its content is subject to numerous qualifications. For example, Allah Most High says:
“The first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in righteousness—Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him.”
And He says:
“Indeed, those who believed and those who emigrated and strove in the cause of Allah—it is they who hope for Allah’s mercy.”
And He says:
“Those who believed afterwards, emigrated, and strove alongside you—they are of you.”
There are similar qualifications that grammarians call adjectives, coordination, circumstantial expressions, adverbs of place, adverbs of time, and the like.
When a proposition contains numerous qualifications, it consists not of two expressions but of multiple expressions and multiple meanings. If what is meant is that the desired conclusion comprises only two meanings, whether expressed in two expressions or several, the reply is:
That is not so. What is sought may be a single meaning, two meanings, or several meanings. What is sought depends on what the seeker is seeking, whether he is a thinker reasoning from evidence or a learner questioning and debating. Either may seek one meaning, two meanings, or several; and what he seeks may be expressed in one expression, two expressions, or more.
Thus, if he says, “Nabīdh is forbidden,” and is told, “Yes,” this single expression suffices as an answer, just as saying, “It is forbidden,” would suffice.
If they say:
“A single proposition may be equivalent to several propositions, as in the example you gave concerning the human being. This single proposition is equivalent to five propositions, corresponding to five questions to be resolved, namely: Is he a body or not? Does he possess sensation or not? And is