وَكَانَ بِالْمَجْلِسِ كَهْلٌ جَالِسٌ فِي الْحَاشِيَةِ
An older man sat at the edge of the gathering.
The learned gathering debates the superiority of earlier masters while an older participant sits at the margin. His initial silence conceals a willingness to challenge the collective view.
The contrast between social placement and verbal agency gives the scene energy. The person least prominent at first becomes the agent who redirects the conversation. Marginal seating should not be confused with a lack of expertise; the ensuing exchange shows how argument and performance can overturn an apparently settled consensus.