with the negative, using one of these particles, then "in" (if) is for delay, while "mata" (when), "ayy" (whichever), "man" (whoever), and "kullama" (whenever) are for immediacy. This is because his saying: "Whenever you enter, you are divorced," requires that at any time you enter, you are divorced. This is prevalent in all time, so in any time she enters, the condition is fulfilled. If he says: "Whenever you do not enter, you are divorced," then when a period of time passes immediately following the oath in which she does not enter, the condition is fulfilled; because it is a noun for the time of the action, so it is measured by it, and for this reason, asking with it is valid, as one says: "When (mata) did you enter?" meaning, at what time did you enter? As for "in," it does not require a time, so his saying: "If you do not enter," does not require a time, except for the necessity that an action only occurs at some time, so it is absolute in all time.

As for "idha" (if/when), there are two viewpoints regarding it. One of them is that it is for delay, and this is the opinion of Abu Hanifa, and al-Qadi supported it because it is used as a condition in the sense of "in" (if). The poet said: "Be sufficient with what your Lord has enriched you with, with wealth, and if (idha) a poverty strikes you, then beautify yourself." So he made it jussive (jazm) with it, just as he would with "in" (if). Also, because it is used in the sense of both "mata" and "in," and if it admits both possibilities, then the certainty is the remaining of the marriage, so it is not removed by probability. The second viewpoint is that it is for immediacy, which is the opinion of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, and it is the position clearly stated by al-Shafi'i, because it is a noun for a future time, so it is like "mata." As for it being used for conditional reward (mujazah), it does not remove it from its intended meaning, for "mata" is also used for conditional reward. Do you not see the saying of the poet: "Whenever you approach him, yearning for the light of his fire, you will find the best fire with the best of keepers." "Man" (whoever) is also used for conditional reward, as are "ayy" (whichever) and the rest of the particles, and there is nothing in these particles that