“Lā yastawī minkum man anfaqa min qabli al-fatḥi wa-qātal”
“Those among you who spent and fought before the victory are not equal [to those after it].” (al-Ḥadīd 57:10, excerpt)
The opening negation of equality anticipates a comparison partner. The verse later names those who spent and fought afterwards, making the missing side of the comparison explicit.
The lesson is that comparable actions can differ in rank because the risks and circumstances differed. Earlier sacrifice carries greater rank, while the merit of later believers is not simply denied.
Here a later clause interprets an earlier compressed comparison, a clear instance of contextual completion rather than arbitrary conjecture.