Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And with *huna* or *ha huna* you point to *** the near place, and with the *kaf* you point to the far."

The Shaykh : The *lam* is a preposition, especially if it is not vocalized. They also said that it is due to the abundance of additions, because when the *lam*, the *kaf*, and the demonstrative *ha* come together, they become three additions in our view, and because of their abundance, they were omitted. We see that some of these justifications given by grammarians are clear, while others are not clear, and it is sufficient to say: "This is how the Arabs spoke," completing the apparent meaning. He said: "And with *huna* or *ha huna* you point to *** the near place": meaning that *huna* or *ha huna* is used to point to a nearby place. So you say: "Sit here," in a nearby place, "Sit *ha huna*," likewise in a nearby place. Thus, *huna* or *ha huna* is used to point to a nearby place. For the nearby place, there are two pointers: one is *huna*, and the second is *ha huna*. As for the far place, he said: "And with the *kaf* you point to the far
in the distance": If it is far, you point to it with the *kaf*. So you say: "There," sit there, meaning far away, "Sit *ha huna*," meaning far away. Then, distance may be physical distance or conceptual distance, depending on the context. Allah the Exalted said: This is for the far, not for the near. Do you answer?
The student: The far.

The Shaykh : For the far, and for this reason he said: "And with the *kaf* you point to the far, in the distance".