Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "The action of *in* is like that of *la* in an indefinite noun, whether it comes to you as singular or repeated."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : He said: "The action of *in* is like that of *la* in an indefinite noun". "Action" is the fronted object of "is like," and it is attached to *in* by virtue of its form.
And his saying: "for *la*" is a preposition and its object, connected to "is like."
And his saying: "in an indefinite noun" is also a preposition and its object, connected to "is like."
The intended meaning is: "Make the action of *in* like that of *la* in an indefinite noun." This means that *la*, which negates the genus, acts like *in* specifically in indefinite nouns; it does not occur in definite nouns, nor does it act in definite nouns. For this reason, they said that in the statement of the one who says, "There is no god but Allah," it is not possible to make the Name of Allah the Exalted the predicate of *la*, because *la* does not act except in indefinite nouns. However, we make it a substitute for the deleted predicate of *la*, and the intended meaning is: "There is no true god but Allah."
"In an indefinite noun, singular, that came to you, or repeated". "Singular" is a state describing the hidden subject of "came to you," or "repeated" is conjoined to "singular." The meaning is: whether *la* came to you as singular—and the intended meaning of "singular" here is what was not repeated—or it came to you as repeated. We understand from his saying, "What?" or "repeated," that the intended meaning of "singular" is what was not repeated, because "repeated" is its counterpart. Thus, he (may Allah have mercy on him) informed us that *la* acts in indefinite nouns, that it acts when singular, and that it acts when repeated. The ruling on its action when it is repeated will come, if Allah wills.
And his saying: "for *la*" is a preposition and its object, connected to "is like."
And his saying: "in an indefinite noun" is also a preposition and its object, connected to "is like."
The intended meaning is: "Make the action of *in* like that of *la* in an indefinite noun." This means that *la*, which negates the genus, acts like *in* specifically in indefinite nouns; it does not occur in definite nouns, nor does it act in definite nouns. For this reason, they said that in the statement of the one who says, "There is no god but Allah," it is not possible to make the Name of Allah the Exalted the predicate of *la*, because *la* does not act except in indefinite nouns. However, we make it a substitute for the deleted predicate of *la*, and the intended meaning is: "There is no true god but Allah."
"In an indefinite noun, singular, that came to you, or repeated". "Singular" is a state describing the hidden subject of "came to you," or "repeated" is conjoined to "singular." The meaning is: whether *la* came to you as singular—and the intended meaning of "singular" here is what was not repeated—or it came to you as repeated. We understand from his saying, "What?" or "repeated," that the intended meaning of "singular" is what was not repeated, because "repeated" is its counterpart. Thus, he (may Allah have mercy on him) informed us that *la* acts in indefinite nouns, that it acts when singular, and that it acts when repeated. The ruling on its action when it is repeated will come, if Allah wills.