Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "From that, or 'Am 'Arit for the scorpion *** and likewise Thu'alah for the fox."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Then he said: "From that": meaning from the knowledge of the person,
"or 'Am 'Arit for the scorpion", the scorpion is well known; the word "scorpion" is a generic name, but "or 'Am 'Arit": this is a proper name for a species; what is it? A proper name for a species. So if I say: a scorpion bit me, what is this?
The student: A generic name.
The Shaykh : A generic name. And if a questioner asks you and finds you writhing, he says: What is the matter? What happened to you? You say: "Am 'Arit is enough for me against it." What is this?
The student: A proper name for a species.
The Shaykh : This is a proper name for a species, a proper name for a species. Okay, 'Am 'Arit means the scorpions? We say: this is a proper name for the species in general, a proper name for the species in general, meaning as if we imagined the species to be a distinct entity and assigned it a proper name, which is: "Am 'Arit". But the indefinite noun or the generic name "scorpion," we do not imagine that there is a group or that the entire species is named by this name; no, "scorpion" means one of the scorpions. This is the difference between a proper name for a species and a generic name, and between a generic name. Okay, "and likewise Thu'alah for the fox": the fox is a well-known animal. Well-known for what?
The student: For cunning.
The Shaykh : For cunning, deception, and slinking. It slinks; you come up behind it when you are running as fast as you can, and when you catch up to it, it turns sharply, and suddenly it is a long distance behind you. It slinks. It is called a species: "Thu'alah". Thu'alah is a proper name for the species of foxes, as if this species is a distinct entity and we assigned it a proper name, which is: "Thu'alah". Okay, if I say: Thu'alah came approaching, is that correct?
The student: It is permissible.
The Shaykh : "Thu'alah came"? Why don't I say "Thu'alah" with a tanwin? Because its ruling is the ruling of a proper name for a person, so it now has the quality of being a proper name and femininity. "Approaching" is a state (hal). How is the state valid from Thu'alah? Because it is?
The student: It is an indefinite noun.
The Shaykh : No.
The student: A definite noun, a proper name for a person.
The Shaykh : A definite noun, a proper name for a person. Okay, if I say: "A fox came approaching"?
The student: Incorrect.
The Shaykh : That is incorrect. I say: "A fox" with tanwin, and I do not say "approaching" (with tanwin), I say: "approaching" (with tanwin). Why? Because "fox" is not a proper name but a generic name, and the ruling of a generic name is the ruling of an indefinite noun in form and meaning.
The student: The time is up.
The Shaykh : It is finished!! No, but, "and likewise Thu'alah for the fox, and similar to it is Bara", yes, it is finished. Okay, a hen.
"or 'Am 'Arit for the scorpion", the scorpion is well known; the word "scorpion" is a generic name, but "or 'Am 'Arit": this is a proper name for a species; what is it? A proper name for a species. So if I say: a scorpion bit me, what is this?
The student: A generic name.
The Shaykh : A generic name. And if a questioner asks you and finds you writhing, he says: What is the matter? What happened to you? You say: "Am 'Arit is enough for me against it." What is this?
The student: A proper name for a species.
The Shaykh : This is a proper name for a species, a proper name for a species. Okay, 'Am 'Arit means the scorpions? We say: this is a proper name for the species in general, a proper name for the species in general, meaning as if we imagined the species to be a distinct entity and assigned it a proper name, which is: "Am 'Arit". But the indefinite noun or the generic name "scorpion," we do not imagine that there is a group or that the entire species is named by this name; no, "scorpion" means one of the scorpions. This is the difference between a proper name for a species and a generic name, and between a generic name. Okay, "and likewise Thu'alah for the fox": the fox is a well-known animal. Well-known for what?
The student: For cunning.
The Shaykh : For cunning, deception, and slinking. It slinks; you come up behind it when you are running as fast as you can, and when you catch up to it, it turns sharply, and suddenly it is a long distance behind you. It slinks. It is called a species: "Thu'alah". Thu'alah is a proper name for the species of foxes, as if this species is a distinct entity and we assigned it a proper name, which is: "Thu'alah". Okay, if I say: Thu'alah came approaching, is that correct?
The student: It is permissible.
The Shaykh : "Thu'alah came"? Why don't I say "Thu'alah" with a tanwin? Because its ruling is the ruling of a proper name for a person, so it now has the quality of being a proper name and femininity. "Approaching" is a state (hal). How is the state valid from Thu'alah? Because it is?
The student: It is an indefinite noun.
The Shaykh : No.
The student: A definite noun, a proper name for a person.
The Shaykh : A definite noun, a proper name for a person. Okay, if I say: "A fox came approaching"?
The student: Incorrect.
The Shaykh : That is incorrect. I say: "A fox" with tanwin, and I do not say "approaching" (with tanwin), I say: "approaching" (with tanwin). Why? Because "fox" is not a proper name but a generic name, and the ruling of a generic name is the ruling of an indefinite noun in form and meaning.
The student: The time is up.
The Shaykh : It is finished!! No, but, "and likewise Thu'alah for the fox, and similar to it is Bara", yes, it is finished. Okay, a hen.