And it is well known that this from Tawba was not by way of doubt regarding what he said, but since "or" (aw) in this place indicated the same as what the wāw would have indicated had it been in its place, he put it in its place. And likewise is the statement of Jarīr:

He obtained the Caliphate, or it was decreed for him as a destiny, ... just as Mūsā came to his Lord according to a decree (1)

And as another said:

If weeping could bring anything back, ... I would have wept for Bujayr or 'Ifāq (2) For both men, when they both passed away ... for their affair, in grief and longing (3)

For he indicated by his statement, "for both men, when they both passed away", that his weeping which he intended to weep was not meant to aim at one of them to the exclusion of the other, but rather he intended to weep for them both. Likewise is that in the statement of Allah—may His praise be exalted—"Or like a rainstorm from the sky". Since it was well known that "or" (aw) indicates in that the same as what the wāw would indicate had it been in its place, it was equal whether it was spoken with "or" (aw) or with the wāw. Likewise is the aspect of omitting "the parable" (al-mathal) from His statement, "or like a rainstorm". Since His statement: