Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 1 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 10

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

خُطْبَةُ الْكِتَابِ.

The sermon of the book.

وَجْهُ تَأْلِيفِ الْمُخْتَصَرِ.

The reason for compiling the abridgment.

حَتَّى طَارَتْ بَقِيَّةُ آثَارِ السَّلَفِ أَدْرَاجَ الرِّيَاحِ وَسَالَتْ بِأَعْنَاقِ مَطَايَا تِلْكَ الْأَحَادِيثِ الْبِطَاحُ، وَأَمَّا الْأَخْذُ وَالِانْتِهَابُ فَأَمْرٌ يَرْتَاحُ بِهِ اللَّبِيبُ.

Until the remaining traces of the predecessors were scattered to the winds, and the wide valleys flowed with the necks of the mounts carrying those traditions; as for taking and plundering, it is a matter that brings comfort to the intelligent.

فَلِلْأَرْضِ مِنْ كَأْسِ الْكِرَامِ نَصِيبٌ.

For the earth has a share of the cup of the noble.

وَكَيْفَ يَنْهَرُ عَنِ الْأَنْهَارِ السَّائِلُونَ، ﴿وَلِمِثْلِ هَذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ﴾.

And how can those who ask be turned away from the rivers? 'For the like of this, let the workers work.'

حَتَّى طَارَتْ ذَهَبَتْ بَقِيَّةُ آثَارِ السَّلَفِ فِي طُرُقِ الرِّيَاحِ، وَيَلْزَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَدَمُ وُجُودِهَا بِالْمَرَّةِ؛ لِأَنَّ عَادَةَ الرِّيحِ أَنْ تُزِيلَ مَا مَرَّتْ بِهِ فِي طَرِيقِهَا، فَعَبَّرَ بِالْمَلْزُومِ وَأَرَادَ اللَّازِمَ، فَالْأَدْرَاجُ مَنْصُوبٌ عَلَى الظَّرْفِيَّةِ.

The phrase 'until they flew' means the remaining traces of the predecessors vanished into the paths of the winds, and this implies their total non-existence; for it is the habit of the wind to remove what it passes by on its way, so he expressed the implied cause while intending the necessary effect, and 'adraj' (paths) is in the accusative case as an adverb of place.

بَقِيَّةٌ وَالْمُرَادُ بِبَقِيَّةِ آثَارِهِمْ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ فَوَائِدِهِمْ أَوْ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ تَلَامِذَتِهِمْ.

The word 'baqiyyah' (remainder) and what is meant by the remainder of their traces is what remains of their benefits or what remains of their students.

أَدْرَاجُ الرِّيَاحِ وَكَثِيرًا مَا يُعَبَّرُ بِأَدْرَاجِ الرِّيَاحِ عَنْ عَدَمِ وِجْدَانِ فَائِدَةِ الشَّيْءِ لِهَذَا الْوَجْهِ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُمْ: ذَهَبَ دَمُهُ أَدْرَاجَ الرِّيَاحِ، أَيْ ذَهَبَ هَدَرًا وَلَمْ يَتَرَتَّبْ عَلَى دَمِهِ فَائِدَةٌ.

The phrase 'adraj al-riyah' (paths of the winds) is often used to express the lack of finding any benefit in a thing for this reason, and from this is their saying: 'His blood went to the paths of the winds,' meaning it went in vain and no benefit resulted from his blood.

وَسَالَتْ: إِسْنَادُ السَّيْلِ إِلَى الْبِطَاحِ مَجَازٌ عَقْلِيٌّ، وَكَانَ حَقُّهُ أَنْ يُسْنَدَ إِلَى الْمَطَايَا، فَفِي هَذَا الْمَجَازِ مُبَالَغَةٌ، كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ قُوَّةِ السَّيْرِ وَسُرْعَتِهِ سَالَتِ الْأَمْكِنَةُ الَّتِي هِيَ الْأَبَاطِحُ، وَإِنَّمَا جُعِلَ سَيَلَانُهَا مُلْتَبِسًا بِالْأَعْنَاقِ؛ لِأَنَّ السُّرْعَةَ وَالْبُطْءَ فِي سَيْرِ الْمَطَايَا يَظْهَرَانِ غَالِبًا فِيهَا وَأَصْلُ التَّرْكِيبِ وَسَارَتِ الْمَطَايَا بِتِلْكَ الْأَحَادِيثِ فِي الْبِطَاحِ؛ لِأَنَّ السَّيْرَ حَقُّهُ أَنْ يُسْنَدَ لِلْمَطَايَا، وَالْمَقْصُودُ مِنْ هَذَا الْكَلَامِ ذَهَابُ هَذَا الْفَنِّ وَعُلَمَاؤُهُ.

The word 'salat' (flowed): attributing the flowing to the valleys is a figurative mental attribution, whereas it should rightly have been attributed to the mounts; there is hyperbole in this metaphor, as if, due to the strength and speed of the journey, the places which are the valleys flowed, and their flowing was made to be associated with the necks because speed and slowness in the movement of the mounts appear mostly in them, and the original structure is 'the mounts traveled with those traditions in the valleys,' because the journey should rightly be attributed to the mounts, and the intention of this speech is the disappearance of this discipline and its scholars.

الْبِطَاحُ: جَمْعُ الْأَبْطَحِ: الْمَحَلُّ الْمُتَّسِعُ فِيهِ دَقَاقُ الْحَصَى.

The word 'al-bitah' is the plural of 'al-abtah': the spacious place containing fine pebbles.

وَأَمَّا الْأَخْذُ وَالْحَاصِلُ أَنَّهُمْ عَلَّلُوا طَلَبَ الِاخْتِصَارِ مِنْهُ بِأَمْرَيْنِ: تَقَاصُرُ هِمَمِ الْمُحَصِّلِينَ وَالْأَخْذُ وَالِانْتِهَابُ.

As for 'taking' and the conclusion, they justified their request for an abridgment from him with two matters: the dwindling of the ambitions of the students and the taking and plundering.

فَأَجَابَهُمْ بِأَنَّ مَا ذَكَرْتُمُوهُ مِنْ مَجْمُوعِ الْأَمْرَيْنِ لَا يَقْتَضِي الِاخْتِصَارِ.

He answered them that what you mentioned regarding the combination of the two matters does not necessitate an abridgment.

يَرْتَاحُ: أَيِ الَّذِي وَقَعَ الْأَخْذُ مِنْ كَلَامِهِ لَا الْآخِذُ؛ وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ الْعَاقِلَ لَا يَرْضَى بِالْأَخْذِ مِنْ كَلَامِ الْغَيْرِ، وَيَرْضَى بِكَوْنِ الْغَيْرِ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ كَلَامِهِ لِمَا فِيهِ مِنَ الرِّفْعَةِ وَالثَّوَابِ.

The word 'yartahu' (finds comfort): meaning the one whose speech was taken from, not the one who takes; this is because the rational person is not pleased with taking from the speech of others, but is pleased with others taking from his speech due to the elevation and reward therein.

فَلِلْأَرْضِ: هَذَا شَطْرُ بَيْتٍ مَأْخُوذٌ مِنْ قَوْلِ بَعْضِهِمْ: شَرِبْنَا شَرَابًا طَيِّبًا عِنْدَ طَيِّبٍ كَذَلِكَ شَرَابُ الطَّيِّبِينَ يَطِيبُ. شَرِبْنَا وَأَهْرَقْنَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ جُرْعَةً وَلِلْأَرْضِ مِنْ كَأْسِ الْكِرَامِ نَصِيبُ.

The phrase 'fa-lil-ardi' (for the earth): this is a hemistich of a poem taken from the saying of some: 'We drank a good drink with a good person, likewise the drink of the good is good. We drank and poured a gulp onto the earth, and for the earth is a share of the cup of the noble.'

لَكِنَّ الشَّارِحَ أَبْدَلَ الْوَاوَ بِالْفَاءِ؛ لِكَوْنِهِ جَعَلَهُ عِلَّةً لِمَا قَبْلَهُ، وَفِي الْكَلَامِ تَشْبِيهُ الشَّارِحِ نَفْسَهُ بِالْكِرَامِ وَنَفْسِ الْمُطَوَّلِ بِالْكَأْسِ وَالْمُنْتَحِلِينَ بِالْأَرْضِ.

However, the commentator replaced the 'waw' (and) with the 'fa' (for/so) because he made it a cause for what preceded it, and in the speech, the commentator likens himself to the noble, the 'Mutawwal' (the long book) to the cup, and the plagiarists to the earth.

كَأْسٌ الْإِنَاءُ يُشْرَبُ فِيهِ أَوْ مَا دَامَ الشَّرَابُ فِيهِ.

The word 'ka's' (cup) is the vessel in which one drinks, or as long as the drink is in it.

وَلِمِثْلِ هَذَا إِلَخْ أَيْ لِنَيْلِ ثَوَابِ مِثْلِ هَذَا الْأَخْذِ الْجَارُّ وَالْمَجْرُورُ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِـ يَعْمَلُ، وَالْفَاءُ زَائِدَةٌ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهَا سَبَبِيَّةٌ وَاقِعَةٌ فِي جَوَابِ شَرْطٍ مُقَدَّرٍ، وَتَقْدِيرُهُ: مَهْمَا يَكُنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَلْيَعْمَلْ إِلَخْ، حَذَفَ الشَّرْطَ أَدَاتَهُ اخْتِصَارًا اعْتِمَادًا عَلَى الْفَاءِ، وَقَدَّمَ الْمَعْمُولَ لِإِفَادَةِ الْحَصْرِ، وَاسْتُشْكِلَ بِأَنَّ فَاءَ السَّبَبِيَّةِ لَا يَعْمَلُ مَا بَعْدَهَا فِيمَا قَبْلَهَا؛ لِأَنَّ لَهَا الصَّدَارَةَ.

The phrase 'wa-li-mithli hadha' (and for the like of this) etc., meaning to attain the reward of such taking; the prepositional phrase is connected to 'ya'mal' (let him work), and the 'fa' is extra. It is said that it is a 'fa' of causality occurring in the answer to an implied conditional, and its estimation is: 'Whatever may be the case, let him work,' etc. He omitted the condition and its particle for brevity, relying on the 'fa', and he brought the object forward to indicate restriction. It was questioned that the 'fa' of causality does not allow what follows it to govern what precedes it because it has the quality of precedence.

وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّهُ لَا يَثْبُتُ بِهَا هَذَا الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا إِذَا وَقَعَتْ فِي مَوْضِعِهَا مِنْ تَوَسُّطِهَا بَيْنَ جُمْلَتَيْنِ لَفْظًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَتَوَسَّطْ بَيْنَ الْجُمْلَتَيْنِ لَمْ تَمْنَعْ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ الْمَذْكُورِ كَمَا هَهُنَا عَلَى حَدِّ مَا ذُكِرَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ﴾.

The answer is: this rule does not apply to it unless it occurs in its position of being placed between two sentences in wording. If it does not come between two sentences, it does not prevent the aforementioned governance, as is the case here, similar to what was mentioned in His saying, the Almighty: 'And your Lord, magnify.'

Vocabulary · المفردات (35 verbs · 105 nouns)

• طَارَ — to disappear
• سَالَ — to flow
• ارْتَاحَ — to be relieved
• نَهَرَ — to scold
• عَمِلَ — to work
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• لَزِمَ — to be necessary
• أَزَالَ — to remove
• مَرَّ — to pass
• عَبَّرَ — to express
• أَرَادَ — to want
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• تَرَتَّبَ — to result
• أَسْنَدَ — to attribute
• جَعَلَ — to make
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• سَارَ — to walk
• عَلَّلَ — to justify
• أَجَابَ — to answer
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• اقْتَضَى — to require
• وَقَعَ — to fall
• رَضِيَ — to be satisfied
• أَخَذَ — to take
• شَرِبَ — to drink
• طَابَ — to be good
• أَهْرَقَ — to pour
• أَبْدَلَ — to replace
• نَالَ — to obtain
• تَعَلَّقَ — to relate
• قَدَّمَ — to present
• اسْتَشْكَلَ — to find problematic
• ثَبَتَ — to be proven
• مَنَعَ — to prevent
• كَبَّرَ — to magnify
• خُطْبَة — sermon
• كِتَاب — book
• وَجْه — aspect
• تَأْلِيف — compilation
• مُخْتَصَر — summary
• بَقِيَّة — remainder
• أَثَر — trace
• سَلَف — predecessor
• أَدْرَاج — paths
• رِيح — wind
• عُنُق — neck
• مَطِيَّة — mount
• حَدِيث — hadith
• بَطْحَاء — valley
• أَخْذ — taking
• انْتِهَاب — plundering
• أَمْر — matter
• لَبِيب — intelligent
• أَرْض — earth
• كَأْس — cup
• كَرِيم — generous
• نَصِيب — share
• نَهْر — river
• سَائِل — asker
• مِثْل — like
• عَامِل — worker
• طَرِيق — way
• عَدَم — lack
• وُجُود — existence
• مَرَّة — time
• عَادَة — habit
• مَلْزُوم — implication
• لَازِم — necessary consequence
• مَنْصُوب — accusative
• ظَرْفِيَّة — adverbiality
• مُرَاد — intended meaning
• فَائِدَة — benefit
• شَيْء — thing
• تِلْمِيذ — student
• كَثِير — much
• وِجْدَان — finding
• قَوْل — saying
• دَم — blood
• هَدَر — wasted
• إِسْنَاد — attribution
• سَيْل — flood
• مَجَاز — metaphor
• عَقْلِي — intellectual
• حَقّ — right
• مُبَالَغَة — exaggeration
• قُوَّة — strength
• سَيْر — journey
• سُرْعَة — speed
• أَمْكِنَة — places
• أَبْطَح — wide valley
• مَحَلّ — place
• مُتَّسِع — spacious
• دَقَاق — fine
• حَصَى — pebbles
• حَاصِل — result
• طَلَب — request
• تَقَاصُر — shortcoming
• هِمَّة — ambition
• مُحَصِّل — student
• مَجْمُوع — total
• كَلَام — speech
• عَاقِل — rational person
• غَيْر — other
• رِفْعَة — elevation
• ثَوَاب — reward
• شَطْر — hemistich
• بَيْت — verse
• شَرَاب — drink
• طَيِّب — good
• جُرْعَة — sip
• شَارِح — commentator
• وَاو — waw
• فَاء — fa
• عِلَّة — cause
• تَشْبِيه — simile
• مُطَوَّل — long book
• مُنْتَحِل — plagiarist
• إِنَاء — vessel
• نَيْل — attainment
• جَارّ — preposition
• مَجْرُور — genitive
• زَائِد — extra
• سَبَبِيَّة — causality
• جَوَاب — answer
• شَرْط — condition
• مُقَدَّر — implied
• أَدَاة — tool
• اعْتِمَاد — reliance
• مَعْمُول — governed word
• إِفَادَة — conveyance
• حَصْر — restriction
• صَدَارَة — priority
• حُكْم — ruling
• مَوْضِع — position
• تَوَسُّط — mediation
• جُمْلَة — sentence
• لَفْظ — wording
• عَمَل — action
• مَذْكُور — mentioned
• رَبّ — Lord