Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And the operator of the ḥāl is confirmed by it *** in the case of 'Do not spread corruption on earth as corrupters.'"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : He said: And the ḥāl
"And the operator of the ḥāl is confirmed by it *** in the case of 'Do not spread corruption on earth as corrupters'"
The operator of the ḥāl may be confirmed; the ḥāl confirms it. That is, the ḥāl may serve to confirm its operator. This confirmation may match the operator in both wording and meaning, or it may match the operator in meaning only, not in wording. The author says: The operator is confirmed by the ḥāl, and this ḥāl may confirm the operator in both wording and meaning, or it may confirm it in meaning only. That is, it may be by its meaning without its wording, or it may be by its wording and its meaning. This is the meaning. The first example is the one that is by its meaning without its wording.
"Do not spread corruption on earth as corrupters"
And it seems he is referring to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:60] [Al-Baqarah 2:60] The meaning of "spread corruption" (ithw) is corruption (fasad). Therefore, "corrupters" confirms His saying: It is as if He said: "Do not corrupt." Is this confirmation by both meaning and wording, or by meaning only? By meaning only. This is because "ithw" is not "fasad," but it is by its meaning. It may also confirm its operator in both wording and meaning, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:79] [An-Nisa 4:79] Here, "a Messenger" is a ḥāl from the kāf in His saying: And it is known that "arsalna" (We sent) is from "risalah" (message), and "rasul" (Messenger) is from what?
The student: From "risalah" (message).
The Shaykh : From "risalah" (message). Therefore, it confirms the operator in both wording and meaning. So what is the benefit of the ḥāl then? Did it add a description to us? No, it did not add a description to us, but it added what? Confirmation. It added confirmation. But "I struck the man while he was standing" added a meaning to us other than the striking, which is the standing. As for this one, it is for mere confirmation. Now, what is the benefit of confirmation? The benefit of confirmation is strengthening. You will find the difference between saying "Muhammad himself came" and saying "Muhammad came." Which is more indicative of confirmation, the one who came being Muhammad himself, the latter, or the former?
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : No, the latter. I say: "Muhammad came," or "Muhammad himself came." The latter is stronger in confirmation. Now,[Al-Baqarah 2:60] It is as if the prohibition occurred twice regarding "ithw" (spreading corruption), as if He said: "Do not corrupt, do not corrupt," when the ḥāl came to confirm its operator. Yes, yes. Now, the rule in this verse: The original state of the ḥāl is that it is foundational, meaning it provides a new meaning. It may also come to confirm its operator, either in wording and meaning, or in meaning only. The first example, wording and meaning: [An-Nisa 4:79] And the second example: [Al-Baqarah 2:60] This is the meaning of the author's words in this verse. He said: "And the operator of the ḥāl."
"And the operator of the ḥāl is confirmed by it *** in the case of 'Do not spread corruption on earth as corrupters'"
The operator of the ḥāl may be confirmed; the ḥāl confirms it. That is, the ḥāl may serve to confirm its operator. This confirmation may match the operator in both wording and meaning, or it may match the operator in meaning only, not in wording. The author says: The operator is confirmed by the ḥāl, and this ḥāl may confirm the operator in both wording and meaning, or it may confirm it in meaning only. That is, it may be by its meaning without its wording, or it may be by its wording and its meaning. This is the meaning. The first example is the one that is by its meaning without its wording.
"Do not spread corruption on earth as corrupters"
And it seems he is referring to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
وَلا تَعْثَوْا فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَand do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
وَلا تَعْثَوْا فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَDo not spread corruption
ولا تعثواAnd We have sent you, [O Muhammad], to the people as a messenger
وَأَرْسَلْنَاكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًاAnd We have sent you, [O Muhammad], to the people as a messenger
وَأَرْسَلْنَاكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًاWe sent you
أرسلناكThe student: From "risalah" (message).
The Shaykh : From "risalah" (message). Therefore, it confirms the operator in both wording and meaning. So what is the benefit of the ḥāl then? Did it add a description to us? No, it did not add a description to us, but it added what? Confirmation. It added confirmation. But "I struck the man while he was standing" added a meaning to us other than the striking, which is the standing. As for this one, it is for mere confirmation. Now, what is the benefit of confirmation? The benefit of confirmation is strengthening. You will find the difference between saying "Muhammad himself came" and saying "Muhammad came." Which is more indicative of confirmation, the one who came being Muhammad himself, the latter, or the former?
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : No, the latter. I say: "Muhammad came," or "Muhammad himself came." The latter is stronger in confirmation. Now,