the solace of certainty and gracious favours. He called this ‘the breath of the Lord’ because He was the One who brought him relief through it; its attribution to Him denotes ownership. What requires this interpretation is the first report quoted above, which, as we have explained, contains an indication supporting it.”

I say: These are al-Qādī’s words, including what he quoted from others. He has explained that he adopted this interpretation of the report only because the report itself contains evidence that this interpretation is correct. There is no disagreement over an interpretation of this kind. When a hadith contains wording directly connected to it that clarifies its meaning, this is comparable to restricting general wording through an attached qualification. Such an interpretation is not described as contrary to the apparent meaning; rather, it is the apparent meaning, without any disagreement among people.

For this reason, such qualifications are accepted in legal admissions, pronouncements of divorce and manumission, vows, oaths, and other contexts in which a person may not set aside the apparent meaning after completing his statement, but may attach to his statement such qualifications as