Iʿtibār is reflection that moves from an established example or lesson to a suitably analogous situation. The original meaning remains intact while the reader recognizes how a general moral truth may apply to current experience. This is neither merely lexical exegesis nor necessarily identical to technical juristic analogy.
A valid reflection identifies the established teaching and explains its relevance to the new case. The closer the real relationship, the more persuasive the application. A personal analogy, however, cannot become a categorical report about the unseen or a new binding ruling.
For example, reading a promise connected with righteousness may prompt self-examination. It does not authorize a final judgment about any particular person’s destiny.