Mention of the rules of diminutives from the marginal notes of the commentary, along with the Shaykh’s comments on them.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The student: "The rules of diminutives are five: The first: Diminutivizing what is imagined to be large, such as: Jabayl, the diminutive of Jabal (mountain)".
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning if someone said: "I swear by Allah, I do not want to go with this road, because there is a mountain in it," you would say to him: "There is absolutely nothing but a Jabayl (little mountain)." What is intended by this? Diminutivizing what is imagined to be large, so that he resolves to walk, yes?
The student: Is it included in disparagement?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Is it included in disparagement?
The Shaykh : No, actually, actually it is a small Jabayl, but what is imagined is that it is large, so I did not disparage it because it is contemptible, but because this is the reality, yes.
The student: "The second: Disparaging what is imagined to be great, such as: Subay' (little lion), the diminutive of Sab' (lion)".
The Shaykh : Yes, the lion is known, and its body is known, but a person may think it is great, so I disparaged it, and I say: Subay', and likewise if someone said: "I swear by Allah, I am not going to visit so-and-so because he has a dog, a great dog that eats people," I would say to him: "He has nothing but a Kalib (little dog)," meaning a Kalib, a small Kalib.
The student: Or Usayd.
The Shaykh : Or Usayd if he has a lion, yes.
The student: "The third: Reducing what is imagined to be numerous, such as: Dirahimat (little dirhams), the diminutive of the plural of Dirham".
The Shaykh : And its plural is: Dirahim. One person said: "This man has many dirhams," he said: "No, he has absolutely nothing but Dirahimat." Why did he say he has many dirhams? He said it is a method, for example, he said he has many on him, he said: "No, he has dirhams," he said: "He has nothing but Dirahimat, Dirahimat." The intention is: Reducing what is thought to be increased.
The student: There are Dirahimat, O Shaykh, when he has them.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: If there are Dirahimat in the ground, meaning they have amounts.
The Shaykh : Strange.
The student: Yes, if they say: So-and-so has dirhams of money, we know he is weak!
The Shaykh : Do you understand this, you?
The student: Huh? Exalting this, O our Shaykh, meaning.
The Shaykh : In any case, if the intention is exalting, we point out the first, we say he has dirhams, yes.
The student: "The fourth: Bringing close what is imagined to be distant, either in time, such as: Qabayl al-'Asr (just before 'Asr), or in place, such as: Turayq al-dar (near the house), or in rank, such as: Usayghar minhu (slightly smaller than him)".
The Shaykh : Usayghar.
The student: "Usayghar minhu".
The Shaykh : Meaning he is smaller than him, Usayghar, okay, bringing close what is imagined to be distant: either by time, a person thought while sleeping after Dhuhr, so he woke up and the time of 'Asr was narrow, so I say to him: "You are now Qabayl al-'Asr (just before 'Asr)," what is the purpose?!
Bringing close what is imagined to be distant by time.
In place, for example, he says: Fawq al-dar (above the house), it was originally very high, so I say: Fawq al-dar, and from this is the saying of the wicked philosophers: "The station of prophethood is in a barzakh (interval), above the messenger and below the wali (close friend of Allah)", "The station of prophethood is in a barzakh above the messenger and below the wali", which is better in their view?
The student: The wali.
The Shaykh : The wali, then the prophet, but the prophet is very low compared to the wali, because he said below the wali, then he said after that:
The student: The messenger.
The Shaykh : The messenger, and the messenger, the prophet is close to him, and both are below the wali, for this reason they claim that their awliya (close friends of Allah) are better than the messengers and better than the prophets, and they say in religion: "Some of our imams are in a rank that no near angel or sent prophet can attain," may Allah fight them. Okay, and from this also.
The student: O Shaykh, is this statement correct? They said: One who believes in it is a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : This is disbelief, there is no doubt.
The student: Okay, those who are bad among them, do they not enter the Fire if they do not believe in this!
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Do they not enter the Fire, then they are in the Fire in the Hereafter like the disbelievers if they believe in this, they are declared disbelievers.
The Shaykh : Yes, but they do not say that, they are certain in Paradise, they enter it without reckoning or punishment.
The student: We say the reality!
The Shaykh : Leave the reality, this is with them, okay, and from this also!
The student: One remaining.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the fifth: And from this also: Some people, if they want to bring something close to you, they say to you, for example: "Between us is only Thaniyat (little teeth)," between you and them is only Thaniyat, perhaps you walk half a day and you do not arrive, and this is known among whom?
The student: Among the Bedouins.
The Shaykh : Among the Bedouins, it is known if he says to you: "You see it Qarib Qarib (very close) to you," Qarib is the diminutive of Qarib (close), yes, it can be a full day, yes, and this.
The student: Qarib Qarib?
The Shaykh : Yes, and this indicates that they are energetic, and that the distance does not matter to them whether it is close or far, yes, Usayghar minhu: this is an expression of a little, meaning for example, one person thought his rank was large, so he said he is Usayghar minhu, meaning?
The student: Slightly smaller than you.
The Shaykh : Slightly smaller than you, yes, the fifth!
The student: "The fifth: Exalting, as in the saying of Labid ibn Rabi'ah al-'Amri:
And every people, you will enter among them *** A Dawayhiyyah (little scorpion) from which the fingers turn yellow,
And the Basrans rejected this benefit, claiming that diminutive forms are not used for magnification, because the two are contradictory .
The Shaykh : Yes, and how do they answer this verse? "Dawayhiyyah": They say: The intended meaning is that it is a simple thing for people, all people are afflicted by it, it is not a rare thing that cannot be attained, and yet, although it is common and afflicts all people, it turns the fingers yellow from it.
The student: Dawayhiyyah with the fingers turning yellow from it!
The Shaykh : Yes, but everyone's fingers turn yellow from it, yes, I do not want the explanation.
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning if someone said: "I swear by Allah, I do not want to go with this road, because there is a mountain in it," you would say to him: "There is absolutely nothing but a Jabayl (little mountain)." What is intended by this? Diminutivizing what is imagined to be large, so that he resolves to walk, yes?
The student: Is it included in disparagement?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Is it included in disparagement?
The Shaykh : No, actually, actually it is a small Jabayl, but what is imagined is that it is large, so I did not disparage it because it is contemptible, but because this is the reality, yes.
The student: "The second: Disparaging what is imagined to be great, such as: Subay' (little lion), the diminutive of Sab' (lion)".
The Shaykh : Yes, the lion is known, and its body is known, but a person may think it is great, so I disparaged it, and I say: Subay', and likewise if someone said: "I swear by Allah, I am not going to visit so-and-so because he has a dog, a great dog that eats people," I would say to him: "He has nothing but a Kalib (little dog)," meaning a Kalib, a small Kalib.
The student: Or Usayd.
The Shaykh : Or Usayd if he has a lion, yes.
The student: "The third: Reducing what is imagined to be numerous, such as: Dirahimat (little dirhams), the diminutive of the plural of Dirham".
The Shaykh : And its plural is: Dirahim. One person said: "This man has many dirhams," he said: "No, he has absolutely nothing but Dirahimat." Why did he say he has many dirhams? He said it is a method, for example, he said he has many on him, he said: "No, he has dirhams," he said: "He has nothing but Dirahimat, Dirahimat." The intention is: Reducing what is thought to be increased.
The student: There are Dirahimat, O Shaykh, when he has them.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: If there are Dirahimat in the ground, meaning they have amounts.
The Shaykh : Strange.
The student: Yes, if they say: So-and-so has dirhams of money, we know he is weak!
The Shaykh : Do you understand this, you?
The student: Huh? Exalting this, O our Shaykh, meaning.
The Shaykh : In any case, if the intention is exalting, we point out the first, we say he has dirhams, yes.
The student: "The fourth: Bringing close what is imagined to be distant, either in time, such as: Qabayl al-'Asr (just before 'Asr), or in place, such as: Turayq al-dar (near the house), or in rank, such as: Usayghar minhu (slightly smaller than him)".
The Shaykh : Usayghar.
The student: "Usayghar minhu".
The Shaykh : Meaning he is smaller than him, Usayghar, okay, bringing close what is imagined to be distant: either by time, a person thought while sleeping after Dhuhr, so he woke up and the time of 'Asr was narrow, so I say to him: "You are now Qabayl al-'Asr (just before 'Asr)," what is the purpose?!
Bringing close what is imagined to be distant by time.
In place, for example, he says: Fawq al-dar (above the house), it was originally very high, so I say: Fawq al-dar, and from this is the saying of the wicked philosophers: "The station of prophethood is in a barzakh (interval), above the messenger and below the wali (close friend of Allah)", "The station of prophethood is in a barzakh above the messenger and below the wali", which is better in their view?
The student: The wali.
The Shaykh : The wali, then the prophet, but the prophet is very low compared to the wali, because he said below the wali, then he said after that:
The student: The messenger.
The Shaykh : The messenger, and the messenger, the prophet is close to him, and both are below the wali, for this reason they claim that their awliya (close friends of Allah) are better than the messengers and better than the prophets, and they say in religion: "Some of our imams are in a rank that no near angel or sent prophet can attain," may Allah fight them. Okay, and from this also.
The student: O Shaykh, is this statement correct? They said: One who believes in it is a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : This is disbelief, there is no doubt.
The student: Okay, those who are bad among them, do they not enter the Fire if they do not believe in this!
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Do they not enter the Fire, then they are in the Fire in the Hereafter like the disbelievers if they believe in this, they are declared disbelievers.
The Shaykh : Yes, but they do not say that, they are certain in Paradise, they enter it without reckoning or punishment.
The student: We say the reality!
The Shaykh : Leave the reality, this is with them, okay, and from this also!
The student: One remaining.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the fifth: And from this also: Some people, if they want to bring something close to you, they say to you, for example: "Between us is only Thaniyat (little teeth)," between you and them is only Thaniyat, perhaps you walk half a day and you do not arrive, and this is known among whom?
The student: Among the Bedouins.
The Shaykh : Among the Bedouins, it is known if he says to you: "You see it Qarib Qarib (very close) to you," Qarib is the diminutive of Qarib (close), yes, it can be a full day, yes, and this.
The student: Qarib Qarib?
The Shaykh : Yes, and this indicates that they are energetic, and that the distance does not matter to them whether it is close or far, yes, Usayghar minhu: this is an expression of a little, meaning for example, one person thought his rank was large, so he said he is Usayghar minhu, meaning?
The student: Slightly smaller than you.
The Shaykh : Slightly smaller than you, yes, the fifth!
The student: "The fifth: Exalting, as in the saying of Labid ibn Rabi'ah al-'Amri:
And every people, you will enter among them *** A Dawayhiyyah (little scorpion) from which the fingers turn yellow,
And the Basrans rejected this benefit, claiming that diminutive forms are not used for magnification, because the two are contradictory .
The Shaykh : Yes, and how do they answer this verse? "Dawayhiyyah": They say: The intended meaning is that it is a simple thing for people, all people are afflicted by it, it is not a rare thing that cannot be attained, and yet, although it is common and afflicts all people, it turns the fingers yellow from it.
The student: Dawayhiyyah with the fingers turning yellow from it!
The Shaykh : Yes, but everyone's fingers turn yellow from it, yes, I do not want the explanation.