إِنَّمَا رَصَدْنَا الْقَمَرَ، لَا الْمَرِّيخَ.
We observed the moon, not Mars.
If the listener confidently believes Mars was seen instead of the moon, the assertion reverses that mistaken allocation: a case of qaṣr al-qalb. If the listener believes both were observed, the same wording excludes a supposed partner, making qaṣr al-ifrād relevant.
The category is not read off the particle alone. It turns on what the listener previously believed and which part of that belief the response corrects.
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Supplementary Practice 16: Observing the Sky, Evidential Scope and Rhetorical Precision
إِنَّمَا رَصَدْنَا الْقَمَرَ، لَا الْمَرِّيخَ.
We observed the moon, not Mars.
If the listener confidently believes Mars was seen instead of the moon, the assertion reverses that mistaken allocation: a case of qaṣr al-qalb. If the listener believes both were observed, the same wording excludes a supposed partner, making qaṣr al-ifrād relevant.
The category is not read off the particle alone. It turns on what the listener previously believed and which part of that belief the response corrects.