You stated that the apparent meaning of a text is diverted from its literal sense by evidence that counts as interpretation, and then we found that it actually agrees with the apparent meaning of the text. How is that?

The student: May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. How do we establish that diverting the apparent meaning of a text by evidence is not ta'wil (figurative interpretation) but rather tafsir (exegesis)?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : If we look at tafsir (exegesis), we find that it is truly synonymous with the apparent meaning of the text. Does this mean that tafsir is truly a diversion of the apparent meaning, or is this merely a technical term?

The Shaykh : All the examples we mentioned are, in reality, cases where we prevented the apparent meaning of the text from being applied because of a context that precludes it. But suppose there is something explicit that contradicts the apparent meaning of the text, such as when you recite the Qur'an and seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast. The apparent meaning of the text now is that you seek refuge in Allah after you finish the recitation, but that is not what is intended. What is intended is to seek refuge when you begin, based on the evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast when reading the Qur'an. Yes.