Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "And an original adjective and a word on the pattern of fa'ila, safe *** from being made feminine with a ta, like ash-hala."
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The Shaykh :"Safe from being made feminine with a ta, like ash-hala"
This means that what is prevented from declension is an original adjective, provided that it is on the pattern of fa'il, and provided that its feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta. The author stipulated three things: that it be an original adjective, that it be on the pattern of fa'il, and that its feminine form be devoid of the ta. If these conditions are met, it is prevented from declension. What is an example? Ash-hal. Ash-hal, and its feminine form? Shahla. Yes, and its feminine form is shahla. So we say: Ash-hal is an original adjective on the pattern of fa'il, and its feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta. Is there another example?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Yes, ahmar, asfar, akhdar, azraq, and the like. What about afdal? Yes, it is like them, meaning it is an original adjective whose feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta, so it is prevented from declension. What is an example? I passed by a man who is better than so-and-so. I passed by a man who is better than so-and-so. So we say: "I passed by" is a verb and a subject, "by a man" is a preposition and its object, and "afdal" here? It is a description of "man." And the description of a genitive is in the genitive case, and the sign of its genitive case is the fatha in place of the kasrah because it is a noun that is not declined. What is the preventer of declension? The quality of being a description and the pattern of the verb. The pattern of the verb... the verb is akram. Afdal is on the pattern of the verb, exactly. What about his saying "original"? An original adjective. This excludes the case where the adjective is incidental, meaning: not original. In that case, it is ignored and not considered, and one returns to the original state. So if we find a noun on the pattern of fa'il to which the quality of being a description is incidental—and otherwise its original state is not that of a description—it is not prevented from declension, considering its original state. What is an example?
This means that what is prevented from declension is an original adjective, provided that it is on the pattern of fa'il, and provided that its feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta. The author stipulated three things: that it be an original adjective, that it be on the pattern of fa'il, and that its feminine form be devoid of the ta. If these conditions are met, it is prevented from declension. What is an example? Ash-hal. Ash-hal, and its feminine form? Shahla. Yes, and its feminine form is shahla. So we say: Ash-hal is an original adjective on the pattern of fa'il, and its feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta. Is there another example?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Yes, ahmar, asfar, akhdar, azraq, and the like. What about afdal? Yes, it is like them, meaning it is an original adjective whose feminine form is prevented from being made feminine with a ta, so it is prevented from declension. What is an example? I passed by a man who is better than so-and-so. I passed by a man who is better than so-and-so. So we say: "I passed by" is a verb and a subject, "by a man" is a preposition and its object, and "afdal" here? It is a description of "man." And the description of a genitive is in the genitive case, and the sign of its genitive case is the fatha in place of the kasrah because it is a noun that is not declined. What is the preventer of declension? The quality of being a description and the pattern of the verb. The pattern of the verb... the verb is akram. Afdal is on the pattern of the verb, exactly. What about his saying "original"? An original adjective. This excludes the case where the adjective is incidental, meaning: not original. In that case, it is ignored and not considered, and one returns to the original state. So if we find a noun on the pattern of fa'il to which the quality of being a description is incidental—and otherwise its original state is not that of a description—it is not prevented from declension, considering its original state. What is an example?