What is the reason for the occasional variation in the exegesis transmitted from the companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and does this variation stem from their understanding of the verse or from the Messenger's (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explanation? And if it is from the Messenger's explanation, what is the reason for its variation from one companion to another? And what is the validity of the doubt raised about the companion Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh, who was one of the scribes of revelation, and what are the details of his alleged apostasy and killing?

The early interpreters (Salaf) among the righteous predecessors did not differ in interpreting what is definitive in its meaning. Most of their differences were variations, ijtihad (definition) (independent reasoning), and expansions in meaning, rather than contradictory differences. An example of this is the interpretation of "the straight path" (Al-Sirat Al-Mustaqim). Their differences might sometimes be due to the text's ambiguity, as in the interpretation of "three menstrual cycles (quru')", which some interpreted as purity and others as menstruation. Sometimes, their differences stem from their varied understanding of the Arabic language and the context of the verses, which allows for ijtihad, as a single word can have multiple meanings. The differences might also arise from their extensive mention of the circumstances of revelation (sabab (definition) al-nuzul), where their statement, "The verse was revealed concerning such-and-such," might simply be illustrating the events and meanings to which the verse applies.