Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "What you exclude with *illa* is in the accusative only with completeness, and after negation or something like negation, it is chosen."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : The author says: "What you exclude with *illa* is in the accusative only with completeness". *Ma* is a relative pronoun meaning "that which." *Istathnata* means "you excluded by way of exception." *Illa* is the subject of *istathnata*. Its hamza was made a hamzat al-wasl in order to preserve the meter of the verse; the original form is *ma istathnata illa*, but it is a hamzat al-wasl to establish the verse. His saying: "with completeness" is a *hal* (circumstantial phrase) for *illa*. His saying: "is in the accusative" is the predicate of *ma* in his saying: "what you exclude with *illa*". Its meaning is: that which you exclude with *illa* with completeness is in the accusative, with completeness. What is the meaning of completeness? The presence of the components of the sentence before *illa*. The presence of the components of the sentence before *illa* means: the verb and the subject, the verb and the substitute for the subject, the subject and the predicate. Its meaning is: what you exclude with *illa* is after a complete sentence. That is, a complete sentence occurred, and then *illa* came. What is the case of the word after it?
The student: In the accusative.
The Shaykh : In the accusative. "What you exclude with *illa* is in the accusative only with completeness". One condition remains that he did not mention, but it is understood from what follows, which is affirmation. With completeness and affirmation. What you exclude with *illa* with completeness and affirmation must be in the accusative. The meaning of affirmation is that it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. That it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. Let us give an example to make it clear: "The people stood up except Zayd"?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : "The people stood up except Zayd." Let us look now. *Qama* is a past tense verb. *Al-qawm* is the subject. Is the sentence complete now?
The student: It is complete.
The Shaykh : It is complete. That is, if you did not come with *illa Zayd*, the sentence is complete. The sentence now is complete and affirmative, or is *illa* negative?
The student: Negative.
The Shaykh : No, it is affirmative, meaning: positive. "The people stood up." So now it is affirmative. If you say *illa*, you must say *Zaydan*. *Illa Zaydan* is obligatory. Did you understand?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : If you said: "The people stood up except Zayd" (nominative), we would say: it is not correct. Yes, we would say: it is not permissible.[Al-Baqarah 2:249] in the Qur'an . Did you see? "They drank from it." Is that a complete sentence or not? Huh? Complete. "They drank from it," verb and subject, complete in its components. Is it affirmative or negative?
The student: Affirmative.
The Shaykh : Affirmative. Did the exception come after it?
The student: In the accusative.
The Shaykh : The exception came after it in the accusative.[Al-Baqarah 2:246] [Al-Baqarah 2:249] So, my brothers, two conditions are required for the accusative case of the excluded word with *illa*: the completeness of the sentence, and the affirmation of the speech. Better, after that, leave out "affirmative"... The completeness of the sentence and that it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. The completeness of the sentence and that it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. Did you understand now?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you have the example?
The student: The people stood up except Zayd.
The Shaykh : Leave "the people." Something else?
The student: The men came except 'Umar.
The Shaykh : Well done. "The men came except 'Umar." "I read the book except a page" (nominative). Is that correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is correct. "The lights were lit except one" (accusative)?
The student: It is correct.
The Shaykh : No, "The lights were lit" (nominative). Is that correct?
The student: Yes, it is correct.
The Shaykh : Is it valid?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : It became a substitute for the subject. And "the people stood up"?
The student: Active subject.
The Shaykh : It is a subject. It does not matter whether it is a substitute for the subject or a subject. "People are perishing except the believers." Is that correct?
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : "Except the believers" in the accusative?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And is anything other than the accusative permissible?
The student: It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Because the speech before it is complete and was not preceded by negation or something like negation. Okay. "And after negation or". The author said: "with completeness it is in the accusative". This is the first case. The first case is that the speech is complete and not preceded by negation or something like negation. In this case, what is the case?
The student: It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It must be in the accusative. It must be in the accusative. Okay. "The people came except a car"? What do you say?
The student: Except a car?
The Shaykh : Except a car.
The student: Likewise.
The Shaykh : Likewise. As long as the speech is complete and not preceded by negation or something like negation, what comes after *illa* is in the accusative in all cases. Huh?
The student: ...
The Shaykh :"... *** And after negation or something like negation, it is chosen"
"Follow what is connected, and put in the accusative what is disconnected *** ..."
Negation is either with *ma* or with *la*. Either with *ma* or with *la*. "Or something like negation". What is like negation? Prohibition and interrogation. Prohibition and interrogation. "It is chosen" means: it is selected. *Intukhib* means selected. In colloquial speech: "I chose so-and-so" means: I selected him. What is selected?
The student: In the accusative.
The Shaykh : In the accusative. "What you exclude with *illa* is in the accusative only with completeness". One condition remains that he did not mention, but it is understood from what follows, which is affirmation. With completeness and affirmation. What you exclude with *illa* with completeness and affirmation must be in the accusative. The meaning of affirmation is that it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. That it is not preceded by negation or something like negation. Let us give an example to make it clear: "The people stood up except Zayd"?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : "The people stood up except Zayd." Let us look now. *Qama* is a past tense verb. *Al-qawm* is the subject. Is the sentence complete now?
The student: It is complete.
The Shaykh : It is complete. That is, if you did not come with *illa Zayd*, the sentence is complete. The sentence now is complete and affirmative, or is *illa* negative?
The student: Negative.
The Shaykh : No, it is affirmative, meaning: positive. "The people stood up." So now it is affirmative. If you say *illa*, you must say *Zaydan*. *Illa Zaydan* is obligatory. Did you understand?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : If you said: "The people stood up except Zayd" (nominative), we would say: it is not correct. Yes, we would say: it is not permissible.
But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them.
فشربوا منه إلاّ قليلًا منهمAnd they drank from it
فشربوا منهExcept a few
إلاّ قليلًاThe student: Affirmative.
The Shaykh : Affirmative. Did the exception come after it?
The student: In the accusative.
The Shaykh : The exception came after it in the accusative.
except for a few of them
إلاّ قليلًا منهمBut they drank from it, except a [very] few of them.
فشربوا منه إلاّ قليلًا منهمThe student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you have the example?
The student: The people stood up except Zayd.
The Shaykh : Leave "the people." Something else?
The student: The men came except 'Umar.
The Shaykh : Well done. "The men came except 'Umar." "I read the book except a page" (nominative). Is that correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is correct. "The lights were lit except one" (accusative)?
The student: It is correct.
The Shaykh : No, "The lights were lit" (nominative). Is that correct?
The student: Yes, it is correct.
The Shaykh : Is it valid?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : It became a substitute for the subject. And "the people stood up"?
The student: Active subject.
The Shaykh : It is a subject. It does not matter whether it is a substitute for the subject or a subject. "People are perishing except the believers." Is that correct?
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : "Except the believers" in the accusative?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And is anything other than the accusative permissible?
The student: It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Because the speech before it is complete and was not preceded by negation or something like negation. Okay. "And after negation or". The author said: "with completeness it is in the accusative". This is the first case. The first case is that the speech is complete and not preceded by negation or something like negation. In this case, what is the case?
The student: It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It must be in the accusative. It must be in the accusative. Okay. "The people came except a car"? What do you say?
The student: Except a car?
The Shaykh : Except a car.
The student: Likewise.
The Shaykh : Likewise. As long as the speech is complete and not preceded by negation or something like negation, what comes after *illa* is in the accusative in all cases. Huh?
The student: ...
The Shaykh :"... *** And after negation or something like negation, it is chosen"
"Follow what is connected, and put in the accusative what is disconnected *** ..."
Negation is either with *ma* or with *la*. Either with *ma* or with *la*. "Or something like negation". What is like negation? Prohibition and interrogation. Prohibition and interrogation. "It is chosen" means: it is selected. *Intukhib* means selected. In colloquial speech: "I chose so-and-so" means: I selected him. What is selected?