Ibn Malik's statement: "And after lawla, the deletion of the predicate is certain, generally..." His use of "generally" indicates permissibility, and "certainly" indicates obligation. How is that?

The questioner : His statement, O Shaykh: "And after lawla, the deletion of the predicate is certain, generally".

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Does his use of "generally" indicate permissibility? And does "certainly" indicate obligation?

The Shaykh : No, no. The intended meaning of the phrase is: "And after lawla, the deletion of the predicate is certain, generally."

The questioner : This is contradictory.

The Shaykh : No.

The questioner : Is the verse contradictory?

The Shaykh : It is not contradictory. We read:
"And after lawla, the deletion of the predicate *** is certain in the majority of cases", and in the minority of cases it is permissible. In the majority of cases, it is certain and mentioning it is not permissible; in the minority of cases, it is permissible.
The student: It is not certain.

The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: It is not certain.

The Shaykh : How?
The student: It is not certain.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly. There is nothing wrong with it; there is no problem.