Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 1 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 435

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْإِنْشَاءُ كَمَا هُوَ مَذْهَبُ الْبَعْضِ، أَوْ طَلَبُ التَّرْكِ كَمَا هُوَ مَذْهَبُ الْبَعْضِ كَالتَّهْدِيدِ، كَقَوْلِكَ لِعَبْدٍ لَا يَمْتَثِلُ أَمْرَكَ: لَا تَمْتَثِلْ أَمْرِي وَكَالدُّعَاءِ وَالِالْتِمَاسِ وَهُوَ ظَاهِرٌ، وَهَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعَةُ التَّمَنِّي وَالِاسْتِفْهَامُ وَالْأَمْرُ وَالنَّهْيُ يَجُوزُ تَقْدِيرُ الشَّرْطِ بَعْدَهَا، وَإِيرَادُ الْجَزَاءِ عَقِيبَهَا مَجْزُومًا بِالشَّرْطِ كَقَوْلِكَ فِي التَّمَنِّي لَيْتَ لِي مَالًا أُنْفِقْهُ أَيْ إِنْ أُرْزَقْهُ أُنْفِقْهُ، وَفِي الِاسْتِفْهَامِ: أَيْنَ بَيْتُكَ أَزُرْكَ؟ أَيْ إِنْ تُعَرِّفْنِيهِ أَزُرْكَ، وَفِي الْأَمْرِ: أَكْرِمْنِي أَكْرِمْكَ، أَيْ إِنْ تُكْرِمْنِي أَكْرِمْكَ، وَفِي النَّهْيِ لَا تَشْتُمْ يَكُنْ خَيْرًا لَكَ أَيْ إِنْ لَا تَشْتُمْ يَكُنْ خَيْرًا لَكَ، وَذَلِكَ مِنْ بَابِ ضَرَبَ وَنَصَرَ.

It is either an 'insha' (creative expression) as is the view of some, or a request to desist as is the view of others, such as in the case of a threat, like your saying to a slave who does not obey your command: 'Do not obey my command,' or as in supplication and entreaty, which is obvious. For these four—wish, interrogation, command, and prohibition—it is permissible to posit a conditional clause after them and to bring the result (jaza') immediately after them, jussive due to the condition, such as your saying in the case of a wish: 'Would that I had wealth, I would spend it,' meaning 'If I am provided with it, I will spend it'; and in interrogation: 'Where is your house, I will visit you?' meaning 'If you identify it for me, I will visit you'; and in the command: 'Honor me, I will honor you,' meaning 'If you honor me, I will honor you'; and in the prohibition: 'Do not insult, it will be better for you,' meaning 'If you do not insult, it will be better for you,' and that is from the category of 'daraba' and 'nasara'.

لَا تَمْتَثِلْ أَمْرِي أَيْ اتْرُكْ أَمْرِي وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ هَذَا تَهْدِيدًا لِلْعِلْمِ الضَّرُورِيِّ بِأَنَّ السَّيِّدَ لَا يَأْمُرُ عَبْدَهُ بِتَرْكِ امْتِثَالِ أَمْرِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَطْلُوبَ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ الِامْتِثَالُ لَا عَدَمُهُ.

'Do not obey my command' means 'abandon my command,' and this is only a threat because of the necessary knowledge that a master does not command his slave to abandon the obedience of his command, because what is required of the slave is obedience, not the lack thereof.

وَكَالدُّعَاءِ: أُورِدَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّ التَّمْثِيلَ لِاسْتِعْمَالِ صِيغَةِ النَّهْيِ فِي غَيْرِ طَلَبِ الْكَفِّ أَوِ التَّرْكِ بِالدُّعَاءِ وَالِالْتِمَاسِ لَا يَصِحُّ؛ لِأَنَّ كُلًّا مِنْهُمَا طَلَبُ كَفٍّ عَلَى الْقَوْلِ الْأَوَّلِ وَطَلَبُ تَرْكٍ عَلَى الْقَوْلِ الثَّانِي لَا عَلَى سَبِيلِ الِاسْتِعْلَاءِ، وَقَدْ يُجَابُ بِأَنَّ فِي كَلَامِ الْمُصَنِّفِ حَذْفًا، وَالتَّقْدِيرُ وَقَدْ تُسْتَعْمَلُ فِي غَيْرِ طَلَبِ الْكَفِّ اسْتِعْلَاءً، وَهَذَا صَادِقٌ بِغَيْرِ الطَّلَبِ أَصْلًا كَالتَّهْدِيدِ، وَبِالطَّلَبِ لَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الِاسْتِعْلَاءِ كَالدُّعَاءِ وَالِالْتِمَاسِ، أَوْ أَنَّ إِضَافَةَ طَلَبِ الْكَفِّ لِلْعَهْدِ أَيْ فِي غَيْرِ طَلَبِ الْكَفِّ الْمَعْهُودِ، وَهُوَ مَا كَانَ عَلَى جِهَةِ الِاسْتِعْلَاءِ، وَحَاصِلُ مَا ذَكَرَهُ الشَّارِحُ: أَنَّ صِيغَةَ النَّهْيِ قَدْ تُسْتَعْمَلُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ مَجَازًا، وَذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّخَضُّعِ وَالتَّذَلُّلِ كَقَوْلِنَا رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا، وَقَدْ تُسْتَعْمَلُ لِلِالْتِمَاسِ، وَذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَتْ مِنَ الْمُسَاوِي بِدُونِ اسْتِعْلَاءِ وَتَخَضُّعٍ كَقَوْلِكَ: لَا تَعْصِ رَبَّكَ أَيُّهَا الْأَخُ!

And as for supplication: It has been objected that using supplication and entreaty as examples for the use of the prohibition form in something other than a request to desist or abandon is incorrect, because both of them are a request to desist according to the first view, and a request to abandon according to the second view, but not by way of superiority. It may be answered that there is an omission in the author's speech, and the implied meaning is: 'It may be used in something other than a request to desist by way of superiority,' and this is true for something that is not a request at all, such as a threat, and for a request that is not by way of superiority, such as supplication and entreaty; or that the addition of 'request to desist' is for the sake of reference, meaning 'in something other than the known request to desist,' which is that which is by way of superiority. The gist of what the commentator mentioned is that the prohibition form may be used in supplication metaphorically, and that is when it is by way of humility and submissiveness, like our saying: 'Our Lord, do not hold us accountable,' and it may be used for entreaty, and that is when it is from an equal without superiority or humility, like your saying: 'Do not disobey your Lord, O brother!'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (32 verbs · 73 nouns)

• اِمْتَثَلَ — to comply
• أَنْفَقَ — to spend
• رَزَقَ — to provide
• إِنْشَاءٌ — performative utterance
• مَذْهَبٌ — doctrine
• بَعْضٌ — some