Sharh Qatr an-Nada by Ibn Hisham (شرح قطر الندى وبل الصدى) — Page 467

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

أَحْكَامُ أَفْعَلِ التَّفْضِيلِ

Rules of the Superlative Form.

وَحَالَةٌ يَكُونُ فِيهَا جَائِزَ الْوَجْهَيْنِ : الْمُطَابَقَةُ ، وَعَدَمُهَا ، وَذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ مُضَافاً لِمَعْرِفَةٍ ؛ تَقُولُ : ( الزَّيْدَانِ أَفْضَلُ الْقَوْمِ ) وَإِنْ شِئْتَ قُلْتَ : ( أَفْضَلَا الْقَوْمِ ) وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الْبَاقِي ، وَعَدَمُ الْمُطَابَقَةِ أَفْصَحُ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : ( وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ ) ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ ( أَحْرَصَيْ ) بِالْيَاءِ ، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : ( وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَابِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا ) فَطَابَقَ ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ ( أَكْبَرَيْ مُجْرِمِيهَا ) وَعَنِ ابْنِ السَّرَّاجِ أَنَّهُ أَوْجَبَ عَدَمَ الْمُطَابَقَةِ ، وَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ

(3) A case where two options are permissible: agreement or non-agreement. This applies when the superlative is annexed to a definite noun. You may say, "Al-Zaidan afdalu al-qawm" or, if you prefer, "Afdala al-qawm," with the same applying to other instances. Non-agreement is more eloquent. God Almighty said, "You will surely find them the most eager of people," without using the dual form "ahrasay" with the ya. Conversely, He said, "Thus We have placed within every city the greatest of its criminals," where He used agreement rather than the dual "akbaray." Ibn al-Sarraj argued that non-agreement is mandatory, but he was refuted by this verse.

وَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَنْصِبُ الْمَفْعُولَ بِهِ مُطْلَقاً ، وَلِهَذَا قَالُوا فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مَنْ يَضِلُّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ) (٣) : إِنَّ ( مَنْ ) لَيْسَتْ مَفْعُولاً بِأَعْلَمَ ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَنْصِبُ الْمَفْعُولَ ، وَلَا مُضَافاً إِلَيْهِ ؛ لِأَنَّ أَفْعَلَ بَعْضُ مَا يُضَافُ إِلَيْهِ ؛ فَيَكُونُ التَّقْدِيرُ أَعْلَمُ الْمُضِلِّينَ ، بَلْ هُوَ مَنْصُوبٌ بِفِعْلٍ مَحْذُوفٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ أَعْلَمُ ، أَيْ : يَعْلَمُ مَنْ يَضِلُّ

Grammarians unanimously agree that the superlative never takes a direct object. This is why they explain the verse, "Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way," by clarifying that "man" is not a direct object of "a'lam." The superlative cannot take a direct object, nor is "man" annexed to it, because the superlative is part of what it is annexed to; the implied meaning would otherwise be "the most knowing of the strayers." Instead, the word is in the accusative case due to an omitted verb implied by "a'lam," meaning: "He knows who strays."

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Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 41 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• قَالَ — to say
• شَاءَ — to want
• حُكْمٌ — rule
• أَفْعَلُ — superlative form
• تَفْضِيلٌ — preference