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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "So the alif of femininity, absolutely, prevented *** the declension of what it contained, however it occurred."

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The Shaykh : He said:
"So the alif of femininity, absolutely, prevented *** the declension of what it contained"
Alif is the subject, and "prevented" is the predicate of the subject.
"the declension of what it contained"
It means: the declension of what it is attached to.
"however it occurred"
However it occurred, so the alif of femininity prevents declension, whether it is long or short. For this reason, he said: "the alif of femininity, absolutely", and whether it is attached to a noun, a proper name, or a description, due to his saying:
"however it occurred"
However it occurred, yes. The alif of femininity includes both the short and the long. However it occurred, here? In a proper name, or a noun, or a description. Okay, let us look at the long alif of femininity. "Sahra" (desert), is "Sahra" a long alif of femininity or a short one?
The student: Long.

The Shaykh : Here? It is long because there is an alif followed by a hamza. The long one is an alif followed by a hamza. Is "Sahra" a noun, a proper name, or a description?
The student: A noun.

The Shaykh : A noun. It is not a proper name or a description. Okay, "Khudra" (green)? Here? Does it have a long alif of femininity or not? Here?
The student: A description or a noun.

The Shaykh : It has a long alif of femininity, and it is a description of greenness. "Asma"? "Asma" is a woman's name. Alif of femininity?
The student: Long.

The Shaykh : Long, and what is it?
The student: Knowledge.

The Shaykh : A proper name. It is a proper name. Okay, what is an example of the short alif of femininity? The short alif of femininity is the alif that is not followed by a hamza. An alif not followed by a hamza. An example of that?
The student: "Hibla" (pregnant).

The Shaykh : "Hibla," "Hibla." A "Hibla" woman means a pregnant woman. This is a short alif of femininity. It occurred in what? A noun, a proper name, or a description?
The student: An attribute.

The Shaykh : Yes, in a description. Okay, we want it in a proper name, like what?
The student: "Salma."

The Shaykh : "Salma," and "Layla." "Salma" and "Layla" are proper names with a short alif of femininity, so they prevented declension. A noun?
The student: Description.

The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No, "Nabi" is a noun.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: "Layla."

The Shaykh : No, this is a proper name. "Layla" is a proper name, and "Hibla" is a description, and "Hibla" is a description, yes?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ... A noun or not? Yes, a noun. It is not a description or a proper name.
The student: And "Uqla" (pregnant).

The Shaykh : "Uqla." Okay, so the alif of femininity, whether it is a proper name, a noun, or a description, long or short, here? It is prevented from declension. How many categories are there now? Six, I think, here? Six, because it is short and long, and it is a proper name, a noun, and a description.
"So the alif of femininity, absolutely, prevented"
You say, for example: "I passed by Asma." "I passed" is a verb and a subject, and "by" is a preposition, and "Asma" is a noun in the genitive case by the preposition, and its sign of the genitive case?
The student: The fathah.

The Shaykh : The fatha in place of the kasra because it is?
The student: Prevented from declension.

The Shaykh : Prevented from declension, and the thing preventing it from declension is the long alif of femininity. And you say: "I passed by a pregnant woman." "I passed" is a verb and a subject, and "by a woman"?
The student: A preposition and a genitive.

The Shaykh : A preposition and a noun in the genitive case, and "pregnant"? A description of "woman" in the genitive case, and its sign of the genitive case is a kasra estimated on the alif, prevented from appearing?
The student: Heaviness.

The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : A fatha estimated on the alif in place of the kasra, prevented from appearing by impossibility. Yes, okay.
Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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