He says: Those who are firm in knowledge know its interpretation. If they did not know its interpretation, they would not know its abrogating [verses] from its abrogated ones, nor would they know its lawful from its prohibited, nor its clear from its ambiguous.

The Fourth Aspect: Regarding the description of those who are firm in knowledge:

3210 - I read to Muhammad b. al-Fadl b. Musa, Muhammad b. 'Ali reported to us, Muhammad b. Muzahim informed us, from Bukayr b. Ma'ruf, from Muqatil b. Hayyan regarding His saying: "And those who are firm in knowledge," meaning 'Abd Allah b. Salam and his companions from the believers of the People of the Scripture, from the people of the Torah.

3211 - Al-Hasan b. Muhammad b. al-Sabah narrated to us, Abu Mu'awiyah reported to us, al-A'mash reported to us, from Ibrahim, from Masruq, he said: I met Zayd and I found him to be among those who are firm in knowledge.

3212 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr b. Hammad reported to us, Asbat reported to us, from al-Suddi: "And those who are firm in knowledge," they are the believers.

The Fifth Aspect:

3213 - My father narrated to us, al-Hasan b. al-Rabi' reported to us, Ibn Idris reported to us, Muhammad b. Ishaq reported to us regarding His saying: "And those who are firm in knowledge say: 'We believe in it'"—he said: Their knowledge of it was not such that they understood it based on doubt, but rather, their deeds were sincere and their knowledge was deep, as they knew Allah by His justice. Nothing that came from Him could differ, so they referred the ambiguous to the clear, and they said.

His saying, the Exalted: "They say: 'We believe in it'"

[The First Aspect]

3214 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us, Waki' reported to us, from Sufyan, from Jabir, from al-Suddi, from Mujahid, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding "They say: 'We believe in it'", meaning: what was abrogated and what was not abrogated. Abu Muhammad said: Something similar has been narrated from 'A'ishah and al-Suddi.

The Second Aspect:

3215 - Musa b. Harun al-Tusi informed us by what he wrote to me, al-Husayn b. Muhammad al-Marwudhi reported to us, Shayban reported to us, from Qatadah regarding "They say: 'We believe in it'", he said: They believed in its ambiguous [verses] and acted upon its clear [verses], so they permitted its lawful and prohibited its forbidden.

3216 - My father narrated to us, 'Ali b. Hashim b. Marzuq reported to us, Muhammad b. Yazid reported to us, from Juwaybir, from al-Dahhak: "And those who are firm in knowledge say: 'We believe in it,' we act upon its clear [verses] and we believe in its ambiguous [verses], but we do not act upon it," meaning: the ambiguous.