Benefit
In the Book of Allah, a denial of equality may occur between two acts, as in His saying, Exalted is He: “Do you regard providing water to pilgrims and tending the Sacred Mosque as equal to the deeds of one who believes in Allah and the Last Day?”—to the end of the verse.
It may also occur between two sets of people, as in His saying: “Those believers who remain behind—except those with disabilities—are not equal to those who strive in the path of Allah.”
It may occur between two forms of recompense, as in His saying: “The inhabitants of the Fire and the inhabitants of Paradise are not equal.”
Allah combines all three in a single verse, namely His saying, Exalted is He: “The blind and the seeing are not equal, nor are darkness and light”—and the verses that follow.
Benefit
Several lessons may be derived from the parables presented in the Quran: reminders, admonition, encouragement, deterrence, instruction, affirmation, bringing the intended meaning within the grasp of the intellect, and depicting it in a perceptible form so that its relation to the intellect is like that of a perceptible object to the senses.
The parables of the Quran also explain differing degrees of reward; convey praise and blame; describe recompense; magnify or belittle a matter; and establish one matter while invalidating another.
Benefit
Context guides one in clarifying what is left unspecified, determining which of several possible meanings is intended, definitively establishing the absence(1) of any possibility other than the intended meaning, restricting what is general, qualifying what is unqualified, and discerning the various modes of indication. It is among the strongest contextual clues to a speaker’s intended meaning. Whoever neglects it errs in his reasoning and misleads others in debate. Consider His saying: “Taste! Indeed, you are the mighty, the noble!” See how the context shows that he is in fact humiliated and contemptible.
Benefit
The Lord’s reports concerning observable events that have occurred serve several purposes:
They may serve as a prelude and introduction to refuting what follows.
They may serve as an admonition and reminder.
They may serve as evidence for what He has stated concerning His oneness, the truthfulness of His Messenger, and the resurrection of the dead.
They may be mentioned by way of reminding people of His favors.
They may be mentioned by way of blame and rebuke.
They may be mentioned by way of praise and condemnation.
They may be mentioned to inform that the Lord is fully aware of them—along with other benefits.
Here ends his statement—may Allah have mercy on him. It is exceedingly valuable and contains many principles and governing rules related to Quranic exegesis. May Allah reward him with good.
I say: The Quran encompasses several branches of knowledge that are repeatedly presented within it. Among them are:
Parables, whose benefits Ibn al-Qayyim discussed above.
The qualities of the people of felicity and the people of wretchedness, in which there are numerous benefits: