وَإِنْand ifوَجَدْتُمْyou foundفِيinهَذَاthisالْكِتَابِthe bookلَحْنًاgrammatical mistakeأَوْorكَلَامًاspeechغَيْرَnotمُعْرَبٍdeclined
And if you find in this book a grammatical mistake or speech that is not fully declined,
وَلَفْظًاand a wordمَعْدُولًاalteredعَنْfromجِهَتِهِits proper form
or a word altered from its proper form,
فَاعْلَمُواthen knowأَنَّاthat weإِنَّمَاonlyتَرَكْنَاwe leftذَلِكَthat
then know that we only left that
لِأَنَّbecauseالْإِعْرَابَthe full declensionيُبَغِّضُmakes hatefulهَذَاthisالْبَابَtopic
because full declension would make this topic hateful,
وَيُخْرِجُهُand takes it outمِنْfromحَدِّهِits bounds
and would take it out of its bounds.
إِلَّاexceptأَنَّthatمَاwhatحُكِيَwas narratedكَلَامًاas speech
Except that what has been narrated as speech
مِنْfromكَلَامِthe speech ofمُتَعَاقِلِيthe sane onesالْبُخَلَاءِof the misers
from the speech of the sane misers,
وَأَشِحَّاءِand the stingy onesالْعُلَمَاءِof the scholars
and the stingy scholars,
كَسَهْلِlike SahlبْنِibnهَارُونَHarun
such as Sahl ibn Harun,
وَأَشْبَاهِهِand his likes
and his likes.
أَحْمَدُAhmadبْنُibnخَلَفٍKhalafالْيَزِيدِيُّal-Yazidi
Ahmad ibn Khalaf al-Yazidi:
وَمِنْand amongطُيَّابِthe good onesالْبُخَلَاءِof the misersأَحْمَدُis AhmadبْنُibnخَلَفٍKhalafالْيَزِيدِيُّ1al-Yazidi
Among the good misers is Ahmad ibn Khalaf al-Yazidi [1].
تَرَكَleftأَبُوهُhis fatherفِيinمَنْزِلِهِhis houseيَوْمَthe dayمَاتَhe died
His father left in his house, on the day he died,
أَلْفَthousandأَلْفِthousandدِرْهَمٍdirhams
a thousand thousand dirhams,
وَسِتَّمِائَةِand six hundredأَلْفِthousandدِرْهَمٍdirhams
and six hundred thousand dirhams,
وَمِائَةِand one hundredوَأَرْبَعِينَand fortyأَلْفِthousandدِينَارٍdinars
and one hundred and forty thousand dinars.
فَاقْتَسَمَهَاthen they divided itهُوَheوَأَخُوهُand his brotherحَاتِمٌHatimقَبْلَbeforeدَفْنِهِhis burial
He and his brother Hatim divided it before his burial,
فَأَخَذَso tookأَحْمَدُAhmadوَحْدَهُalone
So Ahmad alone took
أَلْفَthousandأَلْفٍthousandوَثَلَاثِمِائَةِand three hundredأَلْفِthousandدِرْهَمٍdirhams
a thousand thousand and three hundred thousand dirhams,
وَسَبْعِينَand seventyأَلْفَthousandدِينَارٍdinars
and seventy thousand dinars,
ذَهَبًاgoldعَيْنًاreadyمَثَاقِيلَ2mithqalsوَازِنَةًweightyجِيَادًاexcellent
gold, ready, mithqals [2], weighty, excellent,
سِوَىbesidesالْعُرُوضِ3the goods
besides the goods [3].
فَقُلْتُand I saidلَهُto him
And I said to him,
وَقَدْwhileوَرِثَhe inheritedهَذَاthisالْمَالَwealthكُلَّهُall of it
while he had inherited all this wealth:
مَاwhatبَطَّأَdelayedبِكَyouاللَّيْلَةَtonight
What delayed you tonight?
قَالَhe saidلَاnoوَاللَّهِby God
He said, "No, by God,
إِلَّاexceptأَنِّيthat Iتَعَشَّيْتُdinedالْبَارِحَةَlast nightفِيinالْبَيْتِthe house
except that I dined last night at home.
فَقُلْتُand I saidلِأَصْحَابِنَاto our companions
So I said to our companions:
لَوْلَاif notأَنَّهُthat heبَعِيدُfarالْعَهْدِof the timeبِالْأَكْلِwith eatingفِيinبَيْتِهِhis house
"Were it not that he is unaccustomed to eating at home,
وَإِنَّand thatذَلِكَthatلَغَرِيبٌis indeed strangeمِنْهُfrom him
and that it is indeed strange of him,
لَمَاwould notاحْتَاجَhe needإِلَىtoهَذَاthisالِاسْتِثْنَاءِexception
he would not need this exception,
وَإِلَىand toهَذِهِthisالشَّرِيطَةِcondition
and to this condition.
وَأَيْنَand whereيَتَعَشَّىdoes dineالنَّاسُpeopleإِلَّاexceptفِيinمَنَازِلِهِمْtheir homes
Where do people dine except in their homes?
وَإِنَّمَاbut ratherيَقُولُsaysالرَّجُلُa manعِنْدَatمِثْلِlikeهَذِهِthisالْمَسْأَلَةِquestion
A man, when asked such a question, only says:
لَاnoوَاللَّهِby Godإِلَّاexceptأَنَّthatفُلَانًاso-and-soحَبَسَنِيdetained me
"No, by God, except that so-and-so detained me,
لَاnoوَاللَّهِby Godإِلَّاexceptأَنَّthatفُلَانًاso-and-soعَزَمَinsistedعَلَيَّon me
no, by God, except that so-and-so insisted on me."
فَأَمَّاbut as forمَاwhatيُسْتَثْنَىis exceptedوَيُشْتَرَطُand conditioned
But as for what is excepted and conditioned,
فَهَذَاthis isمَاwhatلَاnotيَكُونُisإِلَّاexceptعَلَىonمَاwhatذَكَرْنَاهُwe mentioned
this is only done for the reason we mentioned,
مِنْfromقِبَلِbefore
previously.
وَقَالَand he saidلِيto meمُبْتَدِئًاstartingمَرَّةًonce
And he said to me, starting once,
عَنْwithoutغَيْرِnotمَشُورَةٍconsultationوَعَنْand withoutغَيْرِnotسَبَبٍreasonجَرَىthat occurred
without any consultation and without any cause that had occurred:
أَنْظُرْseeأَنْthatتَتَّخِذَyou takeلِعِيَالِكَfor your familyفِيinالشِّتَاءِthe winterمِنْfromهَذِهِtheseالْمُثَلَّثَةِ4triangular garments
"See that you take for your family, in the winter, from these triangular garments [4],
فَإِنَّهَاfor theyعَظِيمَةٌgreat
for they are excellent."
Footnotes
- 1.أَحْمَدُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ الْيَزِيدِيُّ: أَدِيبٌ شَاعِرٌ مِنْ نُبَلَاءِ الْبُخَلَاءِ، عَاشَ فِي الْقَرْنِ الثَّالِثِ الْهِجْرِيِّ.
Ahmad ibn Khalaf al-Yazidi: a literary man and poet among the noble misers, lived in the third century AH.
- 2.الْمَثَاقِيلُ: جَمْعُ مِثْقَالٍ، وَهُوَ وَزْنُ الذَّهَبِ وَالدِّينَارِ، وَيَسَاوِي نَحْوَ أَرْبَعَةِ غَرَامَاتٍ وَرُبْعٍ.
Mithqals: plural of mithqal, a unit of weight for gold and dinar, approximately 4.25 grams.
- 3.الْعُرُوضُ: مَا لَيْسَ مِنَ النَّقْدَيْنِ مِنَ الْمَتَاعِ وَالْحَيَوَانِ وَغَيْرِهِ.
Al-‘urud: goods other than gold and silver, such as merchandise, livestock, etc.
- 4.الْمُثَلَّثَةُ: وَهِيَ ثِيَابٌ تُصْنَعُ فِي جُرْجَانَ تُشْبِهُ الْمُثَلَّثَ فِي قَصِّهَا.
Al-muthallatha: garments produced in Jurjan, resembling a triangle in their cut.