LessonsṬarafah: Mālik, Kinship Obligations, and Injustice from Relatives (Verses 68–78)Quiz

فَلَوْ كَانَ مَوْلَايَ امْرَأً هُوَ غَيْرَهُ
لَفَرَّجَ كَرْبِي أَوْ لَأَنْظَرَنِي غَدِي
Meaning: If my patron or protector were someone other than this man, he would relieve my distress—or at least allow me a little respite.

Mawlāya here points to a near relation or protector, not necessarily a manumitter. Farraja karbī is an idiom for easing hardship, and anẓaranī means granting time or respite. The law ... la- construction imagines an unreal alternative, thereby highlighting the failure of the protector the speaker actually has.

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Verse 76: if my protector were someone else

Ṭarafah: Mālik, Kinship Obligations, and Injustice from Relatives (Verses 68–78)

فَلَوْ كَانَ مَوْلَايَ امْرَأً هُوَ غَيْرَهُ
لَفَرَّجَ كَرْبِي أَوْ لَأَنْظَرَنِي غَدِي
Meaning: If my patron or protector were someone other than this man, he would relieve my distress—or at least allow me a little respite.

Mawlāya here points to a near relation or protector, not necessarily a manumitter. Farraja karbī is an idiom for easing hardship, and anẓaranī means granting time or respite. The law ... la- construction imagines an unreal alternative, thereby highlighting the failure of the protector the speaker actually has.