مَا عَلِيٌّ إِلَّا قَائِمٌ
Ali is standing, not sitting, in the intended contrast.
لَا فَارِسَ إِلَّا عَلِيٌّ
There is no horseman except Ali.
In the first sentence, the subject Ali is restricted to standing; in the second, horsemanship is restricted to Ali. Both use exception, but restriction runs in opposite directions.
First identify what the negative portion excludes; then identify what remains affirmed after “illā.” This method reveals whether the attribute or the bearer is restricted.
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Al-Qasr: Real and Relative Restriction, Classifications and Methods
مَا عَلِيٌّ إِلَّا قَائِمٌ
Ali is standing, not sitting, in the intended contrast.
لَا فَارِسَ إِلَّا عَلِيٌّ
There is no horseman except Ali.
In the first sentence, the subject Ali is restricted to standing; in the second, horsemanship is restricted to Ali. Both use exception, but restriction runs in opposite directions.
First identify what the negative portion excludes; then identify what remains affirmed after “illā.” This method reveals whether the attribute or the bearer is restricted.