Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And like *kana* is *dama*, preceded by *ma* *** as in 'Give what you remain a winner with a dirham.'"
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The Shaykh : Then he said:
"And like *kana* is *dama*, preceded by *ma* *** as in 'Give what you remain a winner with a dirham.'"
Like *kana* is *dama*, and the author (may Allah have mercy on him) distinguished it from the preceding verbs because its function is narrow.
First: it does not function unless it is preceded by the *ma* that is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase.
And second: it does not vary in form, meaning it must be in the past tense form, unlike the others, which have detailed rules. Therefore, he said: "And like *kana* is *dama*". So how do we parse *dama*?
The student: A postponed subject.
The Shaykh : A postponed subject, and *mithl* (like) is a preceding predicate. Preceded by *ma*, preceded by *ma*, yes.
And his saying: "preceded by *ma*", the author (may Allah have mercy on him) did not clarify what is meant by *ma*. This is considered an ambiguity by the author, but the answer to that is to say: the meaning of *ma* is clarified by the example, because he said: "as in 'Give what you remain a winner with a dirham'". So the meaning is: the *ma* in an example like this, and the *ma* in an example like this.
The student: Nominal.
The Shaykh : It is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase. "Give what you remain a winner with a dirham". We say in it that it is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase, and the implied meaning is "Give for the duration of your remaining a winner." From where did we take that it is a source of a verbal noun? Because we converted the verb to a verbal noun, *dawaam* (duration). And from where did we take that it is an adverbial phrase? From the fact that we implied *muddah* (duration), the duration of your remaining a winner.
And his saying *maseeban* (a winner), is it from *isabah* (hitting/finding) or from *sawab* (correctness)?
The student: The correct version
The Shaykh : Yes, or from both.
The student: *Isabah* (hitting/finding).
The Shaykh : No, it differs. If we say *ma damta maseeban* (as long as you remain a winner) is from *isabah* (hitting/finding), the meaning is "as long as you are able and find [the means]." And if we say it is from *sawab* (correctness), the meaning is "if there is good in your giving," because a person may be rich and give, but he gives in a wrong place. So the example *maseeban* is suitable for this and that, meaning it is as if he says: If you are able, then give the gift as long as it falls in its proper place. But the gift, if we look at it, and it is small, give what you remain a winner with, what? A dirham. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, it is not a valid generic name, and it is an indefinite noun, an indefinite noun not made definite by *al*. But we say that the dirham in some times may equal a thousand dirhams. Yes.
I was told by someone I trust, in a time before our existence but close to it, that he bought with one riyal. He bought with one riyal. A guest arrived with a large number of people, so he bought with one riyal. He bought a sheep for a quarter of a riyal, a sheep for the guests for a quarter of a riyal, and he bought with three-quarters of a riyal of wheat. Wheat is called *laqimi* among us, do you know *laqimi*? It is a type of wheat. Okay, and he bought with half a riyal, and he left people to grind it for a quarter of a riyal. So the slaughtered animal and all the food came to one riyal. Now, the cost of this slaughtered animal might be five hundred riyals.
The student: More
The Shaykh : Or more. So Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), perhaps in his time the dirhams were few, and if a person gave a dirham, it was a great gift. And Allah knows best.
"And like *kana* is *dama*, preceded by *ma* *** as in 'Give what you remain a winner with a dirham.'"
Like *kana* is *dama*, and the author (may Allah have mercy on him) distinguished it from the preceding verbs because its function is narrow.
First: it does not function unless it is preceded by the *ma* that is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase.
And second: it does not vary in form, meaning it must be in the past tense form, unlike the others, which have detailed rules. Therefore, he said: "And like *kana* is *dama*". So how do we parse *dama*?
The student: A postponed subject.
The Shaykh : A postponed subject, and *mithl* (like) is a preceding predicate. Preceded by *ma*, preceded by *ma*, yes.
And his saying: "preceded by *ma*", the author (may Allah have mercy on him) did not clarify what is meant by *ma*. This is considered an ambiguity by the author, but the answer to that is to say: the meaning of *ma* is clarified by the example, because he said: "as in 'Give what you remain a winner with a dirham'". So the meaning is: the *ma* in an example like this, and the *ma* in an example like this.
The student: Nominal.
The Shaykh : It is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase. "Give what you remain a winner with a dirham". We say in it that it is a source of a verbal noun and an adverbial phrase, and the implied meaning is "Give for the duration of your remaining a winner." From where did we take that it is a source of a verbal noun? Because we converted the verb to a verbal noun, *dawaam* (duration). And from where did we take that it is an adverbial phrase? From the fact that we implied *muddah* (duration), the duration of your remaining a winner.
And his saying *maseeban* (a winner), is it from *isabah* (hitting/finding) or from *sawab* (correctness)?
The student: The correct version
The Shaykh : Yes, or from both.
The student: *Isabah* (hitting/finding).
The Shaykh : No, it differs. If we say *ma damta maseeban* (as long as you remain a winner) is from *isabah* (hitting/finding), the meaning is "as long as you are able and find [the means]." And if we say it is from *sawab* (correctness), the meaning is "if there is good in your giving," because a person may be rich and give, but he gives in a wrong place. So the example *maseeban* is suitable for this and that, meaning it is as if he says: If you are able, then give the gift as long as it falls in its proper place. But the gift, if we look at it, and it is small, give what you remain a winner with, what? A dirham. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, it is not a valid generic name, and it is an indefinite noun, an indefinite noun not made definite by *al*. But we say that the dirham in some times may equal a thousand dirhams. Yes.
I was told by someone I trust, in a time before our existence but close to it, that he bought with one riyal. He bought with one riyal. A guest arrived with a large number of people, so he bought with one riyal. He bought a sheep for a quarter of a riyal, a sheep for the guests for a quarter of a riyal, and he bought with three-quarters of a riyal of wheat. Wheat is called *laqimi* among us, do you know *laqimi*? It is a type of wheat. Okay, and he bought with half a riyal, and he left people to grind it for a quarter of a riyal. So the slaughtered animal and all the food came to one riyal. Now, the cost of this slaughtered animal might be five hundred riyals.
The student: More
The Shaykh : Or more. So Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), perhaps in his time the dirhams were few, and if a person gave a dirham, it was a great gift. And Allah knows best.