المعنى الاصطلاحي :

The exegetes' difference of opinion on the meaning of a Qur’anic verse, word, ruling, or the like.

الشرح المختصر :

"Ikhtilāf al-mufassireen" (divergence of exegetes) refers to the various opinions that Qur’anic exegetes hold when explaining the meanings of the noble Qur’an. This "ikhtilāf" (divergence) is of two types: 1. Difference of variation: It is a conflict of two or more authentic, non-contradictory statements, which can be reconciled. 2. Difference of contradiction: It is a conflict of two or more contradictory statements that cannot be reconciled. Difference of opinion among Qur’anic exegetes is mostly difference of variation, not of contradiction. Causes of "ikhtilāf al-mufassireen" include: 1. Difference in Qur’anic modes of recitation. 2. Difference on abrogation. 3. Disparity in knowing the Prophetic Sunnah. 4. Difference on the absolute and the restricted, the general and the specific form of statement. 5. Difference on the occasions of revelation. 6. Linguistic Difference, such as agreeing or disagreeing on the meanings of letters, words; putting forward or delaying of words' location,"i‘rāb" (parsing), etc.