عام لم يُخَصَّ عنه شيء
A general expression for which no exclusion of any member has been established.
In that case, the apparent inclusion of the class remains operative unless valid specifying evidence is proved.
Linguistic illustration:
“All students” apparently includes every student in the relevant class.
“All students except those sitting the examination” expressly excludes one group.
This illustrates the structure of generality; it does not itself establish a religious rule. In legal texts the existence and authority of a specifying proof require separate investigation.
The probative force of ʿāmm and its possible specification by reports or analogy will be studied in the next section.