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Genus الجِنْس
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Genus
al-jins
الجِنْس
A (jins) is a of many things that differ in their , in answer to the question “what is it?”
In a picture
Explanation
Asked about a human and a horse together, “what are they?”, the answer is “animal”: one answer covering things of different .
A is part of the of what it is of, so it is an (dhātī) .
Also written as: jins, genus.
In the text
وَالذَّاتِيُّ إِمَّا مَقُولٌ فِي جَوَابِ: مَا هُوَ، بِحَسَبِ الشَّرِكَةِ الْمَحْضَةِ، كَالْحَيَوَانِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى الإِنْسَانِ وَالْفَرَسِ، وَهُوَ الْجِنْسُ، وَيُرْسَمُ بِأَنَّهُ كُلِّيٌّ مَقُولٌ عَلَى كَثِيرِينَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ بِالْحَقَائِقِ فِي جَوَابِ: مَا هُوَ؛The essential is either said in answer to “what is it?” by what is purely shared, like “animal” relative to human and horse: this is the genus, described as a universal said of many that differ in their realities, in answer to “what is it?”;Examples
- الحَيَوَان“animal”, said of human and horse
Related terms
Practise
1 question(s) on this term, in the practice set for the five universals.
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3 questions. With 6 out of 10 or more (two stars) the next term opens.
Question 1
A genus (jins) is a universal predicated of many things that…
The is said of things of different , such as human and horse, and it answers the question “what is it?”.
Question 2
Asked about a human and a horse together, “what are they?”, the right answer is…
الحَيَوَانُ
“Animal” is the one answer to “what is it?” that covers both: it is their . “Human” is not true of the horse, and “walking” is not part of what they are.
Question 3
Why is the genus an essential (dhātī) universal?
The is part of the of what it is said of: “animal” is part of what a human and a horse are.
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