follows from that statement; and whatever is necessary for a ruling to be complete follows from that ruling. Verses that may appear to conflict or contradict one another contain neither conflict nor contradiction. Rather, each must be understood in the circumstances appropriate and relevant to it. The omission of governed elements, such as direct objects and the like, indicates that the meaning is general, for this is among the greatest rhetorical benefits of omission. However, it is impermissible to posit the omission of anything not indicated by the wording or the circumstantial context. Likewise, rulings qualified by conditions or attributes indicate that those qualifications are indispensable for the ruling to apply.

Whenever Allah commands something, He thereby prohibits its opposite; and whenever He prohibits something, He thereby commands its opposite. When He praises Himself by denying an imperfection, this affirms the perfection that is its opposite. Similarly, when He praises His messengers and His allies and declares them free of some imperfection, He thereby praises them for possessing its opposite. The same applies when imperfections are denied concerning the Abode of Bliss: this affirms their opposites.

Another general principle is that once the truth has become manifestly clear, there remains no room for intellectual disputation or practical opposition. Rather, objections are invalidated and disputes fade away.

Whatever the Quran denies is either nonexistent, or it exists but is of no benefit or use.

What is merely imagined cannot override what is known; what is unknown cannot oppose what is established; and beyond truth there is nothing but misguidance.

In many places in the Quran, Allah mentions faith and righteous deeds, and makes a great many forms of reward in this world and the Hereafter, as well as praiseworthy effects, contingent upon them. Faith is firm assent to everything Allah and His Messenger have commanded one to affirm—an assent that encompasses the deeds of the limbs.

Righteous deeds consist in fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants. Likewise, Allah has commanded reverent fear of Him, praised those who fear Him, and made the attainment of good things and the removal of what is undesirable contingent upon it. Perfect reverent fear consists in obeying the commands of Allah and His Messenger, avoiding what they have prohibited, and affirming what they have reported.

When Allah mentions reverent fear together with righteousness or a similar term, reverent fear denotes avoidance of every sin, while righteousness denotes performing good deeds. When either is mentioned on its own, it includes the other.

Allah mentions the guidance that is to be sought in many places, praises those who are rightly guided, states that guidance is in His hand, and commands us to seek it from Him and pursue every means by which it may be attained. This encompasses guidance in both knowledge and action.

The rightly guided person is one who knows the truth and acts upon it. The opposites of guidance are waywardness and misguidance: one who knows the truth but does not act upon it is wayward, while one who is ignorant of the truth is misguided.

Allah commands excellence, praises those who excel, and mentions their varied rewards in many verses. The reality of excellence is that you worship Allah as though you see Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you. It also means extending to created beings whatever financial, physical, and verbal benefit you are able to provide.

He commands people to set matters right, praises those who do so, and states that He will not allow their recompense and reward to be lost.

Setting matters right means striving to rectify people’s beliefs, moral character, and all their circumstances, so that they attain the greatest soundness possible. It also encompasses setting right both religious and worldly affairs, as well as individuals and communities. Its opposite is corruption.

Allah has prohibited spreading corruption, condemned those who spread it, mentioned their various punishments, and stated that He does not set right their religious or worldly works.

Allah praises certainty and those who possess it, stating that they are the ones who benefit from the Quranic signs and the signs visible throughout the horizons.

Certainty is more specific than knowledge: it is firmly rooted knowledge that bears fruit in action and tranquility.