Then He decreed a term, the term of death, and a specified term with Him, the term of the Resurrection. It is said: the first term is what is between creation and death. The second is what is between death and resurrection, which is the Barzakh. It is also said: the first is sleep, and the second is death. If you say: the indefinite subject when its predicate is a circumstance must be delayed. Mahmoud said: 'If you say the indefinite subject when its predicate is a circumstance must be...' Ahmad said: 'And there is no reason for this meaning to necessitate precedence. And it has been stated: And with Him is knowledge of the Hour in the context of glorifying it, and yet it is delayed from the preceding predicate: And blessed is He whose is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and with Him is knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be returned.' So it appears - and Allah knows best - that the precedence was because the speech was transferred from another speech, and the original - and Allah knows best - was: Then He decreed a term and a specified term with Him, for both are decreed. When the speech was adjusted from the conjunction of the singular to distinguish between the two terms, the second was raised by the beginning and confirmed in its place of precedence, and Allah knows best. So why was it permissible to precede in His saying: And a specified term with Him? I say: Because it was specified by the description, it approached the definite, like His saying: And a believing servant is better than a polytheist. If you say: The common speech is to say: I have a good garment, and I have a servant with a purse, and similar to that, what necessitated the precedence? I say: It was necessitated because the meaning is: And any specified term with Him, in glorification of the Hour, so when this meaning was present, precedence was necessary.