Occasions of Revelation — Definition and the Golden Rule
terms
Level: basic
quran-sciences
trm-004
وَنَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ تِبۡيَٰنٗا لِّكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ
— النحل 89
Definition: Events or questions that formed the context for a verse's revelation.
Value: More precise understanding, knowing legislation's wisdom, resolving apparent contradictions.
Golden rule: "The lesson is from the generality of wording, not the specificity of occasion" — a verse about one person applies universally to similar cases forever.
Note: Not every verse has a specific occasion.
Source: Al-Suyuti (1/28); Lubab Al-Nuqul; Al-Wahidi
Question: What does "lesson from generality of wording not specificity of occasion" mean?
Answer: A verse for one person applies universally to all similar cases.