Surah 3 (Aali‑Imraan), Ayah 7 designates Ahlul Bayt as the erudite (deeply rooted) in knowledge of the Divine.
هُوَ الَّذِيَ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِيلِهِ
وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ
يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الألْبَابِ
It is Allah who sent to you [O' Muhammad] the Book [Quran], wherein are some decisive verses —they are the basis of the Book—
and others having variable meanings. Men with perversity in their hearts emphasize the unclear therein (seeking to mislead);
while none knows the Quran's hidden meaning except Allah and the erudite (firmly rooted) in knowledge; who say
We believe in it, all is from our Lord.” Nevertheless, none heeds this save those endowed with wisdom.
Commentary
The Holy Quran confirms that Ahlul Bayt are the seas of knowledge الراسـخـون في الـعـلــم who knew the inmost meaning of the Quran as no one else. The Quran attests to them as the ones with deep and encyclopedic knowledge.
The Quran was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) and he knew the true meaning of every verse; which he taught to Ali. after the Prophet it was Ali who claimed that he knew the: when, why and for whom every Ayah of the Quran was revealed.
Most of the verses of the Quran are clear and decisive. There is no ambiguity in them. They are known as the muhkamatالـمـحـكـمـات They relate to the funda mentals of the faith, such as the oneness of Allah, the directions pertaining to the practice of the faith and the laws governing the day‑to‑day life of the faithful. They can neither be changed nor modified. Any man of average intelligence can understand them and follow them.
The mutashabihatالـمتـشـابـهـات are the verses which have been composed in subtle yet profound diction and style. They carry implications other than the literal meanings, and therefore, are capable of giving different interpretations, like “The hand of Allah is above their hands” in Ayah 10 of Surah Al‑Fat'h.
How the complex verses can be interpreted is not mentioned in this verse, nor anywhere in the Quran, but it is clearly disclosed that besides Allah only those endowed with knowledge of the Divine, know the true meanings of the mutashabihat. The firmly rooted in knowledge (Al‑Rasikhoon fil I'lm) are the Holy Prophet and his Ahlul Bayt, for they were guided and thoroughly purified by Allah.
In reply to Anas Ibn Malik's inquiry about Al‑Rasikhoon fil I'lm the Holy Prophet replied, “Al‑Rasikhoon fil I'lm are:
▪ those whose hands do only what is just, righteous, and good,
▪ those whose tongues utter only the true;
▪ those whose hearts and minds are enlightened and rational; and
▪ those whose stomachs are free from that which is forbidden.”
source : http://www.islamicbooks.info
