Continuation of the Explanation of the Chapter on Inflection
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The Shaykh : Isa stood. "Qama" is a past tense verb, "Isa" is the subject in the nominative case, and the sign of its nominative case is a dammah (vowel) estimated on the waw.
The student: On the alif.
The Shaykh : How?
The student: On the alif.
The Shaykh : Yes, an estimated dammah on the alif; its appearance is prevented by impossibility.
The student: Impossibility.
The Shaykh : Impossibility. Look, now its ending has changed, but it is estimated. That is why we say: an estimated dammah on the alif, whose appearance is prevented by what? Impossibility. How is it impossible? Because it is impossible to put a dammah on it now. How many of you are here right now? It is seven minutes to nine. You have until the next class, which is five minutes to nine. Ah, and show me a dammah on the alif. A dammah on the alif. Can you do it? You would write an alif with a dammah. And what would you say? "Oh, Bukhari?"
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Whoever comes up with that is considered more eloquent than Sibawayhi. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, the point is that it is not possible. That is why the scholars say: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. It is not possible for the alif to be in the open state (fatha), right? Can it be in the closed state (dammah)?
The student: Nor in the closed state.
The Shaykh : Nor in the closed state, nor in the broken state (kasrah). Nor in the broken state. Notice, the letters of weakness. I told you there are three letters of weakness. The alif is the most weak of them. Its weakness is the most severe of weaknesses. Neither a dammah, nor a fatha, nor a kasrah appears on it, and its appearance is impossible. What do we have left? The waw and the yaa. The waw and the yaa are less weak than the alif, because the fatha appears on the waw and the yaa. Yes, for example, you say: "We will not call upon." Allah the Exalted said: The fatha appears. The yaa also has the fatha appearing on it. So you say: "I saw the judge." "I saw the judge." Put your hands down, everyone. What is left for us?
The student: The dammah.
The Shaykh : The dammah and the kasrah. The dammah and the kasrah do not appear on the waw and the yaa. But we say: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. We do not say impossibility. Heaviness means that the appearance of the dammah on the yaa is heavy, the appearance of the kasrah on the yaa is heavy, the appearance of the dammah on the waw is heavy, and the appearance of the kasrah on it is also heavy. If it were correct to put a kasrah on it, stay with me, everyone.
The three letters of weakness agree that the dammah and the kasrah are estimated on them. Right? As for the fatha, it is estimated on the alif and appears on the waw and the yaa. They also differ in that for the alif, it is said: its appearance is prevented by what? Impossibility. And for the yaa and the waw, it is said: heaviness. Because it is possible, but with heaviness. It is possible to say: "The judge came." Is that possible?
The student: It is possible.
The Shaykh : It is possible, but it is heavy. And it is possible to say: "I passed by the judge." Is that possible? But it is heavy. That is why the scholars used a precise expression. They said for the alif: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. And they said for the waw and the yaa: its appearance is prevented by heaviness. Clear?
So, take the rulings of the letters of weakness. The alif: all vowel movements are estimated on it, and it is said: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. The waw and the yaa: only the dammah and the kasrah are estimated on them, and the fatha appears on them. And when the kasrah and dammah are estimated, it is said: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. Heaviness, not impossibility. It is possible to pronounce them, but with heaviness. Clear? Right?
If someone said: "The judge came," we would say: that is a mistake. The Arabs do not pronounce it that way, because the dammah is estimated on the yaa. If someone said: "I saw the judge," that is correct, because the fatha
The student: Appears on the yaa.
The Shaykh : Appears on the yaa. Right? If someone said: "I passed by the judge," we would say: that is a mistake. The Arabs do not say it that way, because if they said it that way, it would be heavy. It would be very heavy, so it is not pronounced that way.
As for the alif, the Arabs do not pronounce it with any vowel movement, because that is impossible. Impossible, it cannot be done. Right? In pronunciation or estimation? He said: "And its divisions are four". So inflection means changing the endings of words. Why? Because of the difference in the factors that affect them. This estimation is sometimes in pronunciation and sometimes in estimation. It is in pronunciation if the last letter of the word is a sound letter, and it is in estimation if the last letter is a letter of weakness. The letters of weakness are three: the waw, the alif, and the yaa. The alif has all vowel movements estimated on it, and it is said: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. The waw and the yaa have the kasrah and dammah estimated on them, and it is said: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. And the fatha appears on them because of their lightness. And Allah knows best.
The student: On the alif.
The Shaykh : How?
The student: On the alif.
The Shaykh : Yes, an estimated dammah on the alif; its appearance is prevented by impossibility.
The student: Impossibility.
The Shaykh : Impossibility. Look, now its ending has changed, but it is estimated. That is why we say: an estimated dammah on the alif, whose appearance is prevented by what? Impossibility. How is it impossible? Because it is impossible to put a dammah on it now. How many of you are here right now? It is seven minutes to nine. You have until the next class, which is five minutes to nine. Ah, and show me a dammah on the alif. A dammah on the alif. Can you do it? You would write an alif with a dammah. And what would you say? "Oh, Bukhari?"
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Whoever comes up with that is considered more eloquent than Sibawayhi. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, the point is that it is not possible. That is why the scholars say: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. It is not possible for the alif to be in the open state (fatha), right? Can it be in the closed state (dammah)?
The student: Nor in the closed state.
The Shaykh : Nor in the closed state, nor in the broken state (kasrah). Nor in the broken state. Notice, the letters of weakness. I told you there are three letters of weakness. The alif is the most weak of them. Its weakness is the most severe of weaknesses. Neither a dammah, nor a fatha, nor a kasrah appears on it, and its appearance is impossible. What do we have left? The waw and the yaa. The waw and the yaa are less weak than the alif, because the fatha appears on the waw and the yaa. Yes, for example, you say: "We will not call upon." Allah the Exalted said:
We will not call upon any god other than Him
لن ندعو من دونه إلهاWe will not call upon any god other than Him
لن ندعو من دونه إلهاThe student: The dammah.
The Shaykh : The dammah and the kasrah. The dammah and the kasrah do not appear on the waw and the yaa. But we say: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. We do not say impossibility. Heaviness means that the appearance of the dammah on the yaa is heavy, the appearance of the kasrah on the yaa is heavy, the appearance of the dammah on the waw is heavy, and the appearance of the kasrah on it is also heavy. If it were correct to put a kasrah on it, stay with me, everyone.
The three letters of weakness agree that the dammah and the kasrah are estimated on them. Right? As for the fatha, it is estimated on the alif and appears on the waw and the yaa. They also differ in that for the alif, it is said: its appearance is prevented by what? Impossibility. And for the yaa and the waw, it is said: heaviness. Because it is possible, but with heaviness. It is possible to say: "The judge came." Is that possible?
The student: It is possible.
The Shaykh : It is possible, but it is heavy. And it is possible to say: "I passed by the judge." Is that possible? But it is heavy. That is why the scholars used a precise expression. They said for the alif: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. And they said for the waw and the yaa: its appearance is prevented by heaviness. Clear?
So, take the rulings of the letters of weakness. The alif: all vowel movements are estimated on it, and it is said: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. The waw and the yaa: only the dammah and the kasrah are estimated on them, and the fatha appears on them. And when the kasrah and dammah are estimated, it is said: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. Heaviness, not impossibility. It is possible to pronounce them, but with heaviness. Clear? Right?
If someone said: "The judge came," we would say: that is a mistake. The Arabs do not pronounce it that way, because the dammah is estimated on the yaa. If someone said: "I saw the judge," that is correct, because the fatha
The student: Appears on the yaa.
The Shaykh : Appears on the yaa. Right? If someone said: "I passed by the judge," we would say: that is a mistake. The Arabs do not say it that way, because if they said it that way, it would be heavy. It would be very heavy, so it is not pronounced that way.
As for the alif, the Arabs do not pronounce it with any vowel movement, because that is impossible. Impossible, it cannot be done. Right? In pronunciation or estimation? He said: "And its divisions are four". So inflection means changing the endings of words. Why? Because of the difference in the factors that affect them. This estimation is sometimes in pronunciation and sometimes in estimation. It is in pronunciation if the last letter of the word is a sound letter, and it is in estimation if the last letter is a letter of weakness. The letters of weakness are three: the waw, the alif, and the yaa. The alif has all vowel movements estimated on it, and it is said: its appearance is prevented by impossibility. The waw and the yaa have the kasrah and dammah estimated on them, and it is said: their appearance is prevented by heaviness. And the fatha appears on them because of their lightness. And Allah knows best.