مَا ذُكِرَتْ مِنَ الْقَصَصِ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَقَطْ
Accounts related in only one or two settings.
Not every narrative belongs to the group recurring throughout the Qur’an. Some incidents are described in one or a limited number of places, where that amount of narration fulfills the relevant purpose. The account of Idris’s elevated station, Abraham’s debate with a ruler, the episode of the birds and the trial involving the sacrifice of a son are listed among such cases.
Joseph’s story is a major example, bringing together family conflict, envy, trial, chastity, authority and eventual resolution in a sustained narrative. Limited recurrence does not imply lesser value; it concerns how the Qur’an arranges the incident for its particular purpose.
The principle is that frequency alone is not the measure of significance. Meaning, context, narrative structure and the intended reminder remain decisive.