Benefit 59: Knowledge-based refutations (الردود العلمية) contain a great deal of knowledge
17 December 2023 • 933 views
Here's one example:
Commonly, the comparative degree (Ism At-Tafḍhīl) is used to compare between two matters which share a common trait, but one of them exceeds the other in this particular trait.
For example:
محمدٌ أطولُ من زينبَ
Muḥammad is taller than Zainab
The common trait here is height. So both are tall, however, Muḥammad is taller than Zainab.
his usage of Ism At-Tafḍhīl is taught in Madina Book 1.
There is another usage of the Ism At-tafḍhīl which is not covered in the Madina book series, and this is:
The comparative degree may be used as an adjective (نعت) to describe one of two matters WITHOUT THE OTHER HAVING ANY SHARE IN THIS TRAIT.
For example:
Yusūf عليه السلام said:
{ٱلسِّجۡنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَیَّ مِمَّا یَدۡعُونَنِیۤ إِلَیۡهِ}
“I would rather be in jail than do what they invite me to.” [Sūrah Yūsuf: 33]
• The Ism At-Tafḍhīl in this example is أحبّ (beloved), and the two comparable matters are: (1) imprisonment & (2) fornication
Here the Ism At-Tafḍhīl is being used to describe one of two matters - NOT TO COMPARE between the two; i.e. In this case where Yūsuf عليه السلام was forced to choose between these two, the option of imprisonment was the only beloved (محبوب) thing to him.
So it's absolutely incorrect to understand this Āyah based on the first usage of the Ism At-Tafḍhīl - that both matters (imprisonment & fornication) were beloved to him, except that imprisonment was more beloved. This is wrong! Rather, fornication had no share in this trait (i.e. It was not beloved to him whatsoever).
The first time I came across this benefit (namely the second usage of the ism At-tafḍhīl) was when reading through this refutation: https://t.me/AlHajoori/88
A third usage of ism At-Tafḍhīl which was covered recently in our Ṣarf class with Dāris ḥafidhahullāh (شذا العرف) was:
Comparing between two matters in terms of their own respective traits. For example: Honey (العسل) has the trait of being sweet, while vineger (الخل) has the trait of being bitter, so when we say:
العَسَلُ أحلى من الخَلّ
The intent IS NOT:
❌Honey is sweeter than vinegar❌
Rather the intent here is:
✅The sweetness in honey exceeds the bitterness in vineger.✅