Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 7

7. He is the One Who has sent down to you the Book. Some of its verses are clear and precise—they are the foundation of the Book—while others are allegorical. As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they pursue what is allegorical, seeking discord and searching for its interpretation, but no one knows its true interpretation except Allah. And those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.” And none take heed except those of understanding.

[6]
What are Muhkamat and Mutashabihat?

Muhkamat are those verses whose meaning is clear, in which there is no kind of ambiguity, nor can any other meaning be taken from them, and by these are meant the commands and prohibitions related to halal and haram, and these alone are sufficient for the guidance of mankind. Since the main subject of the Quran is the guidance of mankind and complete guidance is obtained from the Muhkamat, therefore, the Muhkamat have been called Umm al-Kitab, and these are the verses regarding which the Quran claims that We have made the Quran easy.
[7] Mutashabihat are those verses whose meaning is beyond the reach of human intellect. Since human intellect is limited and the universe and its realities are unlimited, therefore, when Allah the Exalted describes such realities, He uses such words that are closest to the reality and also close to human understanding. Since the exact meaning of these verses cannot come into the human mind, there is room for ambiguity in them, and everyone starts interpreting them according to their own understanding. It should be clear that such verses are generally related to the essence and attributes of Allah, such as
﴿ ثُمَّ اسْتَويٰ عَلَي الْعَرْشِ﴾
and
﴿ اَلرَّحْمَنُ عَلَي الْعَرْشِ اسْتَويٰ﴾
Now, to pursue the question of what Allah’s Throne is like, what He Himself is like, and how He is established on the Throne—such thinking is sheer misguidance. Because Allah Himself has said:
﴿ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ﴾
[8]
Those Who Pursue Mutashabihat:

It should be clear that the majority of misguided sects target or base their arguments on such Mutashabihat verses. For example, when the aforementioned verses were not understood by the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah, and they interpreted them according to reason, they changed the meaning of "istawa" to "istawla" (to dominate). Their belief is that since Allah is present everywhere, therefore, it is necessary to interpret such verses. In this verse, they interpret the meaning of Throne (and similarly, in some places, Kursi) as authority, and the meaning of "istawa" as "istawla" (to dominate), thus making these verses conform to their belief. Whereas Allah the Exalted has clearly stated that no one knows the correct interpretation of such verses except Allah, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When you see those who pursue Mutashabihat, then know that Allah has mentioned them (in the Noble Quran), so beware of them." [بخاري، كتاب التفسير، تفسير آيت مذكور]
The second type of Mutashabihat are words with multiple meanings. For example, in the Arabic language, and similarly in many other languages, "ibn" or "son" is not used only for one's real son, but also for one's younger brother, slave, and servant, out of affection and love, they are called "son." From this word, the Jews misunderstood that they are really the sons and beloved of Allah, and the Christians misunderstood that Isa ؑ was really the son of Allah. The Quran has refuted this false notion of these people at many places. Similarly, after answering those who question about the beginning of the universe and the creation of the heavens and the earth, Allah the Exalted said in Surah Ha Mim Sajdah, verse 10:
﴿ سَوَاءً لِّلسَّايِٕلِيْنَ﴾
(i.e., the answer to the questioners is complete.) Now, since both "sawa" and "sa'il" are words with multiple meanings, those with a socialist mindset have derived their own ideology from these words, saying that this earth is equally for all those who ask for sustenance. Therefore, instead of remaining in individual ownership, it should be in the possession of the government. Now, it is clear that the context of this verse does not at all support such an ideology whose very foundation is based on the denial of the existence of Allah the Exalted. However, such perverse-minded people have used these words to support their ideology in order to incline Muslims towards socialism. This discussion will be found in detail at its proper place.
[9] Since Mutashabihat are related to such realities that are beyond the reach of human intellect and have no connection with human guidance, therefore, those with sound intellect and pure hearts do not pursue them. Their way of thinking is that since the source of both types of verses is the same, therefore, both are from Allah, correct and true. They believe in the Mutashabihat in the sense that they too are the statements of Allah the Exalted, and they do not even try to reach their reality. There are two reasons for this: firstly, such verses have no connection with human guidance; secondly, there is a great risk of misguidance in pursuing their reality. The above tafsir is according to those who consider a pause (waqf) at "illa Allah" necessary, and this is the preferred and most appropriate tafsir, as is also indicated by the sign of pause. However, some scholars do not consider a pause necessary here and consider the "wa" after it as conjunctive. In this sense, the meaning becomes that the reality of the Mutashabihat is known by Allah as well as those firmly grounded in knowledge, but this tafsir does not seem correct because there are countless Mutashabihat whose reality cannot be known by anyone except Allah, foremost among them being the disjointed letters (huruf muqatta'at). Besides, other examples have already been mentioned above, especially those related to the essence and attributes of Allah. However, regarding the verses with words of multiple meanings, it can be said that:
﴿رَاسِخُوْنَ فِيْ الْعِلْمِ﴾
they may be able to grasp their reality.