and “mark.”

This deserves careful attention. Among the Quran’s greatest perfections is that, in the likenesses it presents and the syllogisms it sets forth, it dispenses with stating the clear, evident, familiar premise and then following this with an explicit statement of the conclusion already understood from the outset to be the intended point. Rather, a likeness is presented by mentioning what is worth stating and beneficial to know. That is true exposition and demonstration. To mention what need not be mentioned is an inability to express oneself effectively.

This reveals the error of certain ignorant rhetoricians and misguided logicians. One of the former said, “Among the methods of exposition, the demonstrative method of speculative theology occurs only rarely in the Quran.” One of the latter said, “The Quran contains no complete demonstration.” These people are among the most ignorant of all concerning both wording and meaning. For anyone who understands and reflects, the Quran employs nothing but sound demonstrative reasoning.

“Furthermore,” it should be understood that presenting likenesses and constructing syllogisms revolve around generality and particularity, negation and affirmation. Every statement is either general or particular, and either negative or affirmative. What is individually specified is particular and delimited; a particular proposition is likewise particular, but not delimited. An unrestricted expression is either general or particular in meaning. Anyone wishing to understand this subject should therefore learn the “forms of negation and generality,” for these occur in the Quran in the most eloquent arrangement.