Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided *** And what is sold may be seen for the sake of love."
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The Shaykh :"And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided" means: if the three vowel options are permissible and ambiguity is feared with the vowel, then the vowel that causes the ambiguity is avoided. Now, let us parse the verse: "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel" "In" is a conditional particle, and the verb of the condition is "feared." "With a vowel" is a prepositional phrase attached to "feared," and "ambiguity" is the passive subject. "It is avoided" is the answer to the condition, meaning: the vowel is avoided so that it is not pronounced. Now, the word "feared" can serve as an example; it can be used as an example. Now, if you attribute "feared" to the subject pronoun, if you attribute it to the "ta" (you), you say "I feared." Here, did you attribute it to the actor or to the one whose actor is not named?
The student: To the actor.
The Shaykh : To the actor. It is said that if "feared" is attributed to the "ta," it becomes "I feared." That is, if you want to say "the man was feared" and you want to address you and say that you are the one people fear, what do you say? "You feared." Now the actor is confused with the passive subject, correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is it clear?
The student: Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Huh? It is not clear. "Khafa" is a triliteral verb with a suspended 'ayn, okay?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : "Khafa" is a triliteral verb with a suspended 'ayn. How many options are permissible in it?
The student: Three options.
The Shaykh : Kasrah, imalah, and dammah. Now, if you attribute "khafa" to the actor, you say: "For the man, you feared," meaning that you feared from people, that you feared from people, meaning that you are a coward who fears. Is this correct or not?
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : Now, if we want to build it for the one whose actor is not named and attribute it to the "ta," what do we say on the basis of kasrah? And what do we say?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : "You feared," meaning that people feared you. Now, if I say, "O so-and-so, you feared," does the actor not become confused with the object? Huh?
The student: It becomes ambiguous.
The Shaykh : It becomes confused. He says: "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided" So what do we say?
The student: With a dammah.
The Shaykh : We say with dammah, "you were feared." "You were feared." And thus, the difference between the fear being from him or upon him is that if you say "you were feared," the fear is from him, meaning that people fear him. And if you say "you feared," the fear is upon him, meaning that he fears people. Is that clear?
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh : "You feared" means that you fear from people. "You were feared" means that people fear you. For this reason, he said: "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided" For this reason, it is appropriate to say regarding the very "feared" mentioned by the author, it is correct. Now, "sawma" (to sell), if you attribute it to the actor? Huh?
The student: I was sold.
The Shaykh : "I was sold." This is for the actor. If you build it for the object, if we say that dammah, kasrah, and imalah are permissible, then it becomes permissible to say "I was sold." And when we say "I was sold," the actor is confused with the object, so it becomes necessary to use what? Kasrah or imalah. If we attribute it to the passive subject, we say "I sold," meaning we address the slave and say: you are sold, you sold such and such. Is that clear, brothers?
The student: No, it is not clear.
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah. Now we are illustrating with "khafa" and "sawma." "Feared," if you attribute "khafa" to the actor?
The student: You feared.
The Shaykh : "Khafa" for the actor?
The student: You feared.
The Shaykh : You say "you feared," you feared from Zayd, so the fear is from him.
The student: From him?
The Shaykh : Yes, "you feared from Zayd" means the fear is upon him, meaning he is the one who feared. If you build it for the object?
The student: You were feared.
The Shaykh : "You were feared" or "you feared"?
The student: You were feared.
The Shaykh : What is now prohibited?
The student: The kasr.
The Shaykh : Kasrah, because if you say "you feared," you made him the one who fears, and you want him to be the one who is feared. So if you want the one who is feared, say "you were feared." Is that clear, Adam? Now wait, "sawma," attribute it to the actor! "I was sold," just as "qulta" (I said), he says "I said." "Sawma" (to sell), "I was sold." If you build it for the object?
The student: I sold.
The Shaykh : You must say "I sold," even though originally it is permissible to say "I was sold." But because dammah leads to confusion between the actor and the passive subject, it is obligatory to avoid dammah and say "I sold." Is that clear, I think?
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh : Clear. And the summary of this verse and its half is that if the verb is a triliteral with a suspended 'ayn, how many options are permissible in its beginning?
The student: Three.
The Shaykh : Three options: dammah, kasrah, and imalah. Except if confusion between the actor and the passive subject is feared when kasrah is used, then kasrah is prohibited. And if confusion between the actor and the passive subject is feared when dammah is used, then dammah is prohibited. This is the summary of the rule. Now, derive the active participle from "ba'."
The student: I sold.
The Shaykh : "I sold," correct. Derive the passive participle from it?
The student: I was sold.
The Shaykh : "I was sold," and is "I sold" not permissible?
The student: No, it is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Is not kasrah, dammah, and imalah permissible in the fa' of a triliteral verb?
The student: It is permissible.
The Shaykh : It is permissible, but here it is not permissible, because if you used kasrah, the actor would be confused with the passive subject. Is that clear, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, so I ask a freed slave, I ask a slave who is in the process of being freed, and I say: "Were you sold?" What is the meaning? Did your master sell you? Or did you sell to people?
The student: The first.
The Shaykh : "Were you sold," when I ask him if he sold something of his goods, I say "Did you sell?" Is that clear, everyone? We take from this rule and from other rules that have passed and will pass, that the most important thing in speech is the meaning. The most important thing is the meaning. And therefore, if confusion is feared, it is obligatory to change the form to a form in which confusion does not occur. Shall I proceed?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is there no problem?
The student: No, there is not.
The Shaykh : Did you answer the question?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : We said, O Shaykh, to avoid confusion, we say: "You were feared."
The Shaykh : What?
The student: To the actor.
The Shaykh : To the actor. It is said that if "feared" is attributed to the "ta," it becomes "I feared." That is, if you want to say "the man was feared" and you want to address you and say that you are the one people fear, what do you say? "You feared." Now the actor is confused with the passive subject, correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is it clear?
The student: Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Huh? It is not clear. "Khafa" is a triliteral verb with a suspended 'ayn, okay?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : "Khafa" is a triliteral verb with a suspended 'ayn. How many options are permissible in it?
The student: Three options.
The Shaykh : Kasrah, imalah, and dammah. Now, if you attribute "khafa" to the actor, you say: "For the man, you feared," meaning that you feared from people, that you feared from people, meaning that you are a coward who fears. Is this correct or not?
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : Now, if we want to build it for the one whose actor is not named and attribute it to the "ta," what do we say on the basis of kasrah? And what do we say?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : "You feared," meaning that people feared you. Now, if I say, "O so-and-so, you feared," does the actor not become confused with the object? Huh?
The student: It becomes ambiguous.
The Shaykh : It becomes confused. He says: "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided" So what do we say?
The student: With a dammah.
The Shaykh : We say with dammah, "you were feared." "You were feared." And thus, the difference between the fear being from him or upon him is that if you say "you were feared," the fear is from him, meaning that people fear him. And if you say "you feared," the fear is upon him, meaning that he fears people. Is that clear?
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh : "You feared" means that you fear from people. "You were feared" means that people fear you. For this reason, he said: "And if ambiguity is feared with a vowel, it is avoided" For this reason, it is appropriate to say regarding the very "feared" mentioned by the author, it is correct. Now, "sawma" (to sell), if you attribute it to the actor? Huh?
The student: I was sold.
The Shaykh : "I was sold." This is for the actor. If you build it for the object, if we say that dammah, kasrah, and imalah are permissible, then it becomes permissible to say "I was sold." And when we say "I was sold," the actor is confused with the object, so it becomes necessary to use what? Kasrah or imalah. If we attribute it to the passive subject, we say "I sold," meaning we address the slave and say: you are sold, you sold such and such. Is that clear, brothers?
The student: No, it is not clear.
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah. Now we are illustrating with "khafa" and "sawma." "Feared," if you attribute "khafa" to the actor?
The student: You feared.
The Shaykh : "Khafa" for the actor?
The student: You feared.
The Shaykh : You say "you feared," you feared from Zayd, so the fear is from him.
The student: From him?
The Shaykh : Yes, "you feared from Zayd" means the fear is upon him, meaning he is the one who feared. If you build it for the object?
The student: You were feared.
The Shaykh : "You were feared" or "you feared"?
The student: You were feared.
The Shaykh : What is now prohibited?
The student: The kasr.
The Shaykh : Kasrah, because if you say "you feared," you made him the one who fears, and you want him to be the one who is feared. So if you want the one who is feared, say "you were feared." Is that clear, Adam? Now wait, "sawma," attribute it to the actor! "I was sold," just as "qulta" (I said), he says "I said." "Sawma" (to sell), "I was sold." If you build it for the object?
The student: I sold.
The Shaykh : You must say "I sold," even though originally it is permissible to say "I was sold." But because dammah leads to confusion between the actor and the passive subject, it is obligatory to avoid dammah and say "I sold." Is that clear, I think?
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh : Clear. And the summary of this verse and its half is that if the verb is a triliteral with a suspended 'ayn, how many options are permissible in its beginning?
The student: Three.
The Shaykh : Three options: dammah, kasrah, and imalah. Except if confusion between the actor and the passive subject is feared when kasrah is used, then kasrah is prohibited. And if confusion between the actor and the passive subject is feared when dammah is used, then dammah is prohibited. This is the summary of the rule. Now, derive the active participle from "ba'."
The student: I sold.
The Shaykh : "I sold," correct. Derive the passive participle from it?
The student: I was sold.
The Shaykh : "I was sold," and is "I sold" not permissible?
The student: No, it is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Is not kasrah, dammah, and imalah permissible in the fa' of a triliteral verb?
The student: It is permissible.
The Shaykh : It is permissible, but here it is not permissible, because if you used kasrah, the actor would be confused with the passive subject. Is that clear, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, so I ask a freed slave, I ask a slave who is in the process of being freed, and I say: "Were you sold?" What is the meaning? Did your master sell you? Or did you sell to people?
The student: The first.
The Shaykh : "Were you sold," when I ask him if he sold something of his goods, I say "Did you sell?" Is that clear, everyone? We take from this rule and from other rules that have passed and will pass, that the most important thing in speech is the meaning. The most important thing is the meaning. And therefore, if confusion is feared, it is obligatory to change the form to a form in which confusion does not occur. Shall I proceed?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is there no problem?
The student: No, there is not.
The Shaykh : Did you answer the question?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : We said, O Shaykh, to avoid confusion, we say: "You were feared."
The Shaykh : What?