Commentary
The measure is of three types: fulfilling, deficient, and excessive. So he commanded the obligatory, which is fulfilling, and prohibited the forbidden, which is deficiency, and he did not mention the excessive. It is as if leaving it out of the command and prohibition is evidence that if one does it, he has done well, and if he does not do it, there is no harm upon him. It has been recited: with 'qistās' pronounced with a dammah and a kasrah, which is the scale. It is said to be 'qarsṭūn.' If it is from 'qist,' which means justice—and the 'ayn is made repetitive—its weight is 'faʿlās,' otherwise it is a four-letter word. It is said that it is in Roman the term for justice. It is said: 'bakhastu' his right, if you diminished it from him. Hence, it is said for the deficiency: 'bakhṣ,' which is general in every right established for someone that it should not be denied, and in every ownership that it should not be usurped from its owner, nor should anything be taken from it except with his permission in a lawful manner. It is said: 'ʿathā' in the land, and 'ʿathā' and 'ʿāth,' which is similar to cutting the road, raiding, and destroying crops. They used to do that while committing various types of corruption, so they were prohibited from that. And it has been recited: 'al-jiblah,' with the weight of 'al-ablah.' And 'al-jiblah' is with the weight of creation. Their meanings are one, meaning: those of the creation, which is like saying: and the first creations.
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