Reading from Ibn Aqil’s commentary (may Allah have mercy on him), with the Shaykh’s annotations: " .
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: " And the superlative is always connected *** by estimation or in form to 'min' if it is bare:
The superlative is not free from one of three states: the first is that it is bare, the second is that it is attached to a noun, and the third is that it is with the definite article. If it is bare, it must be connected to: 'min', either in form or by estimation, as a preposition for the one being compared. For example: 'Zayd is better than 'Amr,' and 'I passed by a man better than 'Amr'.
The student: A preposition.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: A preposition!
The Shaykh : If it is in the genitive case, if it is bare, yes, yes.
The reader: " If it is bare, it must be connected to: 'min', either in form or by estimation, as a preposition for the one being compared ".
The Shaykh : Upon it.
The student: It is written upon it.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The reader: " For example: 'Zayd is better than 'Amr' ".
The Shaykh : What is inside 'fadhil' (better) upon him now?
The student: Yes.
The reader: " And 'I passed by a man better than 'Amr,' and 'min' and its object may be omitted for the sake of indicating them, as He, the Exalted, said:[Al-Kahf 18:34] Meaning: 'and mightier than you in troops,' and it is understood from his words ".
The Shaykh : We do not have it, the second: meaning 'and mightier than you!
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Ha, do you mean it is extra? Yes.
The reader: " And it is understood from his words that if the superlative is with the definite article or attached to a noun, 'min' does not accompany it. So do not say: 'Zayd is the best of 'Amr,' or 'Zayd is the best of people from 'Amr.' This occurs most often when the superlative is a predicate, like the noble verse and similar ones, and it is common in the Qur'an. And it may be omitted from it when it is not a predicate, as in his saying:
I approached, and we thought you like the moon, more beautiful *** So my heart remained in your love, deluded.
So 'ajmal' (more beautiful): is a superlative, and it is in the accusative case as a state from the 'ta' in 'I approached,' and 'min' was omitted from it, and the estimation is 'I approached, more beautiful than the moon, and we thought you like the moon.' And the bare superlative necessitates singularity and masculinity ".
The Shaykh : I have in the margin, it says: " Sometimes after the superlative comes one associated with the definite article or associated with 'an', with the definite article or the attached 'min', as in the saying of al-A'sha:
And you are not the most numerous of them in pebbles *** But honor belongs to the one who is numerous.
And as in the saying of Sa'd ", and 'qirqarah' is with you?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh :" And 'qirqarah,' we are more knowledgeable of the planting of al-Wadi, what? From us by running "!
The student: " The fine horses in the desert "
The Shaykh :" By the running of the fine horses in the desert ", this is like a farmer, yes, his saying:
" And you are not the most numerous of them in pebbles *** But honor belongs to the one who is numerous ".
: Meaning for the one who prevails in the multitude of pebbles, ha, and what is the benefit of the multitude of pebbles?
The student: It is used as a metaphor.
The Shaykh : Ha, it is used as a metaphor? No.
The student: For the sake of the number.
The Shaykh : They count with them, they count with them because in the beginning, the Arabs did not have arithmetic or knowledge of arithmetic. If he wanted to count, he took pebbles. How many are the people? He said: Ha, look at these pebbles with me, they are their number. Yes, this is the number of the people. And from this comes 'ahsaha' (he counted it): 'ahsaha': its origin is counting with pebbles, counting with pebbles is its origin, it is from pebbles. So 'I counted the thing' means I controlled its number, because they used to control the number with pebbles, yes, yes.
The superlative is not free from one of three states: the first is that it is bare, the second is that it is attached to a noun, and the third is that it is with the definite article. If it is bare, it must be connected to: 'min', either in form or by estimation, as a preposition for the one being compared. For example: 'Zayd is better than 'Amr,' and 'I passed by a man better than 'Amr'.
The student: A preposition.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: A preposition!
The Shaykh : If it is in the genitive case, if it is bare, yes, yes.
The reader: " If it is bare, it must be connected to: 'min', either in form or by estimation, as a preposition for the one being compared ".
The Shaykh : Upon it.
The student: It is written upon it.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The reader: " For example: 'Zayd is better than 'Amr' ".
The Shaykh : What is inside 'fadhil' (better) upon him now?
The student: Yes.
The reader: " And 'I passed by a man better than 'Amr,' and 'min' and its object may be omitted for the sake of indicating them, as He, the Exalted, said:
I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men."
أنا أكثر منك مالا وأعز نفراThe Shaykh : We do not have it, the second: meaning 'and mightier than you!
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Ha, do you mean it is extra? Yes.
The reader: " And it is understood from his words that if the superlative is with the definite article or attached to a noun, 'min' does not accompany it. So do not say: 'Zayd is the best of 'Amr,' or 'Zayd is the best of people from 'Amr.' This occurs most often when the superlative is a predicate, like the noble verse and similar ones, and it is common in the Qur'an. And it may be omitted from it when it is not a predicate, as in his saying:
I approached, and we thought you like the moon, more beautiful *** So my heart remained in your love, deluded.
So 'ajmal' (more beautiful): is a superlative, and it is in the accusative case as a state from the 'ta' in 'I approached,' and 'min' was omitted from it, and the estimation is 'I approached, more beautiful than the moon, and we thought you like the moon.' And the bare superlative necessitates singularity and masculinity ".
The Shaykh : I have in the margin, it says: " Sometimes after the superlative comes one associated with the definite article or associated with 'an', with the definite article or the attached 'min', as in the saying of al-A'sha:
And you are not the most numerous of them in pebbles *** But honor belongs to the one who is numerous.
And as in the saying of Sa'd ", and 'qirqarah' is with you?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh :" And 'qirqarah,' we are more knowledgeable of the planting of al-Wadi, what? From us by running "!
The student: " The fine horses in the desert "
The Shaykh :" By the running of the fine horses in the desert ", this is like a farmer, yes, his saying:
" And you are not the most numerous of them in pebbles *** But honor belongs to the one who is numerous ".
: Meaning for the one who prevails in the multitude of pebbles, ha, and what is the benefit of the multitude of pebbles?
The student: It is used as a metaphor.
The Shaykh : Ha, it is used as a metaphor? No.
The student: For the sake of the number.
The Shaykh : They count with them, they count with them because in the beginning, the Arabs did not have arithmetic or knowledge of arithmetic. If he wanted to count, he took pebbles. How many are the people? He said: Ha, look at these pebbles with me, they are their number. Yes, this is the number of the people. And from this comes 'ahsaha' (he counted it): 'ahsaha': its origin is counting with pebbles, counting with pebbles is its origin, it is from pebbles. So 'I counted the thing' means I controlled its number, because they used to control the number with pebbles, yes, yes.