LessonsSupplementary Practice 20: Comparative Rhetorical Study of Sūrat al-Humazah and al-FīlQuiz

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ
Woe to every habitual fault-finder and defamer. (الهمزة: 1)

Waylun is an indefinite noun placed at the outset as a strong warning. Li-kulli extends the statement to anyone bearing the condemned traits rather than limiting it to a named individual. The expression therefore turns attention from a single person to a recognizable pattern of conduct.

Indefiniteness and generality must not be collapsed into one rule: the indefinite warning and the quantifier kull contribute distinct effects that cooperate in this context.

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Indefinite warning and general application

Supplementary Practice 20: Comparative Rhetorical Study of Sūrat al-Humazah and al-Fīl

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ
Woe to every habitual fault-finder and defamer. (الهمزة: 1)

Waylun is an indefinite noun placed at the outset as a strong warning. Li-kulli extends the statement to anyone bearing the condemned traits rather than limiting it to a named individual. The expression therefore turns attention from a single person to a recognizable pattern of conduct.

Indefiniteness and generality must not be collapsed into one rule: the indefinite warning and the quantifier kull contribute distinct effects that cooperate in this context.