What is the concept of a laqab?
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The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The concept of a laqab, may Allah bless you, is that when speech is qualified by something derived, it is a considered concept of a description (mafhum al-sifah). For example, if I say, "Honor the diligent among the students," there is a concept here. What is the concept? That we do not honor those who are not diligent. This is called a concept of a description. But if I say, "Honor Muhammad, who is one of the students," does this imply that I should not honor others? No, it does not imply that, because this is a laqab. The intended meaning of the laqab here is the proper name, because the proper name, as Ibn Malik said: "And a name, a kunyah, and a laqab".
So if I say, "Honor Muhammad," it does not mean that I do not honor other people. If someone were to say, "When I honor other people, why do you honor them when he told you to honor Muhammad?" I would say, what? This man told me to honor Muhammad, so I honored Muhammad and I honored another person. He says to me, "Why do you honor the other person when he told you to honor Muhammad?" What do I say? Khalid.
The student: It is not necessary that if he says to me, "Honor Muhammad," that I not honor others.
The Shaykh : Why?
The student: Because it is a concept of a laqab.
The Shaykh : Because it is a concept of a laqab. Yes, that is right. If you find an indication that this laqab is specific because the person named possesses a description that does not apply to others, then at that time we say it has a concept. Not because it is a laqab, but because of the meaning that necessitated its specification. For example, the 'Asr prayer. The 'Asr prayer is like when you say the Zuhr prayer, the Maghrib prayer, the Fajr prayer, or the 'Isha' prayer. But we say that this prayer is distinguished by characteristics that are not found in the others.
The Shaykh : The concept of a laqab, may Allah bless you, is that when speech is qualified by something derived, it is a considered concept of a description (mafhum al-sifah). For example, if I say, "Honor the diligent among the students," there is a concept here. What is the concept? That we do not honor those who are not diligent. This is called a concept of a description. But if I say, "Honor Muhammad, who is one of the students," does this imply that I should not honor others? No, it does not imply that, because this is a laqab. The intended meaning of the laqab here is the proper name, because the proper name, as Ibn Malik said: "And a name, a kunyah, and a laqab".
So if I say, "Honor Muhammad," it does not mean that I do not honor other people. If someone were to say, "When I honor other people, why do you honor them when he told you to honor Muhammad?" I would say, what? This man told me to honor Muhammad, so I honored Muhammad and I honored another person. He says to me, "Why do you honor the other person when he told you to honor Muhammad?" What do I say? Khalid.
The student: It is not necessary that if he says to me, "Honor Muhammad," that I not honor others.
The Shaykh : Why?
The student: Because it is a concept of a laqab.
The Shaykh : Because it is a concept of a laqab. Yes, that is right. If you find an indication that this laqab is specific because the person named possesses a description that does not apply to others, then at that time we say it has a concept. Not because it is a laqab, but because of the meaning that necessitated its specification. For example, the 'Asr prayer. The 'Asr prayer is like when you say the Zuhr prayer, the Maghrib prayer, the Fajr prayer, or the 'Isha' prayer. But we say that this prayer is distinguished by characteristics that are not found in the others.