Sharh al-Ajurrumiyyah by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الآجرومية لابن عثيمين) — Page 16

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الثَّالِثُ: وَدُخُولُ الْأَلِفِ وَاللَّامِ.

The third: the entry of the alif and the lam.

الْبَصْرِيُّونَ يَقُولُونَ: دُخُولُ «أَلْ» وَالْخِلَافُ فِي هَذَا يَسِيرٌ.

The Basrans say: the entry of 'al' and the disagreement regarding this is slight.

الْبَصْرِيُّونَ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ كَلِمَةٌ مُكَوَّنَةٌ مِنْ حَرْفَيْنِ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ مِنْ حَرْفَيْنِ يُنْطَقُ بِلَفْظِهَا،

The Basrans say: this is a word composed of two letters, and a word of two letters is pronounced by its utterance.

وَالْكُوفِيُّونَ يَقُولُونَ: هَذِهِ كَلِمَةٌ مُكَوَّنَةٌ مِنْ حَرْفَيْنِ لَكِنَّهُمَا حَرْفَانِ هِجَائِيَّانِ أَحَدُهُمَا لَيْسَ أَصْلِيًّا وَهُوَ الْهَمْزَةُ

And the Kufans say: this is a word composed of two letters, but they are two alphabetic letters, one of which is not original, and it is the hamza.

هَمْزَةُ «أَلْ» هَمْزَةُ وَصْلٍ تَسْقُطُ عِنْدَ الدَّرْجِ وَالْوَصْلِ.

The hamza of 'al' is a hamza of connection that drops during the flow of speech and connection.

فَلَيْسَتْ أَصْلِيَّةً حَتَّى نَقُولَ: إِنَّا نَنْطِقُ بِلَفْظِهَا، إِذَنْ بِمَاذَا نَنْطِقُ؟ نَنْطِقُ بِاسْمِهَا نَقُولُ: الْأَلِفُ وَاللَّامُ.

So it is not original such that we say: we pronounce it by its utterance. Then with what do we pronounce? We pronounce it by its name, we say: the alif and the lam.

تَنْبِيهٌ: صَارَ الْكُوفِيُّونَ وَالْبَصْرِيُّونَ يَخْتَلِفُونَ - أَيْضًا - فِي «أَلْ» فِي قَوْلِنَا: (الْكِتَابُ) ﴿ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ﴾

Note: The Kufans and Basrans have also come to differ regarding 'al' in our saying: (the book) 'That is the Book'.

الْكِتَابُ: هَلْ نَقُولُ الْأَلِفُ وَاللَّامُ أَوْ نَقُولُ «أَلْ»؟

The book: do we say the alif and the lam or do we say 'al'?

إِنْ كُنْتَ بَصْرِيًّا فَقُلْ: «أَلْ» وَإِنْ كُنْتَ كُوفِيًّا فَقُلْ: الْأَلِفُ وَاللَّامُ.

If you are a Basran, then say: 'al', and if you are a Kufan, then say: the alif and the lam.

وَحُجَّةُ الْبَصْرِيِّينَ: أَنَّ «أَلْ» حَرْفَانِ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ إِذَا كَانَتْ حَرْفَيْنِ يُنْطَقُ بِلَفْظِهَا؛

The argument of the Basrans: that 'al' is two letters, and a word if it is two letters is pronounced by its utterance.

وَلِهَذَا تَقُولُ: «مِنْ» حَرْفُ جَرٍّ وَلَا تَقُولُ: الْمِيمُ وَالنُّونُ حَرْفُ جَرٍّ، وَتَقُولُ: اللَّامُ حَرْفُ جَرٍّ، وَلَا تَقُولُ «ل» حَرْفُ جَرٍّ.

And for this reason you say: 'min' is a preposition, and you do not say: the mim and the nun is a preposition, and you say: the lam is a preposition, and you do not say 'l' is a preposition.

لَكِنَّ الْكُوفِيِّينَ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ الْهَمْزَةَ لَيْسَتْ أَصْلِيَّةً فِي الْكَلِمَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْهَمْزَةَ يُؤْتَى بِهَا لِلْوَصْلِ؛ وَلِهَذَا تَسْقُطُ عِنْدَ الدَّرْجِ وَالِاتِّصَالِ، فَتَقُولُ.

But the Kufans say: the hamza is not original in the word; because the hamza is brought for connection; and for this reason it drops during the flow of speech and connection, so you say.

Vocabulary · المفردات (6 verbs · 25 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• نَطَقَ — to pronounce
• سَقَطَ — to be dropped
• صَارَ — to become
• اخْتَلَفَ — to differ
• أَتَى — to be brought
• شَرْح — explanation
• آجُرُومِيَّة — Ajurrumiyyah
• ثَالِث — third
• دُخُول — entry
• أَلِف — alif
• لَام — lam
• بَصْرِيّ — Basran
• خِلَاف — disagreement
• يَسِير — slight
• كَلِمَة — word
• مُكَوَّن — composed
• حَرْف — letter
• لَفْظ — pronunciation
• كُوفِيّ — Kufan
• هِجَائِيّ — alphabetic
• أَحَد — one
• أَصْلِيّ — original
• هَمْزَة — hamza
• وَصْل — connection
• دَرْج — flow of speech
• تَنْبِيه — note
• كِتَاب — book
• حُجَّة — argument
• جَرّ — genitive case
• اتِّصَال — contact