The Imperative for Permission — "When the Prayer Is Concluded, Disperse in the Land"

The imperative in rhetoric:
Primary imperative: demanding an action in a commanding manner. But the imperative form carries many other meanings — including: permission, guidance, threat, equalization, and supplication.

The verse:
"When the prayer has concluded, disperse in the land and seek from the bounty of Allah." (62:10)

Is "disperse" an obligation?
No — the imperative here is for permission. Evidence: the context — the verse follows the obligatory command to hasten to Juma prayer "hasten to the remembrance of Allah." Once it concluded, dispersion was permitted — and permission after prohibition indicates lifting the restriction, not obligation.

Rhetorical benefit:
Using the imperative form for permission gives the permission force and clarity — as if Allah is saying: I grant you explicit permission. This is more eloquent than simply "it is permissible for you to disperse."

Other examples of imperative for permission:
— "When you have left ihram, hunt." (5:2) — permission to hunt after pilgrimage restriction
— "Marry of the women who seem good to you." (4:3) — permission for marriage