Reading from Ibn Aqil’s commentary (may Allah have mercy on him), with the Shaykh’s annotations: " .
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: "If the intention of preference is not present, the agreement is necessitated, as in their saying: 'Al-Naqis and al-Ashaj are the two just ones of Banu Marwan,' meaning: the just one of Banu Marwan. The author indicated what we mentioned regarding the intention of preference and its absence by his saying: 'This is if you intend the meaning of *min* in the verse,' meaning: the permissibility of the two aspects, namely agreement and its absence, is conditioned by intending the meaning of *min* in the addition, i.e., intending preference. As for if one does not intend that, it is necessary that it be in agreement with what it is associated with. It was said: And among the uses of the *af'ala* form for the intention of preference is His saying".
The Shaykh : For other than, for other than, for other than preference!
The reader: "It was said: And among the uses of the *af'ala* form for other than preference is His saying, the Exalted:[Ar-Rum 30:27], and His saying: [Al-Isra 17:54] meaning: and it is easy for Him, and your Lord is knowledgeable about you. And the saying of the poet".
The student: It has ended.
The Shaykh : Yes, it ended. Let him complete it.
The reader: "And if the hands are extended to the food, I was not *** the most eager of them, for the most greedy of the people is the most eager:
Meaning: I was not the most eager of them. And his saying:
Indeed, He who thickened the sky built for us *** a house whose pillars are the most noble and the longest:
Meaning: its pillars are noble and long. And is that to be analogized or not? Al-Mubarrad said: It is to be analogized. And others said: It is not to be analogized, and that is the correct view. The author of *al-Wadhih* mentioned that the grammarians do not see that, and that Abu 'Ubaydah said regarding His saying, the Exalted:[Ar-Rum 30:27] that it means 'easy,' and in the verse of al-Farazdaq, which is the second one, that the meaning is 'noble and long,' and that the grammarians refuted Abu 'Ubaydah in that and said: He has no proof for that in it".
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: And that the grammarians!
The Shaykh : Yes, and that Abu 'Ubaydah!
The student: It is written like this.
The Shaykh : And it is so. Now, the examples the author mentioned: His saying:[Ar-Rum 30:27] The correct view is that it is in its proper place. [Ar-Rum 30:27], and everything is easy for Him, but He intended to address these people with a matter that is apparent to reason: which is that returning is easier than beginning. So how do you deny what is easier in your minds and your senses? Yes, otherwise everything is easy for Him, because everything comes about by what? By 'Be,' so everything is easy. But He is addressing a people who deny the resurrection, so He says: He begins creation and then returns it, and in your senses and your knowledge and your reason as well, returning is easier than beginning. Like His saying: [Saba 34:24] And it is known that these disbelievers in the Messenger, that these disbelievers are on misguidance, and that the Messenger and those with him are on guidance. Similarly: [Al-Isra 17:54] The correct view is that it is in its proper place, and that He knows us better than ourselves, yes or no?
And the meaning is not just 'knowledgeable about you,' but He knows you best (Glorified and Exalted is He). And similarly: "I was not the most eager of them": The correct view is that it is in its proper place as well, meaning: I was not the most eager of the people. And the meaning is not: 'I am not eager among them,' but 'I am not the most eager of them,' meaning: I am not the first to extend my hand. Because the first to extend his hand when the food is presented is the most eager of them, and that is proof of his greed and his voracity, and that he cannot control himself until it is said to him: 'Please, eat.' Yes, now, similarly, his saying:
"Indeed, He who thickened the sky built for us *** a house whose pillars are the most noble and the longest":
Meaning: the most noble and the longest of anything. It is known that the poet did not intend this, the most noble and the longest of the other houses. And nobility is clear. Yes, and 'longest': from the length of meaning, not the physical length. So the intended meaning is preference. And Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : For other than, for other than, for other than preference!
The reader: "It was said: And among the uses of the *af'ala* form for other than preference is His saying, the Exalted:
And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him
وهو الذي يبدأ الخلق ثم يعيده وهو أهون عليهYour Lord is most knowing of you
ربكم أعلم بكمThe student: It has ended.
The Shaykh : Yes, it ended. Let him complete it.
The reader: "And if the hands are extended to the food, I was not *** the most eager of them, for the most greedy of the people is the most eager:
Meaning: I was not the most eager of them. And his saying:
Indeed, He who thickened the sky built for us *** a house whose pillars are the most noble and the longest:
Meaning: its pillars are noble and long. And is that to be analogized or not? Al-Mubarrad said: It is to be analogized. And others said: It is not to be analogized, and that is the correct view. The author of *al-Wadhih* mentioned that the grammarians do not see that, and that Abu 'Ubaydah said regarding His saying, the Exalted:
and that is [even] easier for Him
وهو أهون عليهThe Shaykh : Huh?
The student: And that the grammarians!
The Shaykh : Yes, and that Abu 'Ubaydah!
The student: It is written like this.
The Shaykh : And it is so. Now, the examples the author mentioned: His saying:
And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him
هو الذي يبدؤ الخلق ثم يعيده وهو أهون عليهand that is [even] easier for Him
وهو أهون عليهAnd indeed, we or you are either upon guidance or in clear error."
وإنا أو إياكم لعلى هدى أو في ضلال مبينYour Lord is most knowing of you
ربكم أعلم بكمAnd the meaning is not just 'knowledgeable about you,' but He knows you best (Glorified and Exalted is He). And similarly: "I was not the most eager of them": The correct view is that it is in its proper place as well, meaning: I was not the most eager of the people. And the meaning is not: 'I am not eager among them,' but 'I am not the most eager of them,' meaning: I am not the first to extend my hand. Because the first to extend his hand when the food is presented is the most eager of them, and that is proof of his greed and his voracity, and that he cannot control himself until it is said to him: 'Please, eat.' Yes, now, similarly, his saying:
"Indeed, He who thickened the sky built for us *** a house whose pillars are the most noble and the longest":
Meaning: the most noble and the longest of anything. It is known that the poet did not intend this, the most noble and the longest of the other houses. And nobility is clear. Yes, and 'longest': from the length of meaning, not the physical length. So the intended meaning is preference. And Allah knows best.