Continuation of the explanation of the author’s (may Allah have mercy on him) statement: “... and what is added to one of these four ...”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : If a definite noun precedes an indefinite noun, it makes it
The student: Definite.
The Shaykh : a valid, good definite noun. You say, “I bought a book”
The student: Error
The Shaykh : Why did you buy a book?
The student: Indefinite.
The Shaykh : It is a valid indefinite noun. Make “book” definite: “I bought the school’s book.” Now it is definite. So, what is added to a definite noun is definite. What is added to a definite noun is definite. Good. Is a noun added to a definite noun in the same rank as the definite noun, or is it lower? That is, we now know the definite nouns: the pronoun, then
The student: Knowledge.
The Shaykh : the proper noun, then
The student: the indefinite noun
The Shaykh : the indefinite noun, then the one marked with the article (al). What is entered with the letter alif and lam. So, if we make something definite by adding it to a definite noun, is it in the same rank as the noun it is added to, or is it lower?
Some scholars among the grammarians say it is lower, because it becomes definite through it, and its definiteness is derivative. And whatever has derivative definiteness is less than what has original definiteness. Accordingly, what is added to a definite noun is in the rank after the noun it is added to. So if I say, “I bought this boy,” then “boy” is an indefinite noun added to
The student: This.
The Shaykh : which of the definite nouns?
The student: the indefinite noun
The Shaykh : the indefinite noun. A demonstrative noun is in the position of what comes after the indefinite noun, which is what is entered with the article alif and lam. Exception? Yes.
And the majority of scholars hold that what is added to something is in its rank, except what is added to a pronoun, which is like a proper noun, meaning it is lower than the rank of the pronoun. And the correct view is that every added noun is lower than the rank of the noun it is added to. Yes.
The student: Definite.
The Shaykh : a valid, good definite noun. You say, “I bought a book”
The student: Error
The Shaykh : Why did you buy a book?
The student: Indefinite.
The Shaykh : It is a valid indefinite noun. Make “book” definite: “I bought the school’s book.” Now it is definite. So, what is added to a definite noun is definite. What is added to a definite noun is definite. Good. Is a noun added to a definite noun in the same rank as the definite noun, or is it lower? That is, we now know the definite nouns: the pronoun, then
The student: Knowledge.
The Shaykh : the proper noun, then
The student: the indefinite noun
The Shaykh : the indefinite noun, then the one marked with the article (al). What is entered with the letter alif and lam. So, if we make something definite by adding it to a definite noun, is it in the same rank as the noun it is added to, or is it lower?
Some scholars among the grammarians say it is lower, because it becomes definite through it, and its definiteness is derivative. And whatever has derivative definiteness is less than what has original definiteness. Accordingly, what is added to a definite noun is in the rank after the noun it is added to. So if I say, “I bought this boy,” then “boy” is an indefinite noun added to
The student: This.
The Shaykh : which of the definite nouns?
The student: the indefinite noun
The Shaykh : the indefinite noun. A demonstrative noun is in the position of what comes after the indefinite noun, which is what is entered with the article alif and lam. Exception? Yes.
And the majority of scholars hold that what is added to something is in its rank, except what is added to a pronoun, which is like a proper noun, meaning it is lower than the rank of the pronoun. And the correct view is that every added noun is lower than the rank of the noun it is added to. Yes.