And know, my brother, that among the established principles of Ahl al-Sunnah is that the obligation regarding the texts of revelation is to interpret them according to their apparent meaning, as dictated by the Arabic language. The Noble Quran was revealed in clear Arabic, as Allah the Almighty says: "And indeed, it is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad] that you may be of the warners - in a clear Arabic tongue." (Surah Ash-Shu'ara: 192-195). The principle is to take the text at its apparent meaning, and the apparent meaning is what is intended, and the apparent meaning is what comes to mind from the meanings. One does not depart from this apparent meaning except with proof. If there is no proof, then adhering to the apparent meaning is the only option, and departing from it is distortion.

We see that the one who distorts through a corrupt interpretation has misunderstood the text. Despite his error and misguidance in this, he is not considered an apostate, because he did not reject the text nor deny it. Ibn al-Wazir states this in "Ithār al-Haqq 'alā al-Khalq" (Prioritizing Truth over Creation) where he says: "Regarding the verse of the idolaters, Allah the Almighty says: 'This is because they loved this worldly life over the Hereafter, and because Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.' (Surah An-Nahl: 106). This supports the idea that those who interpret [texts] are not apostates, because their hearts have not been opened to disbelief, definitively, or by assumption, or by possibility, or by probability."

And Ibn Taymiyyah said in "Majmu' al-Fatawa" (Collection of Fatwas): "Excommunication is a threat. Even if the statement is a denial of what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said (meaning a denial as a consequence of the statement, not a direct denial, as clarified by the rest of the text), a person might be new to Islam, or have grown up in a distant desert. Such a person is not excommunicated for denying what he denies until the proof is established against him. A person might not have heard those texts, or heard them but they were not confirmed for him, or another conflicting matter arose that necessitated their interpretation, even if he was mistaken."