“Mā ḥaḍara Khālidun” only denies Khalid's attendance. “Mā ḥaḍara illā Khālidun” affirms his attendance while excluding others: this is restriction (qaṣr).
Identify what is restricted and what it is restricted to. In the second statement, the relevant attendance is limited to Khalid; the first statement contains no corresponding exclusive claim. Confusing simple negation with restriction reverses the meaning.
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Supplementary Practice — Advanced Rhetorical Analysis and Worked Texts
“Mā ḥaḍara Khālidun” only denies Khalid's attendance. “Mā ḥaḍara illā Khālidun” affirms his attendance while excluding others: this is restriction (qaṣr).
Identify what is restricted and what it is restricted to. In the second statement, the relevant attendance is limited to Khalid; the first statement contains no corresponding exclusive claim. Confusing simple negation with restriction reverses the meaning.