Explanation of the statement of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "La" for the negation of the genus
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
"La" for the negation of the genus. This arrangement is part of the author's (may Allah have mercy on him) excellent ordering, because when he mentioned the verbs that cause case change (nasikh), namely *kana* and its sisters, he then mentioned the particles that cause case change which perform the function of *kana* and its sisters, namely *ma*, *inna*, and *la* resembling *laysa*. When he mentioned the particles that cause case change which operate by making the subject accusative and the predicate nominative, he then mentioned the particles that perform this function, even though they differ from them in some respects.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "La" for the negation of the genus, meaning for the negation of the genus of what it enters, and in that it is a text indicating generality. Because if you say "There is no man in the house," the meaning is that this genus does not exist in the house, not one, not two, and not more. It negates the genus, and for this reason they said that it is a text indicating generality.
This is unlike if you say "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the nominative case), for then it is not a text indicating generality, as it is possible that the meaning is "There is no single man in the house."
However, if you say "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the accusative case), you cannot say "But there are two men." As for "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the nominative case), it is correct to say: "But there are two men." So, *la* is for the negation of the genus, meaning for the negation of the genus of what it enters, which includes the singular and the plural.
As for its function, this is its meaning: that it is for the negation of the genus. As for its function...
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
"La" for the negation of the genus. This arrangement is part of the author's (may Allah have mercy on him) excellent ordering, because when he mentioned the verbs that cause case change (nasikh), namely *kana* and its sisters, he then mentioned the particles that cause case change which perform the function of *kana* and its sisters, namely *ma*, *inna*, and *la* resembling *laysa*. When he mentioned the particles that cause case change which operate by making the subject accusative and the predicate nominative, he then mentioned the particles that perform this function, even though they differ from them in some respects.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "La" for the negation of the genus, meaning for the negation of the genus of what it enters, and in that it is a text indicating generality. Because if you say "There is no man in the house," the meaning is that this genus does not exist in the house, not one, not two, and not more. It negates the genus, and for this reason they said that it is a text indicating generality.
This is unlike if you say "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the nominative case), for then it is not a text indicating generality, as it is possible that the meaning is "There is no single man in the house."
However, if you say "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the accusative case), you cannot say "But there are two men." As for "There is no man in the house" (with *man* in the nominative case), it is correct to say: "But there are two men." So, *la* is for the negation of the genus, meaning for the negation of the genus of what it enters, which includes the singular and the plural.
As for its function, this is its meaning: that it is for the negation of the genus. As for its function...