Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala* *** just as *'ala* in the place of *'an* has been made."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh :"And it may come"
What?
The student: *'an*.
The Shaykh : *'an*, because it is the nearest mentioned.
"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala*" "It may come in the place of *ba'd*" means: it may come with the meaning of *ba'd* (after), so it indicates sequence. They gave as an example for this the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Inshiqaq 84:19], meaning: layer after layer. Did you understand now?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, is it not possible to say that this meaning returns to *mujawazah* (passing over)? Is it possible?
The student: He goes back.
The Shaykh : And why?
The student: *Mujawazah* is passing over, but *ba'd* does not have passing over.
The Shaykh : I mean, except that its meaning is that you move from a state to a state, you pass over the first state and move to the second state. For this reason, the original usage of *'an* is to come for *mujawazah* (passing over); in reality, its original usage is for *mujawazah*. But sometimes it is clear, and sometimes it requires *ta'wil* (interpretation), I mean it requires reflection. However, despite that, they say: here[Al-Inshiqaq 84:19] means: after it. And the truth is that what comes after a thing is passing over that thing.
"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala*" And *'ala* means: *'an* comes with the meaning of *'ala*. They gave as an example for this the saying of the poet:
"O son of your uncle, you have not excelled me in lineage"
They said: "You have not excelled me in lineage" means: you have not excelled over me.
The student: No.
The Shaykh : "You have not excelled," "you have not excelled," meaning: you have not excelled over me in lineage.
The student: Here he says.
The Shaykh : Look at its grammatical analysis, what does it say? Or the meaning, look at the meaning.
The student: "You have not excelled" — *afadalta*: past tense verb, and the *ta*: pronoun of address, subject.
The Shaykh : But what is the meaning? What is the meaning of the verse?
The student: You increased.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: You increased.
The Shaykh : That is correct. So *afadalta* is acceptable, and *afadalta* is also acceptable; both interpretations are valid. That is: you did not make me superior to you, or you did not increase over me. Now, his saying: *'ani* (from me) means *'ala* (over me).
"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala* *** just as *'ala* in the place of *'an* has been made"
Meaning: just as *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an*. If someone says: Is this not a repetition, because in the first part he said:
"*'ala* is for elevation and the meaning of *fi* and *'an*"
So the second half of the verse is a complete half that conveys that *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an*. I say: Would not someone say that this is a repetition by Ibn Malik? The answer, in truth, is that from the perspective of meaning, it is undoubtedly a repetition, but it is a repetition for a benefit. The benefit is that these two particles, *'an* and *'ala*, alternate in meaning; each one takes the place of the other. Just as *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an* and takes its place, *'an* established the proof over *'ala* and said: Why do you come to my place? I must also come to your place. So they alternate; this one comes in the place of that one, and that one comes in the place of this one. So it is as if Ibn Malik is saying in the last half: this is from the chapter of the alternation of particles. Just as this one comes in the place of that one, this one also comes in the place of that one. This is the benefit of his saying: "just as *'ala* in the place of *'an* has been made".
The student : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: We have *min*.
The Shaykh : No, *'an*. Mistake. "just as *'ala* in the place of *'an*" Correct it.
The student: O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?
What?
The student: *'an*.
The Shaykh : *'an*, because it is the nearest mentioned.
"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala*" "It may come in the place of *ba'd*" means: it may come with the meaning of *ba'd* (after), so it indicates sequence. They gave as an example for this the saying of Allah the Exalted:
[That] you will surely experience state after state.
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍThe student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, is it not possible to say that this meaning returns to *mujawazah* (passing over)? Is it possible?
The student: He goes back.
The Shaykh : And why?
The student: *Mujawazah* is passing over, but *ba'd* does not have passing over.
The Shaykh : I mean, except that its meaning is that you move from a state to a state, you pass over the first state and move to the second state. For this reason, the original usage of *'an* is to come for *mujawazah* (passing over); in reality, its original usage is for *mujawazah*. But sometimes it is clear, and sometimes it requires *ta'wil* (interpretation), I mean it requires reflection. However, despite that, they say: here
[That] you will surely experience state after state.
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala*" And *'ala* means: *'an* comes with the meaning of *'ala*. They gave as an example for this the saying of the poet:
"O son of your uncle, you have not excelled me in lineage"
They said: "You have not excelled me in lineage" means: you have not excelled over me.
The student: No.
The Shaykh : "You have not excelled," "you have not excelled," meaning: you have not excelled over me in lineage.
The student: Here he says.
The Shaykh : Look at its grammatical analysis, what does it say? Or the meaning, look at the meaning.
The student: "You have not excelled" — *afadalta*: past tense verb, and the *ta*: pronoun of address, subject.
The Shaykh : But what is the meaning? What is the meaning of the verse?
The student: You increased.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: You increased.
The Shaykh : That is correct. So *afadalta* is acceptable, and *afadalta* is also acceptable; both interpretations are valid. That is: you did not make me superior to you, or you did not increase over me. Now, his saying: *'ani* (from me) means *'ala* (over me).
"And it may come in the place of *ba'd* and *'ala* *** just as *'ala* in the place of *'an* has been made"
Meaning: just as *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an*. If someone says: Is this not a repetition, because in the first part he said:
"*'ala* is for elevation and the meaning of *fi* and *'an*"
So the second half of the verse is a complete half that conveys that *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an*. I say: Would not someone say that this is a repetition by Ibn Malik? The answer, in truth, is that from the perspective of meaning, it is undoubtedly a repetition, but it is a repetition for a benefit. The benefit is that these two particles, *'an* and *'ala*, alternate in meaning; each one takes the place of the other. Just as *'ala* comes with the meaning of *'an* and takes its place, *'an* established the proof over *'ala* and said: Why do you come to my place? I must also come to your place. So they alternate; this one comes in the place of that one, and that one comes in the place of this one. So it is as if Ibn Malik is saying in the last half: this is from the chapter of the alternation of particles. Just as this one comes in the place of that one, this one also comes in the place of that one. This is the benefit of his saying: "just as *'ala* in the place of *'an* has been made".
The student : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: We have *min*.
The Shaykh : No, *'an*. Mistake. "just as *'ala* in the place of *'an*" Correct it.
The student: O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?