Rule Forty-Seven: When the context of a passage is particular but Allah intends to issue a judgement that is not confined to those particulars—rather, it embraces them and everything similar—He states the ruling in general terms.

This principle is one of the Qur’an’s subtle marvels and a powerful proof of its flawless precision and wondrous coherence.

The examples are many. One is that, after Allah mentioned the hypocrites, censured them, and then exempted the penitents, He said: “Except those who repent, reform, hold fast to Allah, and dedicate their religion solely to Allah; such people are with the believers” (4:146). When He wished to decree their reward, He did not say, “and He will grant them a great reward,” but rather: “and Allah will grant the believers a tremendous reward,” so the ruling would include them and every other believer, and so no one would think it applied to them alone. (1)

Likewise, regarding His words: “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and seek to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers … they are truly the disbelievers, and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment” (4:150–151), He did not say, “and We have prepared for them,” for the same reason just mentioned.

The same device appears in: “Say, ‘Allah rescues you from it’”—that is, from the particular predicament addressed by the passage—“and from every distress” (6:64).