and bring you as a witness against these (41). On that Day those who disbelieved and defied the Messenger will wish that the earth were leveled over them.

An illustration of explicitly mentioning the governing element appears in His words in an-Nisāʾ: “And spur on the believers—perhaps Allah will restrain the might of those who disbelieve,” ⦗the verse⦘. Here He does not state the object of the urging, but He clarifies it in al-Anfāl, saying: “Urge the believers to fight,” ⦗the verse⦘.

Another example is His saying: “And your Lord will come, and the angels, rank upon rank (22),” and His words: “Are they waiting for anything except that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord should come….” In al-Baqarah He specifies a complement for His coming, exalted be He, on the Day of Resurrection: “Are they waiting for anything except that Allah should come to them in canopies of clouds….” The prepositional phrase “in canopies (of clouds)” is linked to the verb “should come to them.”

Consider likewise His statement: “When the sky is split open and becomes rosy…,” His words: “And the sky will split apart, and on that Day it will be frail (16),” and: “When the sky is rent asunder (1).” He attaches a complement to its splitting in al-Furqān, where He says: “On the Day when the sky will split apart with clouds….”

Among the modes of exposition found in this blessed Book is to establish one of the meanings encompassed by a verse by showing that it predominates elsewhere in the Quran; its predominance indicates that it is indeed included in the verse’s intent.

An example is His statement: “I shall surely prevail, I and My messengers.” Some scholars have argued that the victory meant here is victory by proof and argument, whereas the prevalent usage in the Quran employs the term for triumph by sword and spear, and that predominance is evidence