the majority, the same principle applies to the categories—regarding comprehensive and equal distribution—as applies to the individuals within each category.

The second point is that His words:

“Charitable dues are only…”

express restriction. They affirm what is mentioned and leave everything else aside. The meaning is that charitable dues are not for anyone other than these recipients; rather, they are for these recipients. What is affirmed concerns the same matter as what is denied. Clearly, the intention is not to establish ownership, but to explain lawfulness: charitable dues are not lawful for anyone other than these recipients. The corresponding affirmation is therefore that they are lawful for them.

This is because the statement occurs in the context of censuring those who asked him for charitable dues without being entitled to them. A person is censured for requesting something unlawful for him, not for requesting something lawful for him, even though he does not yet own it. Otherwise, these recipients and everyone else would be censured for requesting charitable dues from the ruler before receiving them. If the censure applied universally, the restrictive wording would not single these people out for censure rather than others. Yet the context of the verse requires that they be censured. The particular grounds for their censure are that they requested something unlawful for them. This, then, is what is denied, while what is affirmed is that it is lawful for these recipients.

Making something lawful for the categories and their individual members does not entail comprehensive or equal distribution. This is like the preposition “for” in His words, Exalted is He:

“It is He who created for you all that is on the earth.”

And His words:

“He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—all from Him.”

And the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“You and your wealth are for your father.”

There are similar examples in which the preposition “for” indicates permission. Thus, the assertion that He apportioned the charitable dues among them through the conjunction “and,” which denotes sharing