النص: ما سيق الكلام لأجله.
Nass is the meaning for which the statement was specifically brought forward.
With zahir, a sense is evident from the language alone. With nass, we also identify the particular point the speaker is aiming to establish. Thus the technical term does not simply mean “written text” or “a Qur’anic verse.”
The same sentence may have an immediately apparent implication and a more specifically intended point. The difference turns on the purpose revealed by the setting of the speech.