«فَأَبْرَزْتُ دِينَارًا وَقُلْتُ لَهُ اخْتِبَارًا: إِنْ مَدَحْتَهُ نَظْمًا فَهُوَ لَكَ حَتْمًا»
I displayed a dinar and offered it if he could praise it in verse.
The conditional offer turns eloquence into a public test carrying a financial reward. Because the praise is incentivized, the listener should not confuse artistic success with disinterested testimony.
The if–then arrangement clearly stages performance followed by payment. This setup becomes especially important when the same coin is later subjected to blame rather than praise.