Definition of restriction (hasr):Limiting the subject by its predicate — affirming the ruling for what is mentioned and negating it for all else.
Restriction tools in the Quran:
- "Innama" — the strongest restriction tool according to the majority
- Fronting what should be postponed: "You alone we worship" (iyyaka)
- "Illa" after negation: "There is no god but Allah"
- The separating pronoun: "You are the ones in need of Allah"
The verse:
"The believers are but brothers." (49:10)
Rhetorical analysis:
"Innama" implies: believers are brothers only — not enemies, not rivals in the worldly sense, not divided. Brotherhood is the only identity that describes them. This makes conflict between believers a logical contradiction of their very definition.
Al-Zamakhshari: "Innama is for restriction — it implies here that brotherhood is the only true description of believers in their relationship with each other — and that anything else contradicts faith."
Question: What does the restriction in "the believers are but brothers" mean? How does it make conflict between believers a logical contradiction?
Answer: Innama restricts: brotherhood is the only description of believers in their mutual relations — any behavior contradicting it contradicts faith itself.