بَلْ عَنْ خَطَإٍ فِي الِاجْتِهَادِ
Rather, it arose from an error of judgment in ijtihād.
Ijtihād means forming a considered judgment in a difficult matter by weighing evidence and circumstances. Calling something an error in ijtihād does not mean incompatible conclusions are all objectively correct. It indicates that disagreement should not be reduced to deliberate malice or conscious rejection of truth.
Evaluating an act and inferring the agent’s motive are separate tasks. An act may be judged mistaken while its underlying intention requires its own evidence.