The heart’s clear perception of things is the opposite of its confusion about them. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters”—the hadith continues.

The words of Allah, Exalted is He, “And so that the way of the criminals may become clear,” have been recited with “way” in both the nominative and the accusative—that is, “so that you yourself may discern their way.” Thus, a person discerns things.

The Arabs say: bāna al-shay’u (“the thing became clear”) and bayyantuhu (“I clarified it”); tabayyana al-shay’u (“the thing became clear”) and tabayyantuhu (“I ascertained it”); istabāna al-shay’u (“the thing became clear”) and istabantuhu (“I discerned it”). All these are used intransitively and transitively. An example is His saying, Exalted is He:

“If an evildoer brings you news, verify it.”

[and] (1) here the verb is transitive. Another example is His saying, “with manifest indecency”: mubayyina here means mutabayyina, “manifest in itself,” so here it is intransitive.

Bayān, like kalām (“speech”), may be a verbal noun, as in bāna al-shay’u bayānan (“the thing became clear”). It may also be a noun denoting the action of bayyana (“to clarify”), just as kalām (“speech”) and salām (“greeting”) denote the actions of kallama (“to speak”) and sallama (“to greet”). Thus, bayān can mean that something becomes clear, or that one makes it clear—that is, explains it. The latter is its predominant meaning. An example is the Prophet’s saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Indeed, some eloquence is magic.”

The purpose of clarity in speech is to bring clarity to the listener’s heart, so that the matter becomes clear and evident to him. As Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“This is a clear explanation for mankind”—the verse continues.

Nevertheless, there are those to whom it does not become clear, as Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“Say: It is guidance and healing for those who believe. But those who do not believe have deafness in their ears, and it is blindness to them.”

And He says:

“And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may explain to people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may reflect.”

And He says:

“We have not sent any messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might explain clearly to them.”

And He says:

“The Messenger’s duty is only to convey the message clearly.”

And He says:

“Allah would not lead a people astray after guiding them until He had made clear to them what they should avoid.”

And He says:

“Allah makes clear to you, lest you