مَا فِي الدَّارِ إِلَّا زَيْدٌ
There is no one in the house except Zayd.
The predicate “being in the house” is confined to Zayd. The person to whom it is confined is the maqṣūr ʿalayh (the exclusive locus).
In “Zayd is nothing but a writer,” the direction changes: Zayd, the subject, is restricted to the role of writing. It is therefore essential to identify both the restricted element and the exclusive point of reference, rather than merely noticing an exception particle.
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Qasr: Definitions, Real and Relative Restriction, and Ifrād, Qalb and Taʿyīn
مَا فِي الدَّارِ إِلَّا زَيْدٌ
There is no one in the house except Zayd.
The predicate “being in the house” is confined to Zayd. The person to whom it is confined is the maqṣūr ʿalayh (the exclusive locus).
In “Zayd is nothing but a writer,” the direction changes: Zayd, the subject, is restricted to the role of writing. It is therefore essential to identify both the restricted element and the exclusive point of reference, rather than merely noticing an exception particle.