certain. Rather, whenever Allah presents an example containing a widely accepted or conceded premise, that premise must also be certain. Merely relying on an opponent’s concession when the premise is not true, or on its being widely accepted even though it is not true—such premises have no place in Allah’s speech, which is entirely true and truthful, the most truthful speech and the finest discourse.
Thus, a person possessing wisdom is addressed through true premises, whether widely accepted, conceded, or neither, because he can grasp subtle matters and follows the truth.
A person in need of exhortation is addressed through those true premises that are widely accepted, because he may not understand subtle truths, whereas he does not dispute widely accepted premises.
A person engaged in argument is addressed through the true premises he concedes, whether widely accepted or not. He may not submit to what he does not concede, whether obvious or subtle, yet submits to what he does concede, whether obvious or subtle. Such is the distinction.
The matter is not as the ignorant and misguided among the unbelieving philosophers and some speculative theologians imagine: that the Quran employs the rhetorical method but lacks the demonstrative method, or contains only a little of it. Rather, everything the Quran contains follows the demonstrative method. At times it is also rhetorical and at times dialectical, while remaining demonstrative. The rational inferences contained in the Quran are the highest means of calling people to Allah, as He says:
“We have certainly presented for people in this Quran every kind of example.”
This occurs near the beginning and end of Surah Subhān, and in Surah al-Kahf. An example is a logical inference; for this reason, the Quran contains