Ayat-ayat tersebut mungkin bersifat umum atau khusus, dan sebab turunnya (asbabun nuzul) mungkin mengesahkan implikasi umum ayat-ayat itu atau implikasi khususnya, atau ia mungkin mengehadkan (mengkhususkan) maksudnya.

The verses may be general or specific and the reason for revelation may either confirm the general implications of the verses or their specific implication, or it may qualify them.

1. Dalam kes pertama, apabila sebab penurunan ayat mengesahkan maksud umum ayat tersebut, ayat itu hendaklah ditafsirkan mengikut maksud umumnya. Sebagai contoh, Anas bin Malik meriwayatkan bahawa orang Yahudi biasa mengeluarkan isteri mereka dari rumah apabila mereka didatangi haid. Mereka tidak makan, minum, atau duduk bersama mereka di dalam rumah. Apabila Rasulullah ﷺ ditanya mengenainya, Allah menurunkan ayat,

1. In the first case where the reason for revelation confirms the general implication of the verse, the verse should be interpreted according to its general meaning. For example, Anas ibn Maalik reported that the Jews used to remove their women from their houses when they menstruated. They would not eat, drink, or sit with them in their houses. When the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) was asked about it, Allaah revealed the verse,

Kemudian Nabi Allah ﷺ bersabda,

Then the Prophet of Allaah (ﷺ) said,

Makna umum ayat yang menyatakan bahawa wanita yang sedang haid tidak boleh didekati secara seksual disahkan oleh peristiwa-peristiwa yang berkaitan dengan penurunannya.

The general meaning of the verse that menstruating women should not be approached sexually is confirmed by events surrounding its revelation.

2. Dalam kes kedua, di mana implikasi khusus ayat itu disahkan oleh sebab turunnya (asbabun nuzul), ayat tersebut hendaklah ditafsirkan mengikut maksud khususnya. Sebagai contoh, 'Urwah meriwayatkan bahawa Abu Bakr as-Siddiq telah membebaskan enam atau tujuh orang hamba, yang kesemuanya diseksa kerana iman mereka kepada Allah: Bilal, 'Amir bin Fuhairah, an-Nahdiyah dan anak perempuannya, Ummu 'Isa, dan seorang hamba perempuan dari kabilah Naww'il; dan ayat-ayat berikut diturunkan berkenaan dengannya:

2. In the second case, where specific implications of the verse are confirmed by the reason for the revelation, the verse should be interpreted according to its specific meaning. For example, ‘Urwah reported that Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq set free six or seven slaves, all of whom were being tortured because of their belief in Allaah: Bilaal, ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, an-Nahdeeyah and her daughter, Umm ‘Eesaa, and a slave girl of the Naw’il clan; and the following verses were revealed about him:

Perkataan ayat itu menyebut "yang paling bertakwa", iaitu bentuk superlatif. Bentuk ini menunjukkan seseorang yang tertentu, bukan suatu generalisasi. Oleh itu, ayat-ayat ini wajar difahami merujuk kepada Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, walaupun satu pengajaran umum boleh dipetik daripada contoh besar beliau dalam sifat mementingkan orang lain.

The wording of the verse mentions “the most God-fearing,” which is a superlative. This is a wording that indicates someone specific, rather than a generality. Thus, these verses should be understood to refer to Aboo Bakr asSiddeeq, although a general lesson can be learned from his great example of selflessness.

3. Walau bagaimanapun, dalam keadaan ketiga, iaitu apabila sebab turunnya ayat itu khusus tetapi lafaz ayatnya bersifat umum, ayat tersebut hendaklah ditafsirkan secara umum supaya merangkumi semua keadaan yang serupa dengan peristiwa khusus yang berkaitan dengan turunnya ayat itu. Contohnya, al-Musayyib meriwayatkan bahawa ketika Abu Talib sedang menghadapi saat kematiannya, Nabi Allah ﷺ datang melawatnya sementara Abu Jahal dan 'Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah berada bersamanya. Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Wahai bapa saudaraku, ucapkanlah 'Tiada tuhan melainkan Allah', dan aku akan membelamu dengannya di sisi Allah." Kemudian Abu Jahal dan 'Abdullah berkata, "Wahai Abu Talib, adakah engkau mahu berpaling daripada agama 'Abdul-Muttalib?" Mereka terus mengulang-ulang kata-kata itu kepadanya sehingga akhirnya dia berkata bahawa dia mengikuti agama 'Abdul-Muttalib. Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Aku akan memohon ampun untukmu selagi aku tidak dilarang berbuat demikian." Lalu turunlah ayat berikut:

3. However, in the third instance where the reason for revelation is specific and verse is revealed with general implications, the verse should be interpreted in a general way so as to include all circumstances similar to the specific events surrounding the verse’s revelation. For example, al-Musayyib reported that when Aboo Taalib was on his deathbed, the Prophet of Allaah (ﷺ) came to visit him while Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah ibn Abee Umayyah were with him. The Prophet (r) said, “O Uncle, say, ‘There is no god but Allaah,’ and I will defend you with it before Allaah.” Then Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah said, “O Aboo Taalib, will you turn away from the creed of ‘Abdul-Muttalib?” They kept on telling him that until he said that he was following the creed of ‘Abdul-Muttalib. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “I will seek forgiveness for you as long as I am not forbidden to do so.” Then the following verse was revealed:

Oleh itu, ayat yang melarang memohon keampunan (bagi orang kafir) berlaku kepada semua orang Islam dalam keadaan ibu bapa atau kaum kerabat mereka meninggal dunia dalam keadaan kufur, walaupun ayat itu diturunkan berkaitan dengan Abu Talib sebelum kematiannya.

Hence, the verse prohibiting prayers seeking forgiveness applies to all Muslims in cases where their parents or relatives have died in a state of disbelief, even though it was revealed in reference to Aboo Taalib before his death.

Prinsip panduan yang perlu diikuti ketika mentafsirkan atau mengaplikasikan ayat-ayat al-Quran ialah bahawa pengajaran itu terletak pada makna umum lafaz-lafaznya, bukan semata-mata pada keadaan khusus ketika ayat itu diturunkan. Namun, pengetahuan tentang peristiwa-peristiwa yang melatari wahyu itu meletakkan makna umum ayat-ayat tersebut dalam konteks yang betul dan mencegah penyimpangan. Sebagai contoh, Yoosuf ibn Maahak meriwayatkan bahawa ketika Marwaan menjadi gabenor al-Hijaaz, Khalifah Mu‘aawiyah berhasrat supaya anaknya Yazeed menjadi khalifah selepasnya, lalu dia menulis surat kepada Marwaan. Marwaan kemudian mengumpulkan penduduk Madeenah dan berucap kepada mereka, menjemput mereka untuk berbaiah kepada Yazeed ibn Mu‘aawiyah sebagai khalifah selepas ayahnya. Apabila dia menambah bahawa perkara itu adalah sunnah (cara) Aboo Bakr dan ‘Umar, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr menjawab bahawa itu adalah sunnah Heraclius dan Caesar. Marwaan lalu memerintahkan supaya dia ditangkap, maka ‘Abdur-Rahmaan masuk ke rumah ‘Aa’ishah dan tentera tidak dapat menangkapnya.

The guiding principle to be followed when interpreting or applying the verses of the Qur’aan is that the lesson lies in the general meaning of the words and not simply in the special circumstances in which they were revealed. However, knowledge of the events surrounding the revelations puts the general meaning of the verses in proper context and prevents deviation. For example, Yoosuf ibn Maahak reported that when Marwaan was governor of al-Hijaaz, Caliph Mu‘aawiyah desired that his son Yazeed be caliph after him, so he wrote to Marwaan. Marwaan then gathered the people of Madeenah and addressed them, inviting them to take an oath of allegiance to Yazeed ibn Mu‘aawiyah as caliph after his father. When he added that it was the sunnah (way) of Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr answered that it was the sunnah of Heraclius and Caesar. Marwaan then ordered that he be seized, so ‘AbdurRahmaan entered ‘Aa’ishah’s house and the soldiers were unable to arrest him.

Marwan kemudian berkata, "Sesungguhnya, dialah orang yang mengenainya ayat ini diturunkan,

Marwaan then said, “Surely, he is the one about whom this verse was revealed,

Apabila berita tentang apa yang dia katakan itu sampai kepada ‘Aa’ishah, beliau berkata, “Marwaan telah berdusta.

When the news of what he said reached ‘Aa’ishah, she said, “Marwaan has lied.

Demi Allah, ia bukan tentang dia, dan jika aku mahu menyebut siapa yang diturunkan ayat itu mengenainya, aku boleh berbuat demikian.59

By Allaah, it was not about him, and if I wished to name the one about whom it was revealed, I could do so.”59