The Companions. The Shaykh: Yes. The questioner: Is the intended meaning...

The questioner : ... the Companions

The Shaykh : Yes

The questioner : Is the intended meaning...?

The Shaykh : It is reported in the Tafsir of Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Abbas that he said: either in these exact words or close to them. However, al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) says that it has never been reported from the Companions that they interpreted al-Mu'ayyah as knowledge, and he denied that. But it appears that his denial is not correct; he simply did not come across this report. As for the rest of the Companions, other than Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud, I have not seen any of them say this, because the meaning is clear to them. They read the Qur'an according to its apparent meaning and purify Allah from what is not befitting Him. Moreover, their interpretation of al-Mu'ayyah as knowledge does not mean that it is limited to knowledge alone. For this reason, even the later Muslim scholars affirm His knowledge, His hearing, His sight, and His encompassing everything; it is not just knowledge.