وَتَقَعُ «هَلِ الْبَسِيطَةُ» فِي التَّرْتِيبِ بَيْنَهُمَا
The simple hal comes, in the sequence of investigation, between those two uses of mā.
A conceptual sequence is to understand what a name signifies, then inquire whether its referent exists, and then examine what that existent essentially is. In this sequence simple hal addresses existence.
This is an epistemic order for investigation, not an obligatory pattern for every conversation. Where existence is already settled, a question about essence can follow immediately.
StageIllustrative questionKnowledge requested
NameMā al-ʿanqāʾ?Meaning of the term
Simple halHal huwa mawjūd?Existence of the referent
EssenceMā ḥaqīqat hādhā al-shayʾ?Essential reality