediately understood from it when used in a general sense. Know that speech may be a text (nass) that does not admit of figurative interpretation (ta'wil), or it may be an apparent text (zahir) that admits of a weak figurative interpretation, or it may be ambiguous, admitting of both meanings equally. These are three categories:
The first category is what does not admit of figurative interpretation, meaning it is a text (nass) regarding the subject matter. The status of being a text (nass) is not due to the word itself, but to the word and the circumstances surrounding it. A word may be a text (nass) in one context and not a text (nass) in another context, depending on what? Depending on the context and the circumstances. Speech may also be ambiguous, admitting of two meanings, one of which is stronger; in that case, it is obligatory to adopt the stronger position. Or it may be ambiguous, admitting of two meanings without one being stronger; in that case, it is obligatory to suspend judgment because there is no stronger position and the speech is ambiguous. It is not permissible to interpret the speech according to one of its possible meanings without evidence. Therefore, we must adopt the apparent meaning of the speech in the first category, which is the text (nass), and in the second category, which is the apparent text (zahir), we must do so, and it is not permissible to deviate from that.
The first category is what does not admit of figurative interpretation, meaning it is a text (nass) regarding the subject matter. The status of being a text (nass) is not due to the word itself, but to the word and the circumstances surrounding it. A word may be a text (nass) in one context and not a text (nass) in another context, depending on what? Depending on the context and the circumstances. Speech may also be ambiguous, admitting of two meanings, one of which is stronger; in that case, it is obligatory to adopt the stronger position. Or it may be ambiguous, admitting of two meanings without one being stronger; in that case, it is obligatory to suspend judgment because there is no stronger position and the speech is ambiguous. It is not permissible to interpret the speech according to one of its possible meanings without evidence. Therefore, we must adopt the apparent meaning of the speech in the first category, which is the text (nass), and in the second category, which is the apparent text (zahir), we must do so, and it is not permissible to deviate from that.