the commander, the judge, or the governor,” meaning the one known to them both—this would have to be figurative. The same would apply to a pronoun referring to something known but not mentioned, as in His words:

“Indeed, We sent it down,”

and His words:

“until it disappeared behind the veil.”

These and similar expressions would have to be figurative, yet no one says this.

Moreover, if someone says of a brave man, “This lion did such-and-such today”; of a dull-witted man, “This donkey said such-and-such today”; or of a learned or generous man, “This ocean did such-and-such today,” these would have to be literal, because the word “this” is a verbal contextual indicator. No figurative speech would then remain at all.

If he says, “A connected indicator is broader than that: it is whatever is present at the time of the utterance,” he is told: “This presents an even greater difficulty for you than the first interpretation. Whenever anyone speaks figuratively, something that clarifies his intended meaning must accompany his utterance; otherwise, it would not be permissible to speak in that way.”

If it is said, “I allow clarification to be delayed from the time of the utterance until it is needed,” the reply is: “Most people do not permit someone to use an expression indicating a meaning he does not intend unless he clarifies this. They permit only the postponement of clarification of what the wording itself does not indicate, as with indeterminate expressions.”

We then say: “If you permit clarification to be delayed, clarification may be provided through a complete sentence, through actions of the Messenger, or through other means. Such delayed clarification can only stand independently; it cannot be something that must be attached to something else. If you classify this as figurative, it follows that anything requiring clarification before it can be acted upon must be figurative, such as His words:

‘Take charity from their wealth to purify and sanctify them thereby.’”

It is then said: “Granted that this is rationally possible, it does not occur in the Sharia at all. Every alleged instance of it is invalid, as has been explained at length elsewhere.” For those who maintained that