Explanation of the author's statement: And from Ibn Mas'ud: that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not inform you of what al-'idhah is?

The Shaykh :"And from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Shall I not inform you of what al-'idhah is?

ألا هل أنبئكم ما العضهُ ؟

Sunan ad-Darimi 20:10

" Or what is al-'idhah?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Al-'idhah, yes.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : There are two readings .
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And "ala" is a particle of opening. "Ala" is a particle of opening, and its purpose is to alert the addressee and to show care for what is conveyed to him, indicating that what follows is important and should be attended to and given due consideration.
And his saying: The interrogation here is for the sake of anticipation, for the sake of anticipation, like His saying, the Exalted: . And it may be intended as an alert. If we say it is for anticipation, it is because a person is eager for knowledge and loves to learn. And if we say it is an alert, it is because the one to whom the address is directed should be alert to know what you are saying. O Hussein, is it for anticipation, or otherwise for alert?
The student: For anticipation.

The Shaykh : Good, what is its basis? Because anticipation must be followed by something that is engaging to the soul. Yes, good, some students might let their minds wander, the apparent meaning is that they let their hearts wander, yes.
The student: It is possible that the sayings...

The Shaykh : That is. It is possible...
The student: Yes, indeed.

The Shaykh : It is possible for both, because knowledge is something one is eager for, is it not? So it is for anticipation, and because knowledge is something one should be alert to, so it is for alert. And it is suitable for both, or not? And his saying: Meaning, inform you.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, in our case, "hal." Means inform you, so it is synonymous with "khabar" (news/information), and we have passed through the disagreement of the hadith scholars on that matter. And some scholars said, from the Arabic perspective, from the linguistic perspective, not from the technical perspective, that "inba'" (informing) is used for important matters, and "ikhabar" (reporting) is broader than it, being used for important and unimportant matters.
And his saying: There are two readings: al-'idhah is on the pattern of "habl" (rope), yes, and "ja'l" and "samt" and the like.