Hadith: If you see those who follow the ambiguous verses, they are those whom Allah has named; so beware of them

عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: تلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذه الآية: {هو الذي أنزل عليك الكتاب، منه آيات محكمات هن أم الكتاب، وأخر متشابهات، فأما الذين في قلوبهم زيغ فيتبعون ما تشابه منه ابتغاء الفتنة، وابتغاء تأويله، وما يعلم تأويله إلا الله، والراسخون في العلم يقولون: آمنا به كل من عند ربنا وما يذكر إلا أولو الألباب} قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «فإذا رأيت الذين يتبعون ما تشابه منه فأولئك الذين سمى الله فاحذروهم».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book; while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it. It is all from our Lord." None will take heed except people of understanding} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 7]. Then, he said: "If you see those who follow the ambiguous verses, they are those whom Allah has named; so beware of them."
Sahih/Authentic. - [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book; while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it. It is all from our Lord." None will take heed except people of understanding} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 7]. Allah Almighty informs that the Qur’an contains definite verses, which constitute the foundation of the Book. They are self-evident and clear to everyone, and they also clarify the other ambiguous verses. On the other hand, there are verses that are ambiguous and their meanings are unclear to many or to some people. When we cannot clearly see the meaning of any of such verses, we should refer them to the definite and clear verses. Hence Allah Almighty says: {They are the foundation of the Book.}: means its basis and essence to which we should refer when we face something unclear or ambiguous. {Those with deviant hearts.}: means doubtful and misguided. They follow the ambiguous verses seeking to tempt their followers and lead them astray under the false impression that they base their heresies upon the Qur’an; whereas, it is an argument against them, not the opposite. They also aim at interpreting it falsely and distorting it in accordance with their deviant inclinations and wishes. Regarding the part that says: {But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it"}, there are two valid interpretations: First: Allah Almighty keeps the interpretation of some parts of the Qur’an exclusively to Himself; they are known to none but Him. These are the facts related to the unseen and the reality of His attributes. Those who are well-versed in the Shar‘i knowledge say: We believe in the ambiguous verses and leave their knowledge to the One Who knows them. Both the definite and ambiguous verses have come from Allah Almighty, and they are true and right. Second: The meanings of the ambiguous verses are only known to Allah Almighty and to those He chose from among the scholars well-grounded in knowledge. Then, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you see those who follow the ambiguous verses, they are those whom Allah has named in His words {Those with deviant hearts}; so beware of them, O Muslims, and do not sit or talk with them, for they are religious innovators.