The General Form (al-ʿāmm)

Definition
Lexically, al-ʿāmm means “all-inclusive.”
Technically, it is a wording that embraces every one of its referents without restriction, as in the verse, “Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss” (al-Infitar 82:13).

The clause “embraces every one of its referents” excludes expressions that point to only a single entity, such as a proper noun, or an indefinite noun occurring in an affirmative statement, for example: “The expiation is the emancipation of a slave” (al-Mujadilah 58:3). These do not encompass all individuals comprehensively; they indicate one unspecified instance.

The clause “without restriction” excludes wordings that do include all their referents yet within a counted limit, such as numerals—one hundred, one thousand, and the like.

Formulas that Convey Generality
The formulas of generality are seven:

1 – Words whose very roots denote totality, such as: kull (every), jamīʿ (all), kāffah (altogether), qāṭibah (all of them), and ʿāmmat (universally). Allah says, “Indeed, We created everything according to a precise measure” (al-Qamar 54:49).

2 – Conditional nouns, as in: “Whoever does righteousness, it is for his own soul” (al-Jathiyah 45:15); and: “Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah” (al-Baqarah 2:115).

3 – Interrogative nouns, as in: “Then who will bring you flowing water?” (al-Mulk 67:30); “What answer did you give to the messengers?” (al-Qasas 28:65); “So where are you going?” (al-Takwir 81:26).

4 – Relative pronouns, as in: “And the one who has come with the truth and affirmed it—those are the people of piety” (al-Zumar 39:33); and: “And those who strive for Us—We will surely guide them to Our ways” (al-ʿAnkabut 29:69).