Why does “I owe a dirham fa a dirham” count as two dirhams?

Particles of Meaning: Waw, Fa, Thumma, Bal and Lakin

• The second dirham corrects the first, so only one is owed
• Here fa is used conjunctively, like waw, to add the two amounts
• Fa indicates a gap that leaves only one acknowledgement
• The second dirham is a condition, so only one is owed now