زَيْدٌ شَاعِرٌ لَا كَاتِبٌ
Zayd is a poet, not a scribe.
مَا زَيْدٌ إِلَّا شَاعِرٌ
Zayd is only a poet, within the intended range.
The first explicitly denies one named alternative. The second removes other relevant alternatives through an exception after negation. These are not interchangeable in every setting.
Choose coordination when correcting one specified false predicate; choose negation–exception when emphasizing exclusivity across the relevant comparison domain.
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Restriction by Fronting and the Rhetorical Contrast of Qasr Methods
زَيْدٌ شَاعِرٌ لَا كَاتِبٌ
Zayd is a poet, not a scribe.
مَا زَيْدٌ إِلَّا شَاعِرٌ
Zayd is only a poet, within the intended range.
The first explicitly denies one named alternative. The second removes other relevant alternatives through an exception after negation. These are not interchangeable in every setting.
Choose coordination when correcting one specified false predicate; choose negation–exception when emphasizing exclusivity across the relevant comparison domain.