Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 1 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

خُطْبَةُ الْكِتَابِ.

The book's introduction.

وَجْهُ تَأْلِيفِ الْمُخْتَصَرِ.

The reason for compiling the summary.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ.

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

نَحْمَدُكَ يَا مَنْ شَرَحَ صُدُورَنَا لِتَلْخِيصِ الْبَيَانِ فِي إِيضَاحِ الْمَعَانِي.

We praise You, O You who have expanded our chests to summarize the exposition in clarifying meanings.

أَيْ فَتَحَ وَهَيَّأَ.

Meaning: opened and prepared.

نَحْمَدُكَ إِلَخْ: الْحَمْدُ الثَّنَاءُ بِالْجَمِيلِ، وَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ كُلَّ أَوْصَافِهِ تَعَالَى جَمِيلَةٌ، فَكَأَنَّهُ قَالَ: نَصِفُكَ بِكُلِّ صِفَةٍ لَكَ جَمِيلَةٍ، وَاخْتَارَ التَّعْبِيرَ بِالْحَمْدِ عَلَى التَّعْبِيرِ بِالشُّكْرِ؛ لِلِاقْتِدَاءِ بِالْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَالْعَمَلِ بِحَدِيثِ: "كُلُّ أَمْرٍ ذِي بَالٍ لَا يُبْدَأُ فِيهِ بِالْحَمْدِ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ أَجْذَمُ"، وَلِأَنَّ الْحَمْدَ اللُّغَوِيَّ أَظْهَرُ مِنَ الشُّكْرِ بِغَيْرِ اللِّسَانِ فِي أَدَاءِ الْمَقْصُودِ؛ لِخَفَاءِ الِاعْتِقَادِ وَاحْتِمَالِ عَمَلِ الْجَوَارِحِ لِغَيْرِ الْحَمْدِ، فَهُوَ أَظْهَرُ أَنْوَاعِهِ وَلِذَلِكَ رُوِيَ: "مَا شَكَرَ اللَّهَ عَبْدٌ لَمْ يَحْمَدْهُ"، وَاخْتَارَ الْحَمْدَ عَلَى الْمَدْحِ لِلْأَمْرَيْنِ الْأَوَّلَيْنِ وَتَنْبِيهًا عَلَى أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى فَاعِلٌ مُخْتَارٌ كَمَا عَلَيْهِ الْمُسْلِمُونَ الْأَخْيَارُ.

We praise You, etc.: Praise is the commendation with beauty, and it is known that all of His attributes, Exalted is He, are beautiful, so it is as if he said: We describe You with every beautiful attribute of Yours. He chose the expression of 'praise' (hamd) over the expression of 'gratitude' (shukr) to follow the example of the Great Quran and to act upon the hadith: 'Every matter of importance that does not begin with the praise of Allah is severed,' and because linguistic praise is more manifest than gratitude performed by other than the tongue in fulfilling the intended meaning, due to the hidden nature of belief and the possibility that the actions of the limbs might be for other than praise; thus, it is the most manifest of its types, and for this reason, it was narrated: 'A servant has not thanked Allah if he has not praised Him.' He chose praise over commendation (madh) for the first two reasons and as an alert that He, Exalted is He, is a voluntary agent, as the righteous Muslims believe.

وَاخْتَارَ الْجُمْلَةَ الْفِعْلِيَّةَ الْمُضَارِعَةَ عَلَى الِاسْمِيَّةِ وَالْمَاضِيَةِ؛ لِإِفَادَتِهَا تَجَدُّدَ مَضْمُونِهَا عَلَى سَبِيلِ الدَّوَامِ وَالِاسْتِمْرَارِ لِيُنَاسِبَ الْحَمْدَ الْمَحْمُودَ عَلَيْهِ هَهُنَا وَهُوَ نِعْمَةُ شَرْحِ الصُّدُورِ لِلتَّلْخِيصِ الْمَذْكُورِ وَتَنْوِيرِ الْقُلُوبِ الْمُتَجَدِّدِ ذَلِكَ وَقْتًا بَعْدَ وَقْتٍ، بِخِلَافِ الْمَاضِيَةِ فَإِنَّهَا إِنَّمَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى الْحُدُوثِ فَقَطْ، وَالِاسْمِيَّةُ إِنَّمَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ فَقَطْ وَلَا يُنَاسِبَانِ الْمَحْمُودَ عَلَيْهِ هُنَا، وَأَيْضًا الْمُضَارِعَةُ تَدُلُّ عَلَى الْأَمْرَيْنِ مَعًا أَعْنِي الْحُدُوثَ الَّذِي تَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاضِيَةُ وَعَلَى الِاسْتِمْرَارِ الدَّالَّةِ عَلَيْهِ الِاسْمِيَّةُ، وَحِينَئِذٍ فَهِيَ أَشْرَفُ مِنْهُمَا، كَذَا قِيلَ.

He chose the verbal sentence in the present tense over the nominal and the past tense because it conveys the renewal of its content in a manner of permanence and continuity, to suit the praise for what is being praised here, which is the blessing of the expansion of the chests for the aforementioned summary and the illumination of the hearts, which is renewed time after time, unlike the past tense, for it only indicates occurrence, and the nominal sentence only indicates permanence, and they do not suit what is being praised here. Also, the present tense indicates both matters together, I mean the occurrence that the past tense indicates and the continuity that the nominal sentence indicates, and in that case, it is more noble than both of them; so it has been said.

وَآثَرَ النُّونَ فِي "نَحْمَدُكَ" مَعَ أَنَّهُ لِلْمُتَكَلِّمِ مَعَ غَيْرِهِ، أَوِ الْمُعَظِّمِ نَفْسَهُ، وَكِلَاهُمَا لَا يُنَاسِبُ الْمَقَامَ، أَمَّا الْأَوَّلُ فَظَاهِرٌ، وَأَمَّا الثَّانِي فَلِأَنَّ الْمَقَامَ مَقَامُ خُضُوعٍ؛ لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ إِشَارَةً إِلَى جَلَالَةِ مَقَامِ الْحَمْدِ وَعِظَمِ خَطَرِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا تَفِي قُوَّةُ شَخْصٍ وَاحِدٍ بِهِ أَوْ لِتَشْرِيكِهِ إِخْوَانَهُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَعَهُ شَفَقَةً مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ لِأَنَّ فِي هَذَا التَّشْرِيكِ مِنْ رَجَاءِ الْقَبُولِ مَا لَيْسَ فِي التَّفَرُّدِ كَمَا لَا يَخْفَى، أَوِ الْحَامِدُ مُعَظِّمٌ نَفْسَهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ فَهُوَ مِنْ بَابِ التَّحْدِيثِ بِالنِّعْمَةِ وَأَتَى بِكَافِ الْخِطَابِ وَعَدَلَ عَنِ الظَّاهِرِ؛ لِأَنَّ فِي الْخِطَابِ إِشَارَةً إِلَى قُوَّةِ إِقْبَالِ الْحَامِدِ عَلَى جَنَابِهِ تَعَالَى حَتَّى حَمِدَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْمُشَافَهَةِ، وَإِلَى وُقُوعِ حَمْدِهِ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْإِحْسَانِ الْمُفَسَّرِ بِحَدِيثِ: أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ مُلَخَّصٌ مِنَ الشَّافِي وَالتَّجْرِيدِ.

He preferred the 'nun' in 'nahmaduka' (we praise You), even though it is for the speaker with others, or for one who exalts himself, and neither suits the situation. As for the first, it is obvious, and as for the second, it is because the situation is one of humility, for there is in that an indication of the majesty of the station of praise and the greatness of its importance, and that the strength of one person does not suffice for it, or to include his brothers among the scholars with him out of compassion for them, or because in this inclusion there is a hope for acceptance that is not in acting alone, as is not hidden. Or, the praiser is exalting himself because he is great in the sight of Allah, so it is a matter of speaking of the blessing. He brought the 'kaf' of address and turned away from the third person because in the address there is an indication of the strength of the praiser's turning toward His presence, Exalted is He, until he praised Him in the manner of face-to-face conversation, and to the occurrence of his praise in the manner of 'ihsan' (excellence), which is interpreted by the hadith: 'To worship Allah as if you see Him.' This is summarized from al-Shafi and al-Tajrid.

يَا مَنْ إِلَخْ إِطْلَاقُ الْمُبْهَمَاتِ عَلَيْهِ تَعَالَى ثَابِتٌ شَرْعًا أَوْرَدَ كَلِمَةَ "يَا" الَّتِي لِنِدَاءِ الْبَعِيدِ مَعَ أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى أَقْرَبُ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ؛ تَعْظِيمًا وَتَبْعِيدًا لِلْحَضْرَةِ الْإِلَهِيَّةِ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ عَنِ الْحَامِدِ الْمُكَدَّرِ بِالْكُدُورَاتِ الْبَشَرِيَّةِ وَلَا يُنَافِي هَذَا مَا سَلَفَ فِي نُكْتَةِ الْخِطَابِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْبُعْدَ الرُّتَبِيَّ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْخَلْقِ يُصَاحِبُهُ قُوَّةُ الْإِقْبَالِ وَصِدْقُ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلَيْهِ تَعَالَى.

'O You,' etc.: The application of ambiguous terms to Him, Exalted is He, is established by religious law. He brought the word 'Ya' (O), which is for calling the distant, even though He, Exalted is He, is closer than the jugular vein, as an act of glorification and to distance the Divine Presence, which is sanctified, from the praiser who is clouded by human impurities. This does not contradict what preceded regarding the point of the address, because the distance in rank between the Truth and the creation is accompanied by the strength of turning toward Him and the sincerity of directing oneself to Him, Exalted is He.

صُدُورُنَا جَمْعُ صَدْرٍ بِمَعْنَى الْقَلْبِ أَيِ الرُّوحِ لَا الْقَلْبِ بِمَعْنَى الْمُضْغَةِ، فَفِيهِ مَجَازٌ بِمَرْتَبَتَيْنِ مِنْ إِطْلَاقِ الْمَحَلِّ عَلَى الْحَالِّ فِيهِمَا.

'Our chests' is the plural of 'chest' in the sense of the heart, meaning the soul, not the heart in the sense of the piece of flesh; thus, there is a metaphor in two degrees by applying the place to what is contained within them.

لِتَلْخِيصِ: أَيِ التَّنْقِيحِ وَهُوَ إِتْيَانُ الْكَلَامِ خَالِصًا مِنَ الْحَشْوِ وَالتَّطْوِيلِ.

'To summarize': meaning refinement, which is producing speech free from padding and prolixity.

الْبَيَانُ: الْكَلَامُ الْفَصِيحُ الْمُعْرِبُ عَمَّا فِي الضَّمِيرِ.

'The exposition': the eloquent speech that expresses what is in the conscience.

فِي إِيضَاحٍ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِـ "تَلْخِيصٍ"، وَ"فِي" بِمَعْنَى "مَعَ"، أَوْ عَلَى حَالِهَا مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِـ "تَلْخِيصٍ"، أَوِ "الْبَيَانُ" أَيِ التَّلْخِيصُ الْكَائِنُ أَوِ الْبَيَانُ الْكَائِنُ فِي وَقْتِ إِيضَاحِ الْمَعَانِي وَحَالَتِهِ، قَالَ ابْنُ يَعْقُوبَ: أَيْ نَحْمَدُكَ يَا مَنْ عَلَّمْتَنَا كَيْفَ نُلَخِّصُ الْبَيَانَ عِنْدَ قَصْدِنَا لِإِيضَاحِ الْمَعَانِي بِذَلِكَ الْبَيَانِ.

'In clarifying' is related to 'summarize,' and 'in' is in the sense of 'with,' or it remains as it is and is related to 'summarize,' or 'the exposition,' meaning the summary that exists or the exposition that exists at the time of clarifying the meanings and its state. Ibn Ya'qub said: Meaning, we praise You, O You who taught us how to summarize the exposition when we intend to clarify the meanings with that exposition.

Vocabulary · المفردات (24 verbs · 131 nouns)

• حَمِدَ — to praise
• شَرَحَ — to expand/open (a heart)
• فَتَحَ — to open
• هَيَّأَ — to prepare
• قَالَ — to say
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• اخْتَارَ — to choose
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• رَوَى — to narrate
• شَكَرَ — to thank
• نَاسَبَ — to suit
• نَوَّرَ — to illuminate
• دَلَّ — to indicate
• آثَرَ — to prefer
• وَفَى — to fulfill
• خَفِيَ — to be hidden
• أَتَى — to come
• عَدَلَ — to turn away
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• رَأَى — to see
• أَوْرَدَ — to bring
• صَاحَبَ — to accompany
• عَلَّمَ — to teach
• لَخَّصَ — to summarize
• خُطْبَة — sermon
• كِتَاب — book
• وَجْه — aspect
• تَأْلِيف — compilation
• مُخْتَصَر — summary
• ثَنَاء — praise
• جَمِيل — beauty
• مَعْلُوم — known
• وَصْف — description
• جَمِيلَة — beautiful
• صِفَة — attribute
• تَعْبِير — expression
• شُكْر — gratitude
• اقْتِدَاء — following
• قُرْآن — Quran
• عَظِيم — great
• عَمَل — work
• حَدِيث — hadith
• أَمْر — matter
• بَال — concern
• أَجْذَم — maimed
• لُغَوِيّ — linguistic
• أَظْهَر — more apparent
• لِسَان — tongue
• أَدَاء — performance
• مَقْصُود — intended
• خَفَاء — hiddenness
• اعْتِقَاد — belief
• احْتِمَال — possibility
• جَوَارِح — limbs
• أَنْوَاع — types
• عَبْد — servant
• مَدْح — praise
• تَنْبِيه — alert
• فَاعِل — doer
• مُخْتَار — chosen
• مُسْلِم — Muslim
• أَخْيَار — good people
• جُمْلَة — sentence
• فِعْلِيَّة — verbal
• مُضَارِعَة — present
• اسْمِيَّة — nominal
• مَاضِيَة — past
• إِفَادَة — benefit
• تَجَدُّد — renewal
• مَضْمُون — content
• سَبِيل — way
• دَوَام — continuity
• اسْتِمْرَار — persistence
• نِعْمَة — blessing
• تَنْوِير — illumination
• قَلْب — heart
• وَقْت — time
• حُدُوث — occurrence
• أَشْرَف — more noble
• نُون — nun
• مُتَكَلِّم — speaker
• مُعَظِّم — glorifier
• مَقَام — station
• خُضُوع — humility
• إِشَارَة — sign
• جَلَالَة — majesty
• خَطَر — importance
• قُوَّة — strength
• شَخْص — person
• وَاحِد — one
• تَشْرِيك — association
• أَخ — brother
• عَالِم — scholar
• شَفَقَة — compassion
• رَجَاء — hope
• قَبُول — acceptance
• تَفَرُّد — singularity
• حَامِد — praiser
• تَحْدِيث — narrating
• كَاف — kaf
• خِطَاب — address
• ظَاهِر — apparent
• إِقْبَال — approach
• جَنَاب — presence
• مُشَافَهَة — oral communication
• وُقُوع — occurrence
• إِحْسَان — excellence
• مُفَسَّر — explained
• مُلَخَّص — summary
• شَافِي — healing
• تَجْرِيد — abstraction
• إِطْلَاق — application
• مُبْهَم — vague
• ثَابِت — fixed
• شَرْع — law
• كَلِمَة — word
• نِدَاء — call
• بَعِيد — distant
• أَقْرَب — closer
• حَبْل — rope
• وَرِيد — vein
• تَعْظِيم — veneration
• تَبْعِيد — distancing
• حَضْرَة — presence
• إِلَهِيَّة — divine
• مُقَدَّسَة — sacred
• مُكَدَّر — disturbed
• كُدُورَات — impurities
• بَشَرِيَّة — human
• نُكْتَة — point
• بُعْد — distance
• رُتَبِيّ — rank-based
• حَقّ — truth
• خَلْق — creation
• صِدْق — sincerity
• تَوَجُّه — orientation
• جَمْع — plural
• رُوح — spirit
• مُضْغَة — flesh
• مَجَاز — metaphor
• مَرْتَبَة — level
• مَحَلّ — place
• حَالّ — occupant
• تَنْقِيح — refinement
• إِتْيَان — bringing
• كَلَام — speech
• خَالِص — pure
• حَشْو — padding
• تَطْوِيل — prolixity
• فَصِيح — eloquent
• مُعْرِب — expressive
• ضَمِير — conscience
• مُتَعَلِّق — related
• حَالَة — state
• قَصْد — intention