The lā … illā construction marks restriction. The assertion is not merely that evil plotting has consequences; it specifically returns upon those involved. Removing illā bi-ahlihi would lose that restriction.
Conversely, adding a word that makes no appreciable contribution to this restricted meaning would call for a separate inquiry into its benefit. Analysis of musāwāt begins by asking what meaning each expression performs and then whether that expression is appropriately proportioned.
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Musāwāt and Ījāz al-Qaṣr: Proportionate Wording and the Rhetoric of Qiṣāṣ
The lā … illā construction marks restriction. The assertion is not merely that evil plotting has consequences; it specifically returns upon those involved. Removing illā bi-ahlihi would lose that restriction.
Conversely, adding a word that makes no appreciable contribution to this restricted meaning would call for a separate inquiry into its benefit. Analysis of musāwāt begins by asking what meaning each expression performs and then whether that expression is appropriately proportioned.