Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 113

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَهَلْ تُسَمَّى بَسِيطَةٌ إِنِ اسْتُفْهِمَ بِهَا عَنْ وُجُودِ شَيْءٍ فِي نَفْسِهِ، نَحْوَ: «هَلِ العَنْقَاءُ مَوْجُودَةٌ؟»؛ وَمُرَكَّبَةٌ إِنِ اسْتُفْهِمَ بِهَا عَنْ وُجُودِ شَيْءٍ لِشَيْءٍ نَحْوَ: «هَلْ تَبيضُ العَنْقَاءُ وَتُفَرِّخُ؟».

Is 'hal' called simple if it is used to inquire about the existence of a thing in itself, such as: 'Does the phoenix exist?'; and compound if it is used to inquire about the existence of one thing for another, such as: 'Does the phoenix lay eggs and hatch them?'

يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ﴾، فَفِي غَيْرِ القُرْآنِ لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ نَقُولَ: سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ هَلْ أَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ مَثَلًا؟؛ لِأَنَّ هَذَا تَصَوُّرٌ، فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ تَأْتِيَ بِهَلْ، فَهَلْ لَا تَأْتِي إِلَّا لِلتَّصْدِيقِ، وَبَقِيَّةُ أَدَوَاتِ الِاسْتِفْهَامِ لِلتَّصَوُّرِ، وَبِهَذَا صَارَتِ الْأَدَوَاتُ بِاعْتِبَارِ التَّصَوُّرِ وَالتَّصْدِيقِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَقْسَامٍ:

God Almighty says: 'It is the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them.' In non-Quranic speech, it is not permissible to say, for example: 'Is it the same for them whether you warned them or did not warn them?' because this is a conceptualization (tasawwur), so it is not permissible to use 'hal', for 'hal' is only used for verification (tasdiq), while the rest of the interrogative particles are for conceptualization; thus, the particles, with regard to conceptualization and verification, have become three categories:

قِسْمٌ صَالِحٌ لَهُمَا، وَهِيَ الْهَمْزَةُ.

A category suitable for both, which is the hamza.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 30 nouns)

• سَمَّى — to name
• اسْتَفْهَمَ — to inquire
• بَاضَ — to lay eggs
• بَسِيطَة — simple
• وُجُود — existence
• شَيْء — thing