Explanation of Ibn Malik's (may Allah have mercy on him) statement: "And it is a tamyiz, or it is said to be a fa'il *** in the case of 'Nima ma yaqul al-fadil' (How good is what the distinguished one says)."
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The Shaykh :"And it is a tamyiz, or it is said to be a fa'il *** in the case of 'Nima ma yaqul al-fadil' (How good is what the distinguished one says)"
May Allah have mercy on them. "Nima ma yaqul al-fadil" (How good is what the distinguished one says). Look, "ma" is a relative pronoun. Do the markers of inflection appear on it or not?
The student: No, it is built (uninflected).
The Shaykh : The markers of inflection do not appear on it because it is built (uninflected). So what do you say? Do you treat it as a relative pronoun or as an indefinite noun? That is, do you say: "Nima shay'an yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a thing the distinguished one says), or "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says)? If we treat it as a tamyiz, the implied meaning is: "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says). If we treat it as a fa'il, the implied meaning is: "Nima al-qawl alladhi yaqulu al-fadil" (How good is the saying that the distinguished one says). Since "ma" cannot be a relative pronoun, which is a definite noun, or a described indefinite noun, which is the tamyiz, Ibn Malik said that there is disagreement regarding it. Some say it is a tamyiz, and some say it is a fa'il. Do you understand? Which of them is more appropriate?
The student: He preferred the tamyiz.
The Shaykh :"And it is a tamyiz, or it is said to be a fa'il" "Or it is said" means that it was proposed to be a tamyiz, that is: "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says). It is fine. So according to this, it is like your saying: "Nima rajulan Zayd" (How good a man is Zayd), "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says).
May Allah have mercy on them. "Nima ma yaqul al-fadil" (How good is what the distinguished one says). Look, "ma" is a relative pronoun. Do the markers of inflection appear on it or not?
The student: No, it is built (uninflected).
The Shaykh : The markers of inflection do not appear on it because it is built (uninflected). So what do you say? Do you treat it as a relative pronoun or as an indefinite noun? That is, do you say: "Nima shay'an yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a thing the distinguished one says), or "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says)? If we treat it as a tamyiz, the implied meaning is: "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says). If we treat it as a fa'il, the implied meaning is: "Nima al-qawl alladhi yaqulu al-fadil" (How good is the saying that the distinguished one says). Since "ma" cannot be a relative pronoun, which is a definite noun, or a described indefinite noun, which is the tamyiz, Ibn Malik said that there is disagreement regarding it. Some say it is a tamyiz, and some say it is a fa'il. Do you understand? Which of them is more appropriate?
The student: He preferred the tamyiz.
The Shaykh :"And it is a tamyiz, or it is said to be a fa'il" "Or it is said" means that it was proposed to be a tamyiz, that is: "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says). It is fine. So according to this, it is like your saying: "Nima rajulan Zayd" (How good a man is Zayd), "Nima qawlan yaqul al-fadil" (How good is a saying the distinguished one says).