“Lā yakhāfu ladayya al-mursalūn, illā man ẓalama thumma baddala ḥusnan baʿda sūʾ”
“The messengers do not fear in My presence; yet whoever wrongs and then replaces evil with good…” (al-Naml 27:10–11, excerpt)
In some contexts, “illā” can be explained in an adversative sense, close to “but” (lākinn), rather than as a straightforward exception from the immediately preceding category.
The verse combines reassurance concerning messengers with reference to wrongdoing, repentance and divine mercy. Treating every “illā” as an unqualified exception would create unnecessary difficulties here. A disconnected exception is one recognized way of explaining the construction.
Particle interpretation requires grammatical and thematic analysis together, not automatic substitution.