Explanation of the words of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): "In what is other than this, attribute to the first *** unless confusion is feared, like 'Abd al-Ashhal."
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The Shaykh :"In what is other than this, attribute to the first"
... We do not know the "other" unless we know the original. What do we have?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : What begins with Ibn, or Ab, or Umm, or what is known by prevalence, is attributed to what?
The student: Definite.
The Shaykh : Knowledge, okay, and also...
The student: ...
The Shaykh :"In what is other than this, attribute to the first"
For example? A man's slave, what do we say about it?
The student: My slave.
The Shaykh : My slave.
"Unless confusion is feared, like 'Abd al-Ashhal"
If confusion is feared, it is attributed to the second. For example: 'Abd al-Ashhal. If we attribute it to the first, 'Abd, what do we say?
The student: My slave.
The Shaykh : My slave, there would be confusion. Is it my slave, attributed to 'Abd Allah? Or to 'Abd al-Rahman? Or to 'Abd al-Ashhal? Or something similar? Yes? So we attribute it to the second, and we say: Ashhali, so-and-so al-Ashhali. Why is 'Abd al-Ashhal not a name known by prevalence?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We say: If we attributed it to the first, it would be problematic, it would be problematic, so we attribute it to the second. 'Abd al-Muttalib?
The student: Muttalibi.
The Shaykh : We say: Muttalibi. Why? Because it did not get its definition from the second; it got its definition because it is a proper name. 'Abd al-Muttalib, so you say: Muttalibi, or do we not say?
The student: 'Abdi.
The Shaykh : Or do we not say 'Abdi? 'Abd Dar? Do you say Dari? Or 'Abdi? This is above the tripartite, what did he say? He said 'Abdari, huh, he said 'Abdari, and what did they say about 'Abd Shams? Huh?
The student: 'Abshami.
The Shaykh : 'Abshamsi, so we cannot judge the Arabs. If an Arab comes to us who speaks the Arabic language, and he is not an Arab, he is one of the Arabized, and he says attribute to 'Abd Shams, what do I say?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : 'Abshami, 'Abd Shams, where is the sin? Huh, it went, who eliminated it?
The student: The Arabs.
The Shaykh : The Arabs eliminated it, we cannot judge them. They say 'Abshami, and what do they say about 'Abd Dar, huh? 'Abdari?
The student: Without the dal?
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: Without the dal?
The Shaykh : How?
The student: The dal, the dal in 'Abdari?
The Shaykh : No, 'Abd al-Dar, we say 'Abdari.
... We do not know the "other" unless we know the original. What do we have?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : What begins with Ibn, or Ab, or Umm, or what is known by prevalence, is attributed to what?
The student: Definite.
The Shaykh : Knowledge, okay, and also...
The student: ...
The Shaykh :"In what is other than this, attribute to the first"
For example? A man's slave, what do we say about it?
The student: My slave.
The Shaykh : My slave.
"Unless confusion is feared, like 'Abd al-Ashhal"
If confusion is feared, it is attributed to the second. For example: 'Abd al-Ashhal. If we attribute it to the first, 'Abd, what do we say?
The student: My slave.
The Shaykh : My slave, there would be confusion. Is it my slave, attributed to 'Abd Allah? Or to 'Abd al-Rahman? Or to 'Abd al-Ashhal? Or something similar? Yes? So we attribute it to the second, and we say: Ashhali, so-and-so al-Ashhali. Why is 'Abd al-Ashhal not a name known by prevalence?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We say: If we attributed it to the first, it would be problematic, it would be problematic, so we attribute it to the second. 'Abd al-Muttalib?
The student: Muttalibi.
The Shaykh : We say: Muttalibi. Why? Because it did not get its definition from the second; it got its definition because it is a proper name. 'Abd al-Muttalib, so you say: Muttalibi, or do we not say?
The student: 'Abdi.
The Shaykh : Or do we not say 'Abdi? 'Abd Dar? Do you say Dari? Or 'Abdi? This is above the tripartite, what did he say? He said 'Abdari, huh, he said 'Abdari, and what did they say about 'Abd Shams? Huh?
The student: 'Abshami.
The Shaykh : 'Abshamsi, so we cannot judge the Arabs. If an Arab comes to us who speaks the Arabic language, and he is not an Arab, he is one of the Arabized, and he says attribute to 'Abd Shams, what do I say?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : 'Abshami, 'Abd Shams, where is the sin? Huh, it went, who eliminated it?
The student: The Arabs.
The Shaykh : The Arabs eliminated it, we cannot judge them. They say 'Abshami, and what do they say about 'Abd Dar, huh? 'Abdari?
The student: Without the dal?
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: Without the dal?
The Shaykh : How?
The student: The dal, the dal in 'Abdari?
The Shaykh : No, 'Abd al-Dar, we say 'Abdari.