مَا زَيْدٌ إِلَّا قَائِمٌ
Zayd is only standing (among the alternatives being considered).
Suppose the issue is whether Zayd is standing or sitting. “Zayd is only standing” then excludes sitting, not humanity, knowledge, or every other possible attribute.
That is relative restriction: the exclusion operates in a particular comparison class supplied by the conversation. Without establishing that class, treating the claim as a denial of all predicates would distort the intended meaning.
Opening interactive controls...
Qasr: Definitions, Real and Relative Restriction, and Ifrād, Qalb and Taʿyīn
مَا زَيْدٌ إِلَّا قَائِمٌ
Zayd is only standing (among the alternatives being considered).
Suppose the issue is whether Zayd is standing or sitting. “Zayd is only standing” then excludes sitting, not humanity, knowledge, or every other possible attribute.
That is relative restriction: the exclusion operates in a particular comparison class supplied by the conversation. Without establishing that class, treating the claim as a denial of all predicates would distort the intended meaning.