«مَا الَّذِي أَحَالَ صِفَتَكَ حَتَّى جَهِلْتُ مَعْرِفَتَكَ؟»
What changed your appearance so much that I failed to recognize you?
Aḥāla means to alter or transform in this context; ṣifah refers to outward condition, and maʿrifah to recognition or knowledge of a person.
The narrator voices the puzzle directly. His next question narrows the matter to the whitening of the beard. The exchange distinguishes a person’s enduring identity from the appearance that can change with age and experience.
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The Ḥulwān Maqāmah: Recognition and the Turns of Fortune
«مَا الَّذِي أَحَالَ صِفَتَكَ حَتَّى جَهِلْتُ مَعْرِفَتَكَ؟»
What changed your appearance so much that I failed to recognize you?
Aḥāla means to alter or transform in this context; ṣifah refers to outward condition, and maʿrifah to recognition or knowledge of a person.
The narrator voices the puzzle directly. His next question narrows the matter to the whitening of the beard. The exchange distinguishes a person’s enduring identity from the appearance that can change with age and experience.