and the like. He—glorified is He—is One, the Self-Sufficient. His Most Beautiful Names all denote His Essence, but each signifies attributes that another does not. Thus, they agree in denoting the Essence while differing in the attributes they signify. A name signifies the Essence together with a particular attribute as its full meaning, and either one individually as part of that meaning. Each name also signifies, by necessary implication, the attribute to which it points, for it denotes the Essence designated by all the attributes. Much exegesis and translation proceeds in this manner.

There is also “another category”: the commentator or translator explains a word’s meaning by identifying an instance or giving an example, rather than by providing an exhaustive definition. For example, a non-Arab might ask, “What does ‘bread’ mean?” and someone points him to a loaf. The intention is not to restrict the meaning to that particular loaf; rather, the gesture identifies this individual instance.

This is likewise the case when they are asked about His words:

“Among them are those who wrong themselves, among them are those who are moderate, and among them are those who are foremost in good deeds,”

or His words:

“Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who do good,”

or about the righteous, the wrongdoers, and similar general, comprehensive terms whose full meaning may be difficult or impossible for the listener or speaker to encompass, since he has no need to do so. The speaker therefore mentions types and individual instances sufficient to serve his purpose. These may also provide a basis for inferring analogous cases.

For the one who wrongs himself is someone who neglects what is commanded and does what is forbidden, while “the moderate one”