Likewise, He Most High says:

“He is the One Who expelled the disbelievers among the People of the Book from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, while they thought their fortresses would protect them from Allah. But Allah came upon them from where they had not expected and cast terror into their hearts. They demolished their homes with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take heed, O people of insight.”

[Surah al-Hashr: 2]

Continuing through His words:

“That was because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. Whoever opposes Allah should know that Allah is severe in punishment.”

[Surah al-Hashr: 4]

Taking heed means proceeding from their case to that of others like them, thereby recognizing that anyone who acts as they did deserves what they deserved. If He Most High sometimes treated equals equally and sometimes did not, no such inference could be drawn until it was known that this particular case (1) was one in which a person would be treated the same as his counterpart. But then the inference could be drawn only after the ruling concerning that particular case (2) was already known, at which point there would be no need for such an inference.

It is remarkable that most speculative theologians cited this verse as proof of analogical reasoning. Yet it proves this only because taking heed (3) entails treating equals equally. It is therefore known that the Lord does this in His judgment. If they use the verse to draw such an inference concerning His revealed command, because the unrestricted sense of taking heed indicates this, why do they not also cite it as proof regarding His creational, cosmic judgment in reward and punishment—which is precisely what the verse intends, and which it therefore indicates all the more directly?

It is thus known that two persons alike in sin are alike in deserving punishment,