الفرأ، مهموز مقصور: حمار الوحش، وقيل الفتي منها.
Al-firā', hamzated and maqṣūr: the wild ass, and it is said the young one of them.
وفي المثل: كل صيد في جوف الفرإ «1».
And in the proverb: All prey is in the belly of the wild ass.
أن أبا سفيان استأذن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، فحجبه ثم أذن له، فقال له: ما كدت تأذن لي حتى تأذن لحجارة الجلهمتين.
Abu Sufyan sought permission from the Prophet, peace be upon him, so he was veiled from him, then he gave him permission, and said to him: You almost did not give me permission until you gave permission to the stones of the two mountains.
فقال: يا أبا سفيان أنت كما قال القائل: كل الصيد في جوف الفرإ ، مقصور، ويقال في جوف الفراء، ممدود،
He said: O Abu Sufyan, you are as the poet said: All prey is in the belly of the wild ass, maqṣūr, and it is said 'in the belly of the wild ass', mamdūd,
وأراد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بما قاله لأبي سفيان تألفه على الإسلام،
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, intended by what he said to Abu Sufyan to win him over to Islam,
فقال: أنت في الناس كحمار الوحش في الصيد ، يعني أنها كلها مثله.
He said: You are among people like the wild ass among prey, meaning they are all like him.
وقال أبو العباس: معناه أنه إذا حجبك قنع كل محجوب ورضي، لأن كل صيد أقل من الحمار الوحشي، فكل صيد لصغره يدخل في جوف الحمار، وذلك أنه حجبه وأذن لغيره.
Abu Al-Abbas said: Its meaning is that if He withholds from you, everyone who is withheld from will be content and satisfied, because all prey is less than the wild ass, so all prey, due to its smallness, enters the belly of the ass, and that is because He withheld from you and gave permission to others.
فيضرب هذا المثل للرجل يكون له حاجات، منها واحدة كبيرة، فإذا قضيت تلك الكبيرة لم يبال أن لا تقضى باقي حاجاته.
This proverb is struck for the man who has needs, one of which is great, so when that great one is fulfilled, he does not care if the rest of his needs are not fulfilled.
وجمع الفرإ أفراء وفراء، مثل جبل وجبال.
And the جمع of 'al-firā'' are 'afrā' and 'firā'', like 'jabal' and 'jibāl'.
بضرب، كآذان الفراء فضوله، ... وطعن، كإيزاغ المخاض، تبورها الإيزاغ: إخراج البول دفعة دفعة.
With striking, like the ears of the wild asses its surplus, ... and with stabbing, like the straining of a pregnant camel, its straining: expelling urine bit by bit.
ومعنى البيت أن ضربه يصير فيه لحما معلقا كآذان الحمر.
And the meaning of the verse is that his striking results in hanging flesh like the ears of asses.
ومن ترك الهمز قال: فرا «2».
And whoever omits the hamza says: 'farā'.
فأنشده الأصمعي: بضرب، كآذان الفراء فضوله.
Al-Asma'i recited to him: With striking, like the ears of the wild asses its surplus.
فقال أبو عمرو: أراد الفرو.
Abu Amr said: He intended 'al-farw'.
فقال الأصمعي: هكذا روايتكم، فأما قولهم: أنكحنا الفرا فسنرى، فإنما هو على التخفيف البدلي موافقة لسنرى لأنه مثل والأمثال موضوعة على الوقف، فلما سكنت الهمزة أبدلت ألفا لانفتاح ما قبلها.
Al-Asma'i said: This is your narration, but as for their saying: 'We have married the 'farā', and we shall see,' it is only for compensatory softening in agreement with 'sanarā' because it is a proverb, and proverbs are based on pausing, so when the hamza became silent, it was replaced by an alif due to the fath before it.
ومعناه: قد طلبنا عالي الأمور فسنرى أعمالنا بعد، قال ذلك ثعلب.
And its meaning is: We have sought high matters, and we shall see our deeds afterward, Thālab said that.
وقال الأصمعي: يضرب مثلا للرجل إذا غرر بأمر فلم ير ما يحب أي صنعنا الحزم فآل بنا إلى عاقبة سوء.
Al-Asma'i said: It is struck as a metaphor for the man who is deceived in a matter and does not see what he likes, meaning we took decisive action and it led us to a bad outcome.
وقيل معناه: أنا قد نظرنا في الأمر فسننظر عما ينكشف.
And it was said its meaning is: We have looked into the matter, and we shall see what is revealed.