Indispensable Principles and General Rules of Quranic Exegesis (1)
An indefinite noun occurring in the context of negation, prohibition, interrogation, or a conditional statement is universal in scope. The same applies to a singular noun annexed to a definite noun. Examples of this are numerous.
Whenever you find an indefinite noun occurring in any of these contexts, or a singular noun annexed to a definite noun, include every referent encompassed by that expression. Do not consider the occasion of revelation alone, for “consideration is given to the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the occasion.”
All events and actions that occur, including those that continue to arise, should be subsumed under the Quran’s general statements. You will thereby recognize that the Quran explains all things and that no event occurs or new matter arises without its explanation and clarification being found in the Quran.
Another principle is that the definite article al-, when prefixed to descriptive terms and generic nouns, encompasses all the meanings included under them.
One of the Quran’s general themes is that it calls people to affirm Allah’s oneness and to know Him by mentioning His names, attributes, and acts, all of which demonstrate that He alone possesses oneness and the attributes of perfection. It also calls them to recognize that He is the Truth, that worshipping Him is the truth, and that whatever they invoke besides Him is falsehood. It makes clear, in every respect, the deficiency of all that is worshipped besides Allah.
It calls people to affirm the truth of what the Messenger Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) brought and his truthfulness by demonstrating that his message is perfectly fashioned and complete, that all his reports are true, and that his rulings are excellent. It also makes clear the human perfection attained by the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in which no one from the earliest or later generations can equal him. It challenges them to produce the like of what he brought, if they are truthful.
It establishes this through Allah Most High’s own testimony to him in word and deed, His affirmation of him, and His confirmation of his truthfulness through proof and demonstration, victory and ascendancy, and the testimony of fair-minded people of knowledge. It contrasts the truth contained in his reports and rulings with the lies in the reports of his enemies and those who denied him, and the falsehood in their rulings. It likewise establishes this through miracles of many kinds.
Allah establishes the Resurrection by mentioning His perfect power and His creation of the heavens and the earth, whose creation is greater than that of humankind. He explains that the One who originated creation is all the more capable of restoring it, and that the One who revives the earth after its death is able to bring the dead to life. He also recounts His momentous dealings with former nations and the exemplary punishments people witnessed in this world, which are a foretaste of the recompense of the Hereafter.
The Quran calls all adherents of falsehood—disbelievers, polytheists, and atheists—to the truth by mentioning the virtues of the religion and explaining that it guides to what is most upright in its beliefs, moral character, and deeds. It sets forth Allah’s majesty and lordship and His immense blessings, and explains that the One who alone possesses absolute perfection and every blessing is the only One worthy of worship. It also shows that, when the beliefs of the adherents of falsehood are carefully scrutinized and examined, they are found to be evil and false, with dire consequences.
Another principle of exegesis is this: once you understand the meanings indicated by the noble verses through correspondence and inclusion, know that the necessary implications of those meanings, everything without which they cannot be complete, their conditions, and their corollaries all follow from those meanings. Accordingly, whatever is necessary for a statement to be complete,