LessonsInterrogation (al-Istifhām): Particles, Conception, Assent and Rhetorical UsesQuiz

مَا الْعَسْجَدُ؟
What is ʿasjad?

The speaker asks what the expression means; the answer is “gold.” This is an explanation of a name, i.e., a lexical explanation.

مَا الْإِنْسَانُ؟
What is a human being?

This may ask for the reality or essential characterization of the thing, classically described in logic as “a rational animal.” This is a question about the nature of the referent.

Not knowing the meaning of a word differs from not knowing what the named thing essentially is. The form mā may serve either purpose according to context.

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Mā asks for an explanation or the nature of a thing

Interrogation (al-Istifhām): Particles, Conception, Assent and Rhetorical Uses

مَا الْعَسْجَدُ؟
What is ʿasjad?

The speaker asks what the expression means; the answer is “gold.” This is an explanation of a name, i.e., a lexical explanation.

مَا الْإِنْسَانُ؟
What is a human being?

This may ask for the reality or essential characterization of the thing, classically described in logic as “a rational animal.” This is a question about the nature of the referent.

Not knowing the meaning of a word differs from not knowing what the named thing essentially is. The form mā may serve either purpose according to context.