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letters.” He fell silent. Al-Mutawakkil then asked, “What is its pattern?”
I replied, “Originally its pattern is naftaʿilu, for the verb is naktīlu. When the weak letter moved and the preceding vowel was opened, it changed into an alif, giving naktālu. That alif was then dropped in the jussive mood, leaving naktal (1).”
Al-Māzinī died in 247—or, according to another report, 248—AH.
(1) The report has already been cited on page 17.
أَحرُفٍ.
فَسَكَتَ، فَقَالَ المُتَوَكِّلُ: مَا وَزْنُهَا؟
قُلْتُ: وَزنُهَا فِي الأَصْلِ (نَفْتَعِلُ) ؛ لأَنَّهَا (نَكْتِيْلُ) ، فَتَحَرَّكَ حَرْفُ العِلَّةِ، وَانفَتَحَ مَا قَبْلَهُ، فَقُلِبَ أَلِفاً، فَصَارَ: نَكْتَالُ، فَحُذِفَتْ أَلِفُهُ لِلْجَزْمِ، فَبَقِيَ (نَكْتَلُ (١)) .
مَاتَ المَازِنِيُّ: سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ - أَوْ ثَمَانٍ - وَأَرْبَعِيْنَ وَمائَتَيْنِ.
(١) تقدم الخبر في الصفحة ١٧.