‫الفهرس ‪TABLE OF CONTENTS‬‬

‫ِّ‬
‫‪ .................................................................................................................................. 2‬املتعدي حبرف ‪Chapter 1 -‬‬

‫َْ ُ‬
‫‪ ........................................................................................................................................ 6‬أنواع "ما" ‪Chapter 2 -‬‬

‫‪ ......................................................................................................................................... 12‬الضمري ‪Chapter 3 -‬‬

‫السبَب َّية ‪Chapter 4 -‬‬

‫‪ .................................................................................................................................... 17‬فاء َّ‬

‫ْ َ ْ‬
‫‪ ......................................................................................................................................... 20‬إن وأن ‪Chapter 5 -‬‬

‫ْ َ‬
‫‪ ....................................................................................................................................... 26‬االشتغال ‪Chapter 6 -‬‬

‫ب ‪Chapter 7 -‬‬ ‫انل ْعت َّ‬

‫السبَ ِّ‬ ‫‪َّ ................................................................................................................................. 30‬‬

‫‪ ...................................................................................................................... 33‬الفعل املايض واملضارع ‪Chapter 8 -‬‬

‫الم َع َّرف بـ"ال" ‪Chapter 9 -‬‬

‫‪ُ ................................................................................................................................. 43‬‬

‫‪ ....................................................................................................................................... 46‬اجل ُ ُم ْوع ‪Chapter 10 -‬‬

‫‪1‬‬
 ِّ
CHAPTER 1 - ‫املتعد ي حبرف‬
1.0 RECOMMENDED REVIE W
✓ Passives (Chapter 8 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬
❖ Give special attention to “Transitivity” (8.4)

✓ Be able to recognize irregular passive ‫ – أفعال‬focus on ‫( مضاعف‬Chapter 7) and ‫( أجوف‬Chapter 8)

1.1 INTRODUCTION
َ
Recall that a ‫ فعل‬that is ‫ الزم‬cannot take a ‫مفعول به‬. For example, the action ‫( نا َم‬to sleep) is ‫ الزم‬because you
َُ َ
cannot say ‫امه‬ ‫( ن‬he slept him/it).

Recall also that a passive ‫ فعل‬is one in which the doer is unknown and that when converting an active
sentence to a passive sentence, the ‫ مفعول به‬becomes your “done-to” (the ‫)نائب الفاعل‬.

In a sentence with no ‫مفعول به‬, there is nothing that can be converted into a ‫نائب الفاعل‬. The ‫ نائب الفاعل‬is an
essential part of a passive sentence. This means that ‫ أفعال‬that are ‫ الزم‬cannot be made passive because
they cannot take ‫مفعول به‬.

There is, however, one special method by which a ‫ الزم‬word can be made passive. A ‫ الزم‬word can be
made passive through the use of a preposition (a ‫)حرف‬. For example, you cannot say “He was slept,” but
you can say, “The bed was slept IN.” The ‫ حرف‬here allows you to add a detail you otherwise would not
ِّ
have been able to add – it converted the ‫ فعل‬from ‫ الزم‬to ‫ متعدي‬through the use of a ‫حرف‬, which, in
effect, allows it to be made passive. That is what is called ‫املتعدي حبرف‬.

1.2 MAKING ‫ أفعال الزمة‬PASSIVE

HOW IT WORKS
As mentioned previously, ‫ حروف‬can be used to allow a ‫ فعل الزم‬to function like a .‫ متعدي‬Once a ‫ فعل‬is
functioning like a ‫متعدي‬, it naturally follows that it can be made passive. Take a look at the examples
below.

He slept in the bed. ➔ The bed was slept in.

َّ َ َ‫ن‬
‫ام يف الَّسيْر‬
َّ ْ
‫ني َم يف الَّسيْر‬

She sat down on the chair. ➔ The chair was sat on.
ُ ََ ْ َ َ َ
ِّ ‫الك ْر‬ ُ ََ َ ُ
ِّ ‫الك ْر‬
‫س‬ ‫جلست لَع‬ ‫س‬ ‫جلس لَع‬

2
Allah condemned them/became angry with them. ➔ They were condemned/recipients of anger.
َْ ُ َ َ َْ َ ُ
‫اهلل َعليه ْم‬ ‫غضب‬ ‫ب َعليه ْم‬ ‫غض‬

Take a look at the following example to see how this works.

Recall that the ‫ "فعل "جاء‬means “to bring” when it is accompanied by the "‫حرف "باء‬. Let us use this ‫ فعل‬as a case study.

‫اب‬ َ ْ َ
ِ ‫جاؤوا بِالكِت‬
They brought the book.

If we were to convert the sentence “They brought the book”, into passive IN ENGLISH, we would say:

The book was brought.

So how do we say that in Arabic?

In order to convert an active sentence to a passive sentence, you need to get rid of the doer. Since the doer is an
inside pronoun, we remove the doer by bumping the ‫ فعل‬back to its original ‫ هو‬form, then we make the ‫ فعل‬passive.

make it passive kill the doer original ‫فعل‬

َ ‫َج‬ ُ
‫ِج َء‬
ْ  ‫اء‬  ‫َجاؤ ْوا‬

‫ِج َء بالكتَاب‬
ْ

The book was brought.

Normally, our ‫ مفعول به‬would become our ‫نائب الفاعل‬, but in this case we do not have a ‫مفعول به‬, only a ‫متعلق بالفعل‬. So the
‫ متعلق بالفعل‬becomes our ‫نائب الفاعل‬. Notice how it is translated as the ‫نائب الفاعل‬, despite its being a ‫جار وجمرور‬.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE
Now that we have learned this concept, the question is, how do we recognize when a ‫ جار وجمرور‬is acting
as the ‫?نائب الفاعل‬

The best way is to know your vocabulary and to know which ‫ أفعال‬are associated with which ‫حروف‬.

3
 It is also important to keep the following rules in mind:

1. The ‫ فعل‬will always be SINGULAR MASCULINE (in the ‫ هو‬form)

2. The ‫ جار وجمرور‬should translate as your ‫نائب الفاعل‬

Meaning: a ‫ فعل‬that is not in the ‫ هو‬form will not have a ‫ جار وجمرور‬as a ‫!نائب الفاعل‬

QUR’ANIC EXAMPLES
Look at the following Qur’anic examples.

ٓ ْ ‫َوجا‬
٢٣ … ‫ي َء يَ ۡو َمئِذ ِِبَ َه َّن َم‬ ِ
On that day, Jahannam will be brought forth.
The ‫ "فعل "جاء‬has the meaning of “to bring” when it comes with the ."‫ حرف "باء‬Notice that the ‫ فعل‬is in the ‫ هو‬form (‫ )ِجء‬and
that the ‫ )جبهنم( جار وجمرور‬is translated as the ‫نائب الفاعل‬. (What was brought? Jahannam.)

ٰ َ َ ‫ِه َخاو َي ٌة‬ َ َ ٓ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ َّ َ

َ ‫نف َق ف‬ َ َ َ ۡ ََ َ َ َ
٤٢… ‫لَع عروش َِها‬ ِ
َ ِ ‫ِيها َو‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬ ‫لَع‬ ِ ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬‫ف‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ِب‬ ‫ل‬‫ق‬ ‫ِيط بِث َمرِه ِۦ فأصبح ي‬
‫وأح‬

His crops were surrounded, then he started wringing his hands while it was collapsed in on its
turrets because of what he spent for its sake.
ُ
The ‫ "فعل "أحاط‬comes with the ,"‫ حرف "باء‬and cannot take a direct .‫ مفعول به‬Notice that the ‫ فعل‬is in the ‫ هو‬form (‫ )أ حيط‬and that
the ‫ )بثمره( جار وجمرور‬is translated as the .‫( نائب الفاعل‬What was surrounded? His crops.)

ۡ ََ َ َ
َ‫ك‬ َ ‫ي َطاف َعلَ ۡيهم بص‬
٧١ … ‫اب‬
ٖ ‫و‬ ‫أ‬‫و‬ ‫ب‬
ٖ ‫ه‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫ِن‬
‫م‬ ‫اف‬
ٖ ‫ح‬ ِ ِ ِ

Platters and cups made of gold are circulated amongst them.

The "‫ فعل "طاف‬comes with the ,"‫ حرف "باء‬and cannot take a direct .‫ مفعول به‬Notice that the ‫ فعل‬is in the ‫ هو‬form (‫ )يُطاف‬and that
the ‫( جار وجمرور‬...‫ )بصحاف‬is translated as the ‫نائب الفاعل‬. (What is circulated? Platters and cups of gold.)

Notice that there are two ‫ جار وجمرور‬in the sentence. So how do we decide which one is the ‫ ? نائب الفاعل‬We go with the ‫حرف‬
that is associated with the ‫ ;فعل‬since ‫ طاف‬comes with the ,"‫ حرف "باء‬that is what becomes the ‫نائب الفاعل‬.

1.3 MAKING ‫ اسم مفعول‬OUT OF ‫أفعال الزمة‬

Recall that an ‫ اسم مفعول‬is the passive version of an ‫اسم فاعل‬. In the ‫ رصف صغري‬the ‫ اسم مفعول‬appears in the
passive line. We initially learned that since ‫ أفعال الزمة‬cannot be made passive, they cannot have an ‫اسم‬
‫مفعول‬.

4
The rules for making an ‫ اسم مفعول‬out of a ‫ فعل الزم‬are the same as making it passive:

1. The ‫ اسم مفعول‬has to be SINGULAR AND MASCULINE

2. The "done-to" will be attached to the ‫حرف اجلر‬

This piece of grammar is not new to us; we encounter it at least seventeen times a day. Take a look at
the following example:
ََ ۡ َۡ َۡ
٧ … ‫وب عل ۡي ِه ۡم‬
ِ ‫ۡي ٱلمغض‬
ِ ‫…غ‬
…not those who are the objects of anger…
The "‫ فعل "غضب‬comes with the "‫حرف "لَع‬. Notice that the ‫ اسم مفعول‬is singular and masculine (‫)مغضوب‬, and those who are
receiving the action are attached to the ‫)عليهم( حرف اجلر‬.

5
 ُ َْ
CHAPTER 2 - "‫أ ن واع "ما‬
2.0 RECOMMENDED REVIE W
✓ ‫( ما االستفهامية‬Chapter 6.8 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

✓ ‫( ما النافية‬Chapter 9 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

❖ Give special attention to “Negation of ‫( ”الجملة االسمية‬9.3)

✓ ‫( ما الموصولة‬Chapter 12 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬

‫( ما ر‬Chapter 14 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬

✓ ‫الشطية‬

2.1 INTRODUCTION
In our studies thus far we have encountered ‫ ما‬in many different types, each serving a unique function.
So far we have learned:

1. ‫ما املوصولة‬
َ ۡ َ َ َ َّ
َ ۡ ‫ۡرض َوه َو ۡٱل َعزيز‬
١ ‫ٱۡلكِيم‬ ِ ‫ت وٱۡل‬ َ َّ
ِ ٰ ‫َس َّب َح ِلِل ِ ما ِِف ٱلسمٰو‬
ِ
Whatever is in the skies and the earth praises Allah, and He is the mighty, the wise.

2. ‫( ما استفهاميِّة‬question ‫)ما‬

َ ‫قَ َال ف ِۡر َع ۡون َو َما َر ُّب ۡٱل َعٰلَم‬

٢٣ ‫ني‬ ِ

Firawn said, “What is the master of the worlds?”

3. ‫ ما( ما انلافية‬of refutation)

َ ‫خٰرج‬ َ ََ
١٦٧ ِ‫ني م َِن ٱنلَّار‬ ِ ِ ِ ‫وما هم ب‬...
No, they are not exiting from the fire!

4. ‫( ما رشطيِّة‬the conditional ‫)ما‬

َ َ ۡ َ َ َ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ ْ ََ
٦٠ ‫يل ٱلِلِ ي َوف إ ِ َۡلك ۡم َوأنت ۡم ال تظلمون‬
ِ ِ ‫وما تنفِقوا مِن َشءٖ ِِف سب‬...

6
 Whatever you spend of anything in the path of Allah, it will be payed to you in full and you
will not be wronged.

ُّ
5. ‫اتلعجبيِّة‬ ‫ ما( ما‬of amazement)
ََ ََ ۡ َ َٓ َ
١٧٥ ِ‫َبه ۡم لَع ٱنلَّار‬ ‫فما أص‬...

How persistent they are in pursuit of the fire!

In this chapter, we will cover the remaining roles of ‫ما‬. They are:

1. ‫ما الزائدة‬
ِّ
2. ‫املصدرية‬ ‫ما‬
3. ‫ما الزمانيِّة‬

2.2 ‫ما الزائدة‬

RULES OF ‫ما زائدة‬

Recall that ‫ زائدة‬means extra. That is not to say that the ‫ حروف زائدة‬serve no function. Rather, it means
that the sentence would still be grammatically complete and correct if it were to be removed. What,
then, is the function of ‫?ما الزائدة‬

Recall the functions of ‫ من زائدة‬and ‫ باء زائدة‬from beginning ‫حنو‬. They served to make the sentence more
emphatic, giving the meaning "not a single" and "not at all," respectively.

Similarly, the purpose of ‫ ما زائدة‬is emphasis. Let us explore the different contexts in which ‫ ما زائدة‬is used.
The ‫ ما زائدة‬can appear in fragments and sentences. Let us learn about each.

‫ما زائدة‬ ON A FRAGMENT LEVEL

On a fragment level, ‫ ما زائدة‬can interrupt fragments that do not usually have a long-distance relationship,
َّ
particularly ‫ اجلار واملجرور‬and ‫املوصوف والصفة‬. It is considered ‫غري اكفة‬, which simply means that it allows for
the transfer of status. Let us look at some examples.
َ َ َّ َ ۡ ‫فَب َما َر‬
١٥٩ … ۡۖ‫ت له ۡم‬ ِ‫ۡحةٖ م َِن ٱلِلِ نل‬ ِ
So only by the mercy from Allah were you lenient to them!
Notice how ‫ ما‬is coming between the ‫ )بـ( حرف جر‬and the ‫ )رمحة( جمرور‬and how the sentence is more emphatic as a result. Note
that the exclusivity (“only”) is a result of the ‫ متعلق‬coming before the ‫)تقديم اللفظ لَع اعمله( فعل‬.

7
 َ َّ ٓ َ َ ‫ِف أَي ص‬
٨ ‫ورة ٖ َّما شا َء َرك َبك‬ ِ ِٓ
In any form He willed, He put you together.
Notice that ‫ ما‬is interrupting a ‫صورة( موصوف‬, a common word) and its ‫شاء( صفة‬, a ‫)مجلة فعلية‬. Note the ‫ تقديم‬of the ‫متعلق بالفعل‬.

‫ما زائدة‬ ON A SENTENCE LEVEL

‫ ما زائدة‬can come in both ‫ مجلة اسمية‬and ‫مجلة فعلية‬. Its placement within the sentence is variant and does not
adhere to particular rules, only that it will come within the body of sentence.

Note that oftentimes sentences in which ‫ ما زائدة‬appears have a lot of ‫ تقديم‬and ‫تأخري‬, thus the parts of the
sentence are not in their normal order. Let us look at some examples.
َ َّ َ َ ‫َ ا‬ َ َ َ َ ۡ ‫َ ا‬ َ َ
٤٢ ‫ َوال بِق ۡو ِل َكه ٖ ِٖۚن قل ِيٗل َّما تذكرون‬٤١ ‫َو َما ه َو بِق ۡو ِل شاع ِٖرٖۚ قل ِيٗل َّما تؤمِنون‬

No, it is not at all the speech of a poet. How little you believe! Nor is it at all the speech of a
soothsayer. How little you remember!
Here, ‫ ما زائدة‬has appeared in a ‫جلمة فعلية‬. It is coming between the ‫ مفعول‬and the ‫فعل‬. Also note how the ‫ مفعول‬is brought
before the ‫ فعل‬.This particular structure (‫ )قليال ما تفعلون‬is the most common way ‫ ما زائدة‬occurs in Quran.

ٞ َ َ ٰ َّ ْ ‫امنوا ْ َو َعملوا‬ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٓ َ َ ۡ َ ‫َّ َ ا‬

َ ‫لَع َب ۡعض إ َّال َّٱَّل‬
٢٤ …‫ت َوقل ِيل َّما ه ۡم‬
ِ ٰ‫ٱلصل ِح‬ ِ
َ ‫ِين َء‬
ِ ٍ ٰ ‫…ِإَون كثِۡيا مِن ٱۡللطاءِ َلَب ِِغ بعضهم‬
Certainly, many business partners… some of them transgress over others, except for those
who believed and did good deeds – and how few they are!
Here, ‫ ما زائدة‬has appeared in a ‫مجلة اسمية‬. It is coming between the ‫ خرب‬and the ‫مبتدأ‬. Also note how the ‫ خرب‬is brought before
the ‫مبتدأ‬.

‫ما زائدة‬ IN CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

ْ َّ
‫ ما زائدة‬also appears in conditional sentences, usually with ‫إن‬. Script-wise, it is written both as ‫ إن َما‬and ‫إما‬.
It is also used for emphasis and is always accompanied by ‫نون اتلوكيد‬, as far as Quranic usage goes.
Emphasis on a ‫ رشط‬simply means that the likelihood of occurrence is much stronger.

‫َ ۡا ََ ۡ َ َ ََۡۡ ا‬ َّ ۡ ََ ٓ َ ‫َ َّ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ ا‬
٢٦ ‫وِل إ ِ ِّن نذرت ل ِلرِنَٰمۡح صوما فلن أكل ِم ٱَلوم إِنسِيا‬
ِ ‫َش أحدا فق‬
ِ ‫فإِما تريِن مِن ٱلب‬...
If you see (and you certainly will see) any person, then say, “I have vowed a fast for the
intensely Merciful, I won’t speak to a single person today .”

8
 This ayah is in the context of Maryam AS after she gave birth to ‘Isa. The likelihood of her running into a person is high, s o
‫ ما زائدة‬is used.

َ َۡ ٓ َ َ َ ََ ۡ َ َ
‫لِكه َما فَ َٗل َتقل لَّه َما ٓ أف َو َال َت ۡن َه ۡره َما َوقل لَّه َما قَ ۡو اال َكر ا‬ َ
٢٣ ‫يما‬ ِ ٖ ِ ‫۞ …إ ِ َّما َي ۡبلغ َّن عِندك ٱلكَِب أحدهما أو‬

If one of them or both of them reach old age around you (and it is very likely to happen), then
do not express exasperation to them and do not drive them away and say kind words to them.
This ayah is talking of parents coming to old age. It is something that is bound to occur should someone live to their later
years. Notice, however, that ‫ إن‬is used as opposed to ‫إذا‬. This is because it is not certain that everyone will reach old age.

َ ْ
**Note that the ‫ الم‬of emphasis also often appears on (‫)لئ‬. This ‫ إن‬serves the purpose of emphasis, but
not the same type of emphasis as the ‫ما الزائدة‬. While the ‫ ما الزائدة‬gives the meaning “If this happens, and
it certainly will,” the ‫ الم‬of emphasis gives the meaning, “I swear, if this happens…” The ‫ما زائدة‬
emphasizes the ‫ رشط‬and the ‫ الم‬of emphasis emphasizes the ‫جواب‬.

‫ ما الزائدة‬can also come with ‫ إذا‬for emphasis. Because ‫ إذا‬already implies the sureness of the occurrence of
an action, the ‫ ما‬does not make the likelihood of occurrence stronger – rather, it adds the meaning of
“finally” or “actually”.
َ َ ۡ ُّ َ
َ ‫ادتۡه َهٰذه ِۦٓ إ‬ ۡ َ َٞ ۡ َ‫ِإَوذا َما ٓ أنزل‬
َ
١٢٤ … ‫يم ٰ انا‬ِ ِ ‫ورة ف ِمنهم َّمن َيقول أيكم ز‬‫تس‬ ِ
When a surah is finally revealed, from amongst them [the hypocrites] are those who say,
“Which of you has this increased in faith?”

2.3 – ‫ما املصدرية‬

ْ َّ
We have encountered two of the ‫ حروف مصدرية‬in our studies ‫ رصف‬studies: ‫ أن‬and ‫أن‬. ‫ ما‬is another tool to
make a “fake” ‫الم َؤ َّول( مصدر‬
ُ ‫)املصدر‬.

A good way to test whether a ‫ ما‬is ‫ مصدرية‬or not is to replace it with the actual ‫ مصدر‬and it should still
make sense.

َ ‫نت مِن َق ۡبلِهِۦ لَم َن ۡٱل َغٰفل‬ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ َٰ َ َۡ َٓۡ َ َۡ ٓ َ َۡ َ َ ََ َ َۡ

٣ ‫ِني‬ ِ ِ َ ‫ان ِإَون ك‬ ‫َنن نق ُّص عل ۡيك أ ۡح َس َن ٱلق َص ِص بِما أوحينا إَِلك هذا ٱلقرء‬

WE relate to you the best of stories through our revealing this Quran to you, even though you
were certainly, from before, among those who are unaware.

9
 Notice how the translation of a ‫ مصدر‬is retained in the translation (“-ing” ending). Notice how the pronoun ‫ حنن‬is retained in
َ
the translation (our revealing). The ‫ ما‬and its ‫ صلة‬can be replaced by ‫ بإحيائنا إيلك هذا القرآن‬and retain the same meaning.

َ َ ‫أَ ۡم‬
َ ۡ ٓ ‫اِم َوأنَا ۠ بَر‬
٣٥ ‫ م َِّما ُت ِرمون‬ٞ‫يء‬ ِ ‫ر‬َ ‫َل إ ِ ۡج‬
َّ َََ
‫ع‬‫ف‬ ‫ۥ‬ ‫ه‬‫ت‬‫ي‬ َ َ ۡ‫َتىٰهۖۡ ق ۡل إن ٱف‬
ۡ ‫َت‬ ۡ َ
َ َ ‫ٱف‬ ‫ون‬‫ول‬‫ق‬ ‫ي‬
ِ ِِ
Or do they say he made it up? Say, “If I make it up then my crimes are against me, and I am
innocent of your crimes.”
Notice how the translation of a ‫ مصدر‬is retained in the translation (the idea of “crimes”). Notice how the pronoun ‫ أنتم‬is
retained in the translation (your crimes). The ‫ ما‬and its ‫ صلة‬can be replaced with ‫ إجرامكم‬and retain the same meaning.

‫ما مصدرية‬ VS ‫ما موصولة‬

Oftentimes, a ‫ ما‬can be interpreted as either a ‫ ما مصدرية‬or a .‫ ما موصولة‬This can only happen when there is
no ‫ اعئد‬because ‫ حروف مصدرية‬DO NOT HAVE A ‫اعئد‬. The ayah will be translated differently depending on
the grammatical interpretation.
ْ ٓ َ ْ َ َّ
٥٦ ‫ َوٱَّتذ ٓوا َءاي ٰ ِِت َو َما أنذِروا هز اوا‬...

…and they took My signs and what they were warned of as a mockery .

…and they took My signs and their warning as a mockery.

The first translation is interpreting ‫ ما‬as ‫موصولة‬, and the second as ‫مصدرية‬. Notice how the translation of a ‫ مصدر‬is retained in
the second translation (“-ing” ending). Also note how the pronoun ‫ هم‬is retained in the translation as well (“their warning”).
َ
It is similar to saying ‫وإنذارهم‬ ‫آيايت‬.

َ ٓ ۡ َ
٦٦ ‫ مِنه ۡم َسا َء َما َي ۡع َملون‬ٞ‫… َوكثِۡي‬

And many of them… how terrible is whatever they do!

And many of them… how terrible their deeds are!

The first translation is interpreting ‫ ما‬as ‫ موصولة‬and the second as .‫مصدرية‬. Notice how the translation of a ‫ مصدر‬is retained in
the second translation (the idea of something). Also note how the pronoun ‫ هم‬is retained in the translation as well (“their
ُ َ
deeds”). It is similar to saying ‫ساء عمل هم‬.

10
2.4 – ‫ما الزمانية‬
This ‫ ما‬is translated as “as long as” or “as much as”. It is always followed by a ‫ فعل‬which is translated in
the present tense, regardless of the tense of the ‫ فعل‬that follows it.

١٦ … ‫ٱس َت َط ۡعت ۡم‬ َ َّ ْ ‫ٱتقوا‬

ۡ ‫ٱلِل َما‬ َّ َ
‫ف‬

So be conscious of Allah as much as you are able .

Notice that the ‫ فعل‬following ‫ ما‬is in the past tense, yet it is translated as present tense.

11
 CHAPTER 3 - ‫الضمۡي‬
3.0 RECOMMENDED REVIE W
✓ The Referee Pronoun (Chapter 4.6 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

✓ Complex Sentences (Chapter 5.6 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Pronouns were amongst the first topics we covered, as they are the backbone of the Arabic language.
We learned the three types of pronouns (independent, attached, and inside) and the specific statuses
and functions of each. In this chapter, we will explore some of the non-standard uses of pronouns.

The topics are as follows:

1. ‫ضمري الفصل‬
2. ‫ضمري الشأن‬
3. ‫العطف لَع الضمري املسترت‬

3.2 ‫ضمۡي الفصل‬

‫ ضمري الفصل‬is what we previously referred to as the “referee pronoun”. We learned that it is an
independent pronoun that matches with the ‫ مبتدأ‬in number and gender, and it comes between an ‫اسم‬
‫ اإلشارة‬and a ‫ خرب‬that has ‫ال‬. However, it serves more than just that function.

Let us take a look.

CONFIRMING THE ‫خَب‬

We previously knew referee pronouns only to come between an ‫ اسم اإلشارة‬and a ‫ خرب‬with ‫ال‬. We learned
that its function is to confirm that the ‫ خرب‬is indeed a ‫خرب‬, and not a ‫مشار إيله‬. A ‫ ضمري الفصل‬can also come
between a ‫ مبتدأ‬and a ‫ خرب‬that may otherwise be confused as a fragment chain. Look at the following
examples:
َ ٰ َّ َ َ ۡ
٢٥٤ ‫… َوٱلكٰفِرون هم ٱلظل ِمون‬

The disbelievers are the wrongdoers .

Had the ‫ هم‬not been there, ‫ الظاملون‬could have been interpreted as a ‫ صفة‬or ‫ بدل‬of ‫الاكفرون‬. However, the ‫ ضمري الفصل‬confirms its
role as ‫خرب‬.

12
 ۡ ۡ َ َّ َ َ َ
٤٠ … ‫ِه ٱلعل َيا‬
ِ ِ‫…وَك ِمة ٱلِل‬

The word of Allah is the highest .

Had the ‫ يه‬not been there, ‫ العليا‬could have been interpreted as a ‫ صفة‬of ‫لكمة‬. However, the ‫ ضمري الفصل‬confirms its role as a
‫خرب‬.

E X C L U S I V I T Y ‫االختصاص‬
ِّ
‫ ضمري الفصل‬can also be used for ‫االختصاص‬, or exclusivity. There are two types of ‫اختصاص‬: ‫احلقيق‬ ‫االختصاص‬
ُ ‫جه‬ْ َ
and ‫المبالغة‬ ‫االختصاص لَع و‬.

ِّ
‫احلقيق‬ ‫ االختصاص‬means true exclusivity; there is ABSOLUTELY NOBODY that this information applies to
outside of who was mentioned.

َّ ‫…إنَّهۥ ه َو‬
َّ ‫ٱل َّواب‬
٣٧ ‫ٱلرحِيم‬ ِ
Certainly, He (and only He) is the ever-pardoning and the constantly merciful.
This is ‫ اختصاص حقيق‬because Allah – and only Allah – is ‫ اتلواب الرحيم‬and this quality cannot be used to describe anyone but
Allah.

‫ االختصاص لَع وجه املبالغة‬means that there can be others who this information applies to, but this group is
the most deserving of being associated with this quality.
َ ۡ َّ َ َ ۡ ۡ َّ ٓ َ َ
١٢ ‫كن ال يَشعرون‬
ِ ٰ ‫أال إِنه ۡم هم ٱلمفسِدون َول‬

Listen up! They are the ones who cause corruption, however they do not perceive .
This is ‫االختصاص لَع وجه املبالغة‬. The people mentioned in this passage (the hypocrites) are not the only ones who cause
corruption (there are plenty of others who do so), but they are the most deserving of being descri bed as such.

‫الوكيد‬
‫ ضمري الفصل‬can also be used for emphasis. Note that ‫ ضمري الفصل‬does not have an effect on the sentence
grammatically. Previously, we have known independent pronouns to create a new sentence, but that is
not the case with ‫ ;ضمري الفصل‬it has no grammatical role, just a rhetorical one.

َ ‫َص َنٰه ۡم فَ ََكنوا ْ هم ٱلۡ َغٰلِب‬

١١٦ ‫ني‬ ۡ َ َ‫َون‬
ِ
We gave them victory, so they were the ones who overpowered !
Notice how the ‫ خرب‬of ‫ اكن‬remained ‫)الغابلني( منصوب‬.

13
 ٰ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ ْ َ ۡ َّ ۡ َ َ
ٖ ‫َوق ۡو َم ن‬
٥٢ ‫وح مِن قبل ۖۡإِنهم َكنوا هم أظلم وأطِغ‬

And the people of Nuh from way before. Certainly, THEY were more oppressive and more
rebellious!
َ
There is a double emphasis here with ‫ إنهم‬along with ‫ضمري الفصل‬. Notice how the ‫ خرب‬of ‫ اكن‬remained ‫)أظلم وأطىغ( منصوب‬.

3.3 ‫ضمۡي الشأن‬

Previously, we learned that pronouns must always refer back to something that has already been
mentioned. For example, “My sister was sick, so she didn’t go to school.” We know that the pronoun
“she” is referring back to “my sister.”

That is not the case with ‫ضمري الشأن‬. It is a pronoun that comes at the beginning of a sentence and refers
back to nothing. Its function is simply to proclaim the importance of the statement to come.

The grammatical rules of ‫ ضمري الشأن‬are as follows:

1. Always singular, always 3rd person (will always be either ‫ هو‬or ‫)يه‬.
2. It will not have an ‫ اعئد‬within the sentence.
3. It can be attached, detached, or inside, but it will most often be attached to a ‫حرف نصب‬.

***N OTE that ‫ ضمري الشأن‬will not be translated as an actual pronoun (he/she/it), as its function is not the
function of a normal pronoun.

To understand the difference in the functions of the pronoun, compare the following three sentences:

!‫امللك قادم‬

The king is coming!

This sentence is a normal informational sentence.

!‫امللك هو قادم‬

The king (and nobody else) is coming!

The king, he is coming!
This sentence has ‫ضمري الفصل‬, either making it exclusive or emphasizing it.

!‫هو امللك قادم‬

Important news! The king is coming!
This sentence has ‫ضمري الشأن‬, aggrandizing the topics of the upcoming sentence. The ‫ )هو( ضمري الشأن‬is not translated.

14
 Now take a look at the following examples of ‫ ضمري الشأن‬in Quran.

َ ٰ َّ ۡ َ َّ ٓ ٰ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َ ً َ َّ َ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ
٢١ ‫ومن أظلم مِم ِن ٱفَتى لَع ٱلِلِ كذِبا أو كذب أَ‍ِبيتِهِۦ إِنهۥ ال يفل ِح ٱلظل ِمون‬

Who is more wrongdoing than whoever falsely attributes lies to Allah or deni es His signs?
[The great matter is that] those who do wrong will not succeed!
Notice that the ‫ ـه‬on ‫ إنه‬does not translate as a pronoun at all. It is not a pronoun that refers to anything that came before
it.

َۡ ََ َ َ َ َّ َ ۡ ۡ َ َّ
ٰ َ ‫َي‬
٧٤ ‫َي‬ ‫ت َر َّبهۥ ُم ِر اما فإِن َلۥ َج َه َّن َم ال َيموت فِيها وال‬
ِ ‫إِنهۥ من يَأ‬

[The great matter is that] whoever comes to his Master as a criminal, then for him is
Jahannam, he neither dies nor remains alive in it.
Notice that the ‫ ـه‬on ‫ إنه‬does not translate as a pronoun at all. It is not a pronoun that refers to anything that came before
it.

3.4 – ‫العطف لَع الضمۡي المستَت‬

When we first began our study of the ‫فعل‬, we learned that a ‫ فعل‬can have either an inside doer or an
outside doer. An inside doer is a pronoun which is imbedded in the conjugation of a ‫فعل‬. We know, for
example, how to say, “I went”.

ُ ْ‫َذ َهب‬
.‫ت‬
We also know how to say, “Ahmed went”.

َ ْ َ‫ب أ‬
.‫مح ُد‬ َ ‫َذ َه‬

The question at hand is, how do we say, “Ahmed and I went”?

َ ْ َ‫ت َوأ‬
ُ‫محد‬ ُ ْ‫ َذ َهب‬

This is grammatically incorrect, as ‫ عطف‬can only happen between two like words.

The solution: pull out the pronoun from inside the ‫ فعل‬and do ‫ عطف‬of the ‫ فاعل‬onto the “outside”
pronoun.

15
 َ ْ َ‫ت أَنَا َوأ‬
ُ‫محد‬ ُ ْ‫✓ َذ َهب‬

The pronoun is pulled out from the ‫ )أنا( فعل‬and the second doer is ‫ معطوف‬onto the pronoun. This is not considered an
outside doer; it does not adhere to the rules of having outside doers.

This can happen with any of the ‫ صيَغ‬of ‫أفعال‬. Also, note that the pronoun will not be repeated in the
translation.

ۡ َ َ َ َ ََ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ
٤٢ ‫وك أَ‍ِبي ٰ ِِت َوال تن ِ َيا ِِف ذِك ِري‬‫ٱذهب أنت وأخ‬

You and your brother go with Our signs and do not be lax in My remembrance .
َ
The inside doer of the ‫)أنت ( فعل أمر‬ is taken out of the ‫ فعل‬and ‫ أخوك‬is ‫ معطوف‬onto it.

٥٤ ‫ني‬ ‫ب‬‫م‬ُّ ‫قَ َال لَ َق ۡد كنت ۡم أَنت ۡم َو َءابَآؤك ۡم ِف َض َلٰل‬

ٖ ِ ٖ ِ

He said, “You and your forefathers have certainly been in clear misguidance.”
The inside doer of the ‫ )أنتم( فعل ماض‬was pulled out of the ‫ فعل‬and ‫ آباؤكم‬is ‫ معطوف‬onto it.

16
 CHAPTER 4 - ‫الس ب َب يَّ ة‬
َّ ‫فاء‬

4.0 RECOMMENDED REVIE W

✓ Reasons to change the status of a ‫فعل مضارع‬
❖ ‫ حروف‬Associated with ‫( الفعل المضارع‬7.3 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬
❖ ‫الشط الجازمة‬‫( أدوات ر‬Chapter 14.2 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬
❖ ‫( األمر وجواب األمر‬Chapter 14.6 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬

✓ How different irregularities manifest light and lightest

❖ Focus on ‫( مضاعف‬Chapter 7) and ‫( ناقص‬Chapter 9)

4.1 INTRODUCTION
Recall that ‫ األمر وجواب األمر‬is a two-part structure that is made up of:

1. A command
2. What will happen as a result of the command being followed

This structure, however, is limited to commands and does not include forbidding verbs. There is a
specific, separate grammatical structure that serves a similar function to the ‫ األمر وجواب األمر‬structure,
but it involves forbidding rather than commanding.

This structure is known as ‫فاء السببية‬.

4.2 STRUCTURE AND GRAMMA R

As mentioned previously, ‫ فاء السببية‬is like the negative version of ‫األمر وجواب األمر‬. It is a structure that
includes a ‫ نيه‬as well as the reasoning (the ‫ )سبب‬behind this prohibition.

This structure translates best as “Do not X, or else/otherwise…”

Though this structure serves a similar function, it looks different grammatically. This structure is made
up of three parts:

1. a ‫فعل نيه‬
2. a ‫فاء‬
3. a ‫ فعل‬directly following the ‫ فاء‬that is ‫( منصوب‬light)

Take a look at the examples below.

ٰ ‫َيل ِۡل َعلَ ۡيهِ َغ َضِب َف َق ۡد َه َو‬

ۡ َ َ َ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ َّ َ َ َْۡ َۡ ََ ۡ ْ
٨١ ‫ى‬ ‫ن‬‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ِب‬ ‫ض‬‫غ‬ ‫م‬ ‫ك‬‫ي‬‫ل‬‫ع‬ ‫ل‬‫ح‬ِ ‫ي‬ ‫ف‬ ِ ‫ه‬‫ِي‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬‫و‬‫غ‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ال‬‫و‬ ‫م‬‫ك‬ٰ‫ت َما َر َز ۡق َن‬
ِ ٰ‫ُكوا مِن َطي ِ َب‬
ِ ِ
Eat from the pure of that which We have blessed you with and do not transgress regarding it,
or else My anger will descend upon you. And whoever My anger descends upon has certainly
fallen.

17
 َ َ َّ
The ayah above follows the ‫ فاء السببية‬structure. There is a ‫ )ال ت ْط غ ْوا( نيه‬followed by a ‫ فاء‬followed by a ‫ (فيح ل ) فعل مضارع منصوب‬.
Notice that the ‫ فاء السببية‬clause explains the reason behind the ‫ نيه‬and translates as “otherwise” or “or else”.

َ ْ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٰٓ َ َ ْ ُّ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ َّ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ْ ۡ َ َ
َ ‫خ ٰ ِِس‬
٢١ ‫ين‬ ِ ‫يٰق ۡو ِم ٱدخلوا ٱۡلۡرض ٱلمقدسة ٱل ِِت كتب ٱلِل لكم وال ترتدوا لَع أدبارِكم ف تنقل ِبوا‬

My people,enter the holy land that Allah has decreed for you and do not turn back on your
heels, or else you will return as losers.
The ayah above follows the ‫ فاء السببية‬structure. There is a ‫ ) وال ترتدوا( نيه‬followed by a ‫ فاء‬followed by a ‫)فتنقلبوا( فعل مضارع منصوب‬
Notice that the ‫ فاء السببية‬clause explains the reason behind the ‫ نيه‬and translates as “otherwise” or “or else”.

4.3 ‫ فاء السببية‬OUTSIDE OF FORBIDDI NG

There is one case in which ‫ فاء السببية‬follows something other than a ‫نيه‬. It is often seen following a wish
or desire. The part following the ‫ فاء‬explains why the speaker has this wish or desire. In such cases, ‫فاء‬
‫ السببية‬translates best as “as a result” or “because”.

Take a look at the examples below.

‫ا‬ َ ً َۡ َ ََ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٞ َّ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ
ٰ ۢ َ ۡ َّ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َّ َ ٞ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ َ َ
٧٣ ‫ولئِن أصبكم فضل مِن ٱلِل ِ َلقولن كأن لم تكن بينكم وبينهۥ مودة يليت ِِن كنت معهم ف أفوز فوزا ع ِظيما‬

Certainly, if bounty comes to you from Allah, he will most definitely say, as though there has
been no love between you and him “I wish I was with them then [as a result] I would have
attained something great!”
َ
The ayah above follows the ‫ فاء السببية‬structure. There is a wish [‫يا يلت‬...] followed by a ‫ فاء‬followed by a ‫(فأفور ) فعل مضارع منصوب‬ .
Notice that the ‫ فاء السببية‬clause explains the reason behind the wish and translates as “as a result”.

ََ َ ‫ِل إ َلٰهِ م‬ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ َّ ‫َ ۡ ا‬ َ
‫ِإَوّن ۡلظ ُّنهۥ‬
ِ ٰ
‫وَس‬ ٰٓ
ِ ِ ‫ت فأطل ِع إ‬ ِ ٰ ‫ أسبٰب ٱلسمٰو‬٣٦ ‫َل أبلغ ٱۡلسبٰب‬ ٓ ِ ‫َوقَال ف ِۡر َع ۡون َي ٰ َه ٰ َمٰن ٱبۡ ِن ِِل َصحا لع‬

٣٧ ‫اب‬ َ ‫ٱلسبيل َو َما َك ۡيد ف ِۡر َع ۡو َن إ َّال ِف َت‬

‫ب‬ َّ ‫كٰذ اِبا َو َك َذٰل َِك زي َن لِفِ ۡر َع ۡو َن س ٓوء َع َملِهِۦ َوص َّد َعن‬
َ
ٖ ِ ِ ٖۚ ِ ِ ِ ِ
Firaun said, “Haman, build me a tower so that hopefully I might reach the ways - the ways to
the sky, then [as a result], I will look at Musa’s god...
َّ َ
The ayah above follows the ‫ فاء السببية‬structure. There is a wish [ ‫ل َع ل‬...] followed by a ‫ فاء‬followed by a ‫(فأط ل َع ) فعل مضارع منصوب‬
َّ .
Notice that the ‫ فاء السببية‬clause explains the reason behind the wish and translates as “as a result”.

18
Familiarize yourself with the following list of words. These are words that are commonly used when
expressing a wish.
َْ
‫هل‬
َ َ
‫ل ْوال‬/‫ل ْو‬ ‫َعىس‬
َّ َ
‫ل َعل‬ َ ْ‫َيل‬
‫ت‬
did/is if/why is it not that case that hopefully/possibly perhaps if only

19
 ْ َ ْ
CHAPTER 5 - ‫إ ِن وأ ن‬
5.0 RECOMMENDED REVIEW
✓ The Compound ‫( اسم‬Chapter 12.5 – ‫)رصف‬

✓ Shared Tools of Negation (Chapter 9.4 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

‫( أدوات ر‬Chapter 14.2 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬

✓ ‫الشط الجازمة‬
ْ
5.1 INTRODUCTION TO ‫أن‬
َْ
We learned about ‫ أن‬as part of our study of ‫احلروف انلاصبة للمضارع‬. We learned that it translates as “to” and
that it makes the ‫ فعل مضارع‬that follows it ‫( منصوب‬light).
ْ َ
‫أن‬, however, is a versatile ‫ حرف‬that can serve several different functions. In this chapter, we will be
ْ َ
reviewing what we already know about ‫ أن‬as well as learning about the other roles it can play.

ْ ْ َ
5.1A ‫أ ن المَ ص َد ر ِ ي َّ ة‬
ْ َ
Recall that during our study of the compound ‫اسم‬, we learned that ‫ أن‬transforms a ‫ مجلة فعلية‬into a ‫مصدر‬.
َْ ْ ْ َ ْ َ
This type of ‫ أن‬is called the ‫أن َمص َدر َّية‬. This is because ‫أن‬, in combination with the ‫ فعل‬that comes after it,
functions and translates like a ‫مصدر‬.

ُ ‫ يَ ْذ َه‬as an example. It is a normal ‫مجلة فعلية‬. When ‫ أَ ْن‬comes before such a sentence, it
Take ‫ب إىل املسجد‬
behaves like a ‫مصدر‬.

َ ‫ أَ ْن يَ ْذ َه‬is equivalent to saying ‫الم ْسجد‬

ْ ‫ب إىل‬
‫املسجد‬ َ ‫اب إ َىل‬ َّ
َ ‫اذل َه‬. Both translate as “to go to the masjid” and both
can be used the same way in a sentence. You could say ‫الم ْسجد‬ َ ‫ أُريْ ُد أَ ْن أَذْ َه‬or ‫الم ْسجد‬
َ ‫ب إ َىل‬ َ ‫هاب إ َىل‬ َّ ُ ْ ُ
َ ‫اذل‬ ‫أريد‬.
ْ َ
This is the standard and most common usage of ‫أن‬.

ْ َ
5.1B ‫ أ ن‬M E A N I N G “B E C A U S E ”
ْ َ َْ َْ
‫ أن‬can sometimes serve the function of ‫تعليْل‬. The word ‫ تعليْل‬means “to give a reason” or “to explain”.
ْ َ َْ
When ‫ أن‬is used for ‫تعليْل‬, it most naturally translates as “because”.

Take a look at the following examples.

َّ َ َ َ َ َ ً َ َ ۡ َ َ ٓ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َ َۡ ۡ َ ‫ِن م ِۡن‬ٞ ‫ل ُّم ۡؤم‬ٞ ‫َوقَ َال َرج‬
٢٨ ... ‫ّب ٱلِل‬
ِ ‫ر‬ ‫ول‬‫ق‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬‫أ‬ ‫ٗل‬‫ج‬‫ر‬ ‫ون‬‫ل‬‫ت‬‫ق‬ ‫ت‬‫أ‬ ‫ۥ‬ ‫ه‬‫ن‬‫يم‬ِ ‫إ‬ ‫م‬‫ت‬‫ك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬‫و‬‫ع‬ ‫ِر‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ل‬
ِ ‫ا‬ ‫ء‬

A man from the people of Firaun who was hiding his faith said, “Will you kill a man because
he says, ‘My master is Allah’”?

20
 َّ ْ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ۡ
١ ... ‫ٱلرسول ِإَويَّاكم أن تؤمِنوا ب ِٱلِلِ ربِكم‬
ۡ َ ‫ ُي ِرجون‬...

They exile the prophet and you because you believe in Allah, your master.
َّ ْ ۡ َ ٓ َّ ۡ ۡ ْ َ َ َ َ
َ ۡ ‫ٱلِلِ ۡٱل َعزيز‬
٨ ‫ٱۡل ِمي ِد‬ ِ ِ ِ ‫وما نقموا مِنهم إِال أن يؤمِنوا ب‬
They only resented them because they believed in Allah, the mighty, the praise-worthy.

ْ َ
5.1C ‫ أ ن‬M E A N I N G “L E S T ”
ْ َ
‫ أن‬can sometimes come in the meaning of “lest”. The word “lest” is an expression of caution or fear and
can translate as “in order to avoid the risk of…”
َ َ َّ َّ ‫ا‬ َۡ َ ‫َس أَن تَم‬ َۡ َۡ
ٰ َ ‫َوأل‬
١٥ ‫يد بِك ۡم َوأن َه ٰ ارا َوسبٗل ل َعلك ۡم ت ۡهتَدون‬ ِ َ ِ ٰ ‫ۡرض َر َو‬
ِ ‫ق ِِف ٱۡل‬

Allah cast down pegs on earth lest it should sway with you and [He cast] rivers and paths so
that you may be guided.
Another way to say this would be to say “Allah cast down pegs on earth in order to avoid the risk of it [the earth]
swaying with you…”

َ ۡ َ َّ ْ ُّ َ َ ۡ َ َّ
١٧٦ ۢ ‫َش ٍء عل ِيم‬ ِ ‫ ي َب ِني ٱلِل لكم أن ت‬...
‫ضلوا َوٱلِل بِك ِل‬

Allah clarifies for you lest you go astray . And Allah is knowing of all things.
Another way to say this would be to say, “Allah clarifies for you to avoid the risk of you going astray…”

ْ َ
5.1D ‫ أ ن‬S T A R T I N G A QUOTE
ْ َ
‫ أن‬can be used to indicate the beginning of a quote. Quotation marks are not used in classical Arabic, nor
ْ َ
is the word “saying” used to open a quote. ‫ أن‬serves this function. When translating from Arabic to
ْ َ
English, the word “saying” can be added in brackets to capture the function of ‫أن‬.
ْ َ
‫ أن‬can open a quote whether the quote is a ‫مجلة فعلية‬, a ‫مجلة اسمية‬, or a ‫فعل أمر‬.
ْ
‫ أن‬will only affect the status of an ‫فعل مضارع‬, otherwise the ‫ فعل‬will stay as is.

Take a look at the examples below.

21
 ۡ‫جدتُّم َّما َو َع َد َر ُّبك ۡم َح اقاۖۡ قَالوا ْ َن َعم‬َ ‫ب ٱنلَّار أَن قَ ۡد َو َج ۡدنَا َما َو َع َدنَا َر ُّب َنا َح اقا َف َه ۡل َو‬ َ ‫ٱۡل َّنةِ أَ ۡص‬
َ ٰ‫ح‬ َ ‫ى أَ ۡص‬
َ ۡ ‫حٰب‬ َ ََ
ٰٓ ‫اد‬‫ون‬
ِ
َ ‫ٱلظل ِم‬ َ
ٰ َّ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َّ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۢ َ َ َّ َ َ
٤٤ ‫ني‬ ِ ‫فأذن مؤذِن بينهم أن لعنة ٱلِلِ لَع‬

The people of Jannah will call out to the people of the fire [saying], “Certainly we have found
what our Master promised us to be true, so have you found what your Master promised to be
true?” They will say, “Yes”. Then a caller will call out among them [saying], “The curse of
Allah is upon the wrongdoers!”
The first ‫ أن‬begins a quote that starts with a ‫فعل ماض‬. The second ‫ أن‬begins a quote that is a ‫مجلة اسمية‬. In both cases,
the ‫ أن‬has no grammatical effect.

َ ٌ َ َ ۡ َ َۡ َ َۡ َ َ َ َۡ َ َ ً َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٓ َّ
١ ‫م‬ٞ ‫اب أ َِل‬ ‫وحا إ ِ ِٰل ق ۡو ِمهِۦٓ أن أنذ ِۡر ق ۡو َمك مِن قب ِل أن يأتِيهم عذ‬‫إِنا أرسلنا ن‬

Certainly WE sent Nuh to his people [commanding/saying], “Warn your people before a
painful punishment comes to them.”
This ‫ أن‬begins a quote that starts with a ‫فعل أمر‬. Notice that the ‫ أمر‬remains ‫ ُمزوم‬like any other command, even
though it is preceded by an ‫أن‬.

َ َ َ ََ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ََْۡ ََ
٤٦ ‫ٱۡل َّنةِ أن َسل ٰ ٌم عل ۡيك ۡم ل ۡم يَ ۡدخلوها َوه ۡم َي ۡط َمعون‬
َ ‫ ونادوا أصحٰب‬...

And they will call the people of Jannah [ saying], “Peace be upon you. ” They will not have
entered it but they will be hoping.
This ‫ أن‬begins a quote that is a ‫مجلة اسمية‬. Notice that the ‫ أن‬has no grammatical effect.

Note that this type of quote differs from a ‫ مقول القول‬in that the quote does not have to be connected to
َ َ َّ َ َ َ
the word ‫قال‬. In the examples above, ‫نادي‬, ‫أذن‬, and ‫ أ ْر َسل‬are used. This allows for a wider variety in
expression.

َ َّ َ َّ َ
5.1E ‫أ ن الم خ ف ف ة‬
َّ ْ َ ْ َ َّ َ
‫ أن‬differs from ‫ أن‬in that it only affects ‫أسماء‬. Generally, ‫ أن‬translates as “to” and ‫ أن‬translates as “that”.
ْ َ َّ ِّ
There are some cases in which you may see AN ‫ أن‬THAT IS ACTUALLY JUST ‫ أن‬WITHOUT A ‫ شدة‬OR AN ‫اسم‬. This is

22
 called “‫”أن خمففة‬, or the “lightened ‫”أن‬. There are some cases in which the ‫ شدة‬and ‫ فتحة‬are removed from
َّ َ َ َّ َ ُ َّ َ
‫أن‬. There are two clues you can use to pinpoint the ‫أن خمففة‬:
ْ َ َ َّ َ ُ َّ َ ْ َ
1) If the ‫ فعل‬after ‫ أن‬is ‫مرفوع‬, it is ‫أن خمففة‬. If it was an actual ‫أن‬, it would make the ‫ فعل‬after it ‫منصوب‬.
َْ َّ َ َ َّ َ ُ َّ َ
2) If the ‫ أن‬appears where you would normally expect ‫أن‬, it is ‫أن خمففة‬. There are certainly ‫ أفعال‬that
َّ َ ْ َ ََْ َ َُ َ
usually come with ‫ أن‬and not ‫أن‬. Among them are ‫ َعل َم يعل ُم‬and ‫ َرأى يَ َرى‬and ‫ظ َّن يظ ُّن‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ
ٰ َ ‫ َعل َِم أن َس َيكون مِنكم َّم ۡر‬...
٢٠ ... ‫َض‬

He knew that there would be sick people among you…

َ َْ ْ َ َ َّ َ َّ َ
‫ عل َِم‬is a ‫ فعل‬that comes with ‫أن‬. Also notice that the ‫ فعل‬after ‫ أن‬is ‫مرفوع‬, not ‫منصوب‬. This means that it is ‫أن ُمففة‬. Also
notice that it translates as “that”.

َ ‫َ ا‬ َ َ
َۡ َ ‫َ َ ا‬ َ
٨٩ ‫جع إ ِ َۡل ِه ۡم ق ۡوال َوال َي ۡمل ِك له ۡم ضا َوال نف اعا‬ ۡ َ‫أفَ َٗل يَ َر ۡو َن أ َّال ي‬
‫ر‬
ِ
Then do they not see that it does not reply to them and does not possess harm or benefit for
them?
َ َْ ْ َ َ َّ َ َّ َ
‫ َرأى‬is a ‫ فعل‬that comes with ‫أن‬. Also notice that the ‫ فعل‬after ‫ أن‬is ‫مرفوع‬, not ‫منصوب‬. This means that it is ‫أن ُمففة‬. Also
notice that it translates as “that”.

َ ْ َ
5.1F ‫ِس َ ة‬
ِ ‫أ ن الم ف‬
ْ َ ْ َ
‫ أن‬can sometimes be used to explain or clarify something coming before it. This type of ‫ أن‬functions and
translates similar to a ‫ بدل‬or a ‫بيان‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

ۡ َ ٓ
َ َّ ْ ‫ٱعبدوا‬ َ َ ٓ َّ َ ۡ
١١٧ ... ‫ٱلِل َر ِّب َو َر َّبك ۡم‬ ‫َما قلت له ۡم إِال َما أ َم ۡرت ِِن بِهِۦ أ ِن‬

I only said to them what you commanded me to [that is to say] “Worship Allah, my Master
and your Master”.

َّ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ ۡ َ ََ
١٢ ... ِ ‫َولق ۡد َءات ۡي َنا لق َم ٰ َن ٱۡل ِك َمة أ ِن ٱشك ۡر ِلِل‬

And we certainly gave Luqman wisdom [that is to say] “Be grateful to Allah”.

23
 ْ َ
5.1G ‫أ ن الزائدة‬
ْ َ
‫ أن‬can sometimes be ‫زائدة‬. When it is ‫زائدة‬, it serves as emphasis. The ‫ أن الزائدة‬in particular only appears
َ َ
after ‫ل َّما‬. Since the ‫ أن‬in this case is emphasizing ‫ ل َّما‬is translates as “finally”. Together they translate as
“when finally”.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ َ َ ‫َ ا‬ ۡ ٓ َٓ َ
٣٣ ...ۡۖ ‫َس َء ب ِ ِه ۡم َوضاق ب ِ ِه ۡم ذ ۡر اٗع‬
ٓ ِ ‫وطا‬‫َول َّما أن َجا َءت رسلنا ل‬

When our messengers finally came to Lut, he was caused agony by them and he was
distressed by them…
Notice that the ‫ أن زائدة‬comes after ‫لما‬. Notice that the word “finally” is included in the translation to capture the ‫توكيد‬.

‫ص ا‬ َ َّ َ َ ۡ ٰ َ َ ‫فَلَ َّما ٓ أَن َجا ٓ َء ٱ ۡلبَ ۡي َأ ۡل َقىٰه‬

٩٦ ... ۡۖ‫ۡيا‬ ِ ‫لَع َوج ِههِۦ فٱ ۡرتد ب‬ ِ‫ش‬

Then when the bringer of good news finally came, he threw it over his father’s face and he
became able to see again…
Notice that the ‫ أن زائدة‬comes after ‫لما‬. Notice that the word “finally” is included in the translation to capture the ‫توكيد‬.

ْ
5.2 INTRODUCTION TO ‫إن‬
We have come across ‫ إن‬in two different places in our studies: as one of the ‫( أدوات الرشط اجلازمة‬meaning
ْ
“if”) and as part of the ‫ إال‬+ ‫ إن‬templates. However, ‫ إن‬does serve a couple more functions.

5.2A ‫إن انلافية‬

In Chapter 9 of beginning ‫حنو‬, we learned that ‫ إال‬+ ‫ إن‬and ‫ إال‬+ ‫ ما‬are two templates which add the
meaning of “nothing but…” or “only”; the negation part (“nothing”) came from the ‫ ما‬or the ‫إن‬, and the
exception (“but”) was made using ‫إال‬. However, ‫ إن‬can be used to negate a sentence – both ‫ اسمية‬and ‫فعلية‬
– without the presence of ‫إال‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

َّ ٓ َ ۡ ٰ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َ
٢٦ ... ِ‫ِيما إِن َّمك َّنٰك ۡم فِيه‬ ‫ولقد مكنهم ف‬

We had certainly established them in that which We did not establish you.
Notice how ‫ إن‬is negating the sentence; in this case, it is a ‫مجلة فعلية‬.

24
 َٓ ۡ َ ‫… إ ۡن ع‬
٦٨ … ‫ِندكم مِن سل َطٰن ب ِ َهٰذا‬ ِ
You all have absolutely no evidence in regards to this.
Notice how ‫ إن‬is negating the sentence; in this case, it is a ‫مجلة اسمية‬. Because ‫ إن‬is a tool of negation, it allows for the
presence of a ‫)من سلطان( من زائدة‬, which is playing the role of the ‫مبتدأ‬.

‫ إن انلافية‬is easily distinguishable from ‫ إن الرشطية‬because ‫ إن انلافية‬will not make a ‫ فعل مضارع‬lightest.

َّ ْ
5.2B ‫إن المخف فة‬
ْ ْ َّ ْ
Similar to ‫أن املخففة‬, ‫ إن‬can sometimes be ‫ إن‬without a ‫ شدة‬or an ‫اسم‬. In that case, ‫ إن‬would serve the
purpose of emphasis.

Take a look at the following example.

َ ۡ َ َ َ ُّ َّ ۡ ٞ َ َ َّ َ َ ٓ َ َ
َ ‫ك ٰ ِذب‬
١٨٦ ‫ني‬ِ ‫َش مِثل َنا ِإَون نظنك ل ِمن ٱل‬ ‫وما أنت إِال ب‬

No, you are nothing but a person like us, and we certainly think that you are from amongst
the liars!
Notice how ‫ إن‬is emphasizing the sentence. Also notice that the ‫ فعل‬that comes after it (‫ )نظنك‬is not lightest, which
eliminates the possibility of ‫إن الرشطية‬.

25
 َ ْ
CHAPTER 6 - ‫االش ت غ ال‬
6.0 RECOMMENDED READING
✓ Abnormal Sentence Structure for a ‫( جملة اسمية‬Chapter 5.4 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

✓ Abnormal Sentence Structure for a ‫( جملة فعلية‬Chapter 6.6 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

6.1 INTRODUCTION
‫ االشتغال‬is a rhetorical device used in Arabic to bring special attention to a topic within a larger
conversation. Grammatically, it looks similar to a ‫مفعول به مقدم‬. The key difference is that the ‫مشغول عنه‬
structure always has a pronoun attached to the ‫فعل‬. This pronoun matches in number and gender with
the portion that that looks like the ‫مفعول به مقدم‬.

This structure is made up of three parts that appear in the following order:

1) ‫ – املشغول عنه‬The ‫ اسم منصوب‬at the beginning of the structure

2) ‫ – املشغول‬The ‫فعل‬
3) ‫ – الشاغل‬The pronoun attached to the ‫فعل‬, matching the ‫مشغول عنه‬

َ َْ َ َ َ َْ َ
‫الشاغل‬: a pronoun attached to the ‫ فعل‬that
‫واألرض مددناها‬
refers to the ‫مشغول عنه‬, which it matches in ‫املشغول عنه‬: an ‫ اسم‬that is ‫ منصوب‬that comes
number and gender. before the ‫فعل‬

‫املشغول‬: the ‫ فعل‬that comes after the

‫اسم منصبو‬

ْ َ ً
Note: compare this to a sentence like ‫نوحا ه َدينَا‬. This looks similar to a ‫ مشغول عنه‬structure. The only
difference is the lack of a pronoun on the ‫فعل‬.

6.2 FUNCTIONS OF ‫االشتغال‬

The function of ‫ املشغول عنه‬is ‫االهتمام‬.

‫االهتمام‬
Similar to a ‫مبتدأ‬, a ‫ املشغول عنه‬is brought forward to give it special attention, but unlike a ‫مبتدأ‬, it is not
considered the main topic. For example, if an artist is asked about their painting at an exhibit, the
conversation might look something like this:

26
 My painting… I spent a total of sixty hours working on it! I added so many details, my eyes
almost crossed. I even built the canvas myself. I think I used up approximately a ton of paint
on it.
Notice that even though the artist mentioned the painting first, it was not the main topic of their
discourse. The painting was certainly an important element, but the artist’s focus was about his hand
and effort in making the painting.

This is the purpose of ‫مشغول عنه‬, which is a known and recognized rhetorical device in classical Arabic. Let
us take a look at some Arabic examples.

ۡ َ َۡ َ َ َ ْ َ َّ َ َ ۡ ۡ َّ َ َ َّ َۡ َ َّ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ ً ‫َول‬
‫ َوأدخل َنٰه ِِف‬٧٤ ‫ني‬
َ ‫سق‬
ِ ِ ٰ ‫وطا َءات ۡينٰه حك اما َوعِل اما َوَن ۡينٰه م َِن ٱلق ۡر َي ِة ٱل ِِت َكنت تع َمل ٱۡل َٰٓبئِث إِنه ۡم َكنوا ق ۡوم َس ۡو ٖء ف‬
َّ
َ ‫ٱلصلِح‬ َّ ٓ َ َ ۡ
٧٥ ‫ني‬ ِ ٰ ‫َرۡحتِنا ۖۡ إِنهۥ م َِن‬

And Lut – WE gave him wisdom and knowledge, and We rescued him from the village that
used to commit foul deeds. No doubt, THEY were a rebellious nation of evil. We entered him
into Our mercy. Certainly, he is from amongst the righteous.
Notice that Lut is brought forward for special attention, but the focus of the remainder of the ayaat is Allah’s mercy upon
him.

‫َ ا‬ َ ٰ َ َ َ َّ َ ٓ َ َ َ ٞ َ ۡ َ َ َّ ً ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ٓ َ ۡ َّ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٓ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َّ
ٰ
٢٩ ‫ إِن ه ِذه ِۦ تذكِرة ۖۡ فمن شاء ٱَّتذ إِِل ربِهِۦ سبِيٗل‬٢٨ ‫َنن خلقنٰهم وشددنا أۡسهمۖۡ ِإَوذا شِئنا بدنلا أمثٰلهم تبدِيٗل‬
َ َ َ َ َ َ ٰ َّ َ َ ۡ ‫ ي ۡدخِل َمن ي َ َشآء ِف َر‬٣٠ ‫ِيما‬ ً ‫ٱلِل ََك َن َعل‬ َّ َ ٓ َ َ َ ٓ َّ َ ٓ َ َ َ َ
َ َّ ‫ٱلِل إ َّن‬
‫ني أع َّد له ۡم عذابًا‬ ‫ۡحتِهِۦ وٱلظل ِ ِم‬ ِ
‫حك ا‬ َ ‫ِيما‬
ِ ‫وما تشاءون إِال أن يشاء‬
َ
٣١ ‫أ َِل َمۢا‬

WE are the ones who created them and strengthened their physique, and when We will, We
will completely replace (them) with their likes. You do not will except that Allah wills.
Certainly Allah has always been all-knowing and all-wise. He enters whom He wills into His
mercy. As for the wrongdoers, He prepared for them a painful punishment.
Notice that the main topic of the passage is Allah and His control over His creation. A special attention is given to the
disbelievers and their compensation. It is interesting to note that ‫ سورة اإلنسان‬has a great focus on the rewards of the
believers in Jannah , as if to highlight the contrast between the compensations of the two parties.

27
6.3 ‫ مبتدأ‬VS ‫مشغول عنه‬
The question arises, what is the difference between ‫ املشغول عنه‬and ‫ مبتدأ‬with a ‫ مجلة فعلية‬as its ‫ ?خرب‬Both of
them start with an ‫اسم‬, are followed by a ‫فعل‬, and have a pronoun that goes back to the starting ‫اسم‬.
Grammatically, the only difference is the status. What is the difference in meaning?

➢ ‫ املشغول عنه‬is used to bring a special focus to a topic, but it is not the main topic at hand.
➢ ‫ مبتدأ‬is used to bring focus to the main topic at hand.

Let us take compare two passages to better understand the difference.

َّ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٰ َّ َ ٰ َّ َّ َ َ ‫ا‬ ٓ َ َّ ََۡ َ ۡ َََ

١٧ ‫يم‬
ٍ ‫ج‬ِ ‫ك شيطٰ ٖن ر‬
ِ ‫ وحفِظنٰها مِن‬١٦ ‫ولقد جعلنا ِِف ٱلسماءِ بروجا وزينها ل ِلن ِظ ِرين‬
ۡ َ ‫ِيها مِن ك‬
‫َش ٖء‬ َ َ‫َس َوأ‬
َ ‫ۢنبتۡ َنا ف‬ َ ِ ٰ ‫ِيها َر َو‬ َ َ ۡ َ ٞ ُّ ٞ َ
َ ‫ۡرض َم َد ۡد َنٰ َها َو َأ ۡل َق ۡي َنا ف‬ ‫ٱۡل‬‫و‬ ١٨ ‫ني‬ ‫ب‬‫م‬ ‫اب‬ ‫ِه‬
‫ش‬ ‫ۥ‬‫ه‬‫ع‬َ ‫ٱلس ۡم َع فَ َأ ۡت َب‬
َّ ‫َت َق‬ ۡ ‫إ َّال َمن‬
َ َ ‫ٱس‬
ِ ِ ِ ِ
َ ‫ِيها َم َعٰي َش َو َمن ل َّ ۡست ۡم ََلۥ ب َرٰزق‬
٢٠ ‫ِني‬ َ ‫ َو َج َع ۡل َنا لَك ۡم ف‬١٩ ‫َّم ۡوزون‬
ِ ِ ِ ٖ
We have made constellations in the sky and We decorated it for the onlooker, and We
protected it from every accursed devil. Except the one who eavesdrops so a flagrant shooting
star pursues him. As for the earth, We have spread it out and placed in it mountains (lit., firm
pegs) and We caused to grow every balanced thing. We made living places in it for you and
for whoever you cannot at all provide for.
It is clear in the above passage that the main topic was not the earth itself, but Allah’s ability and what He provided for u s
by means of the earth. Certainly, it has a special importance, but it is not the main topic.

ْ َ َ َ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ َ ۡ ‫ َأل َ ۡم تَ َر َأ َّنه‬٢٢٤ ‫ۥن‬

َ َۡ َّ ٓ ُّ
‫ إِال ٱَّلِين ءامنوا‬٢٢٦ ‫ َوأنه ۡم َيقولون َما ال َيف َعلون‬٢٢٥ ‫ك َوا ٖد يَ ِهيمون‬ ‫ِف‬
ِ ِ ‫م‬ ‫َوٱلش َع َراء يَتبِعهم ٱلغاو‬
َ َ َ َ َّ َ ْ ٓ َ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َ ْ َ َۡ ْ َ َ َ ‫َ َ ْ َّ ٰ َ ٰ َ َ َ ْ َّ َ َ ا‬
٢٢٧ ‫ب يَنقل ِبون‬
ٖ ‫ت وذكروا ٱلِل كثِۡيا وٱنتَصوا ِم ۢن بع ِد ما ظل ِموا وسيعلم ٱَّلِين ظلموا أي منقل‬ ِ ‫وع ِملوا ٱلصل ِح‬

The poets, those who are lost in error follow them! Did you not see that they wander
aimlessly in every valley, and that they say what they do not do? Except for those who believe
and did righteous deeds and they mentioned Allah often and were given victory after they
were wronged. Those who wrong will come to know what place of return they will go back to.
Notice that the topic of the passage is the same as the ‫مبتدأ‬: the poets. The conversation revolves around them, as opposed
to subject of the earth in the previous passage, where the conversation was revolving around Allah’s ability to create.

28
6.4 ‫ مفعول به مقدم‬VS ‫مشغول عنه‬
‫ مشغول عنه‬may look like it is very similar to a ‫ ;مفعول به مقدم‬grammatically, the only different is ‫ – الشاغل‬the
pronoun that refers back to the ‫مشغول عنه‬. However, the rhetorical purpose is drastically different. Recall
that ‫ تقديم اللفظ لَع اعمله‬creates the meaning of exclusivity, which is not at all the purpose of ‫املشغول عنه‬.

َ َ َّ َ َ َّ
٥ ‫اك ن ۡس َتعِني‬ ‫اك ن ۡعبد ِإَوي‬ ‫إِي‬

We worship you alone and seek assistance from you alone

29
 َّ ‫انلَّ ْع ت‬
ِّ َ‫الس ب‬
CHAPTER 7 - ‫ب‬
7.0 RECOMMENDED REVIEW
✓ ‫( الموصوف والصفة‬Chapter 4.5 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

✓ Rules of an Outside Doer (Chapter 6.3 – Beginning ‫)نحو‬

✓ ‫ أسماء‬That Behave Like ‫( أفعال‬Chapter 12.3 – ‫)رصف‬

✓ Compound ‫( صفة‬Chapter 13 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬

7.1 INTRODUCTION
Recall that a ‫ صفة‬can appear, either in the form of a single word, a fragment, or a sentence. With every
type of ‫ صفة‬we have learned thus far, the ‫ موصوف‬always comes before the ‫صفة‬. In this chapter, we will
learn ‫انلعت السبب‬, a structure that breaks this pattern. (‫ نعت‬is an alternate word for ‫صفة‬.)

7.2 GRAMMATICAL STRUCT URE OF ‫انلعت السبِب‬

Compare the two following examples:

ُ ْ َ َّ ٌ َ َ
‫هذا َر ُجل ات َسخت َمالب ُسه‬
This is a man whose clothing became dirty.

ُ ٌ َ َّ ٌ َ َ
‫هذا َر ُجل ُمتسخة َمالب ُسه‬
This is a dirty-clothed man.
The two examples translate similarly in English, but their grammatical structures differ. In the first of the
ُ has a standard compound ‫ صفة‬in which a ‫ مجلة فعلية‬is describing it.
two examples, the word ‫رجل‬

The second example is similar to the first. There is, however, one key difference. Recall from our ‫رصف‬
studies that some ‫ أسماء‬can act like a ‫ فعل‬in that they can take a ‫ مفعول به‬or a ‫فاعل‬. In this case, the ‫اسم فاعل‬
(‫ )متسخة‬replaces and functions like the ‫)اتسخت( فعل‬. The word following it (‫ )مالبسه‬is still its ‫فاعل‬.

ُ ٌ َّ ٌ
In the second example, the phrase (‫مالبسه‬ ‫ )رجل متسخة‬is a structure called ‫انلعت السبب‬. Let us take a look at
several examples of ‫ نعت سبب‬then let us record our observations regarding the grammatical rules of this
structure.

30
 ُ ْ َ َّ َ َ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ ُ ْ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ
‫َم َر ْرنا بالق ْر َية الظالم أهل َها‬ ‫الم أهل َها‬ ‫رأيت القرية الظ‬ ‫يه الق ْر َية الظال ُم أهل َها‬ ‫هذه‬
I passed by the village whose I saw the village whose This is the village whose
people are oppressive. people are oppressive people are oppressive.

َُْ َ َ َُْ ً ً َ ُ ََْ َُْ ٌ َ َ

‫َم َر ْرنا بق ْر َية ظالم أهل َها‬ ‫ظالما أهل َها‬ ‫ت ق ْرية‬‫رأي‬ ‫هذه ق ْر َية ظال ٌم أهل َها‬
I passed by a village whose I saw a village whose people This is a village whose
people are oppressive. are oppressive people are oppressive.
Notice how:
ُ
➢ the status of ‫ أهلها‬remains constant in all examples
➢ the ‫ اعئد‬on ‫ أهلها‬goes back to ‫القرية‬
➢ the status of ‫ ظالم‬follows the status of ‫قرية‬
➢ the type of ‫ ظالم‬follows the type of ‫قرية‬
➢ ‫ ظالم‬does not match the gender of ‫قرية‬
➢ ‫ الظالم‬is singular, despite its ‫ )أهلها( فاعل‬being plural

THE LOGIC BEHIND THE RULES

Think of the parts of ‫ انلعت السبب‬as follows:

‫فاعل‬ pseudo-‫موصوف‬

َ‫الظالم أَ ْهلُها‬
َّ َ ْ َ
‫القرية‬

pseudo-‫فعل‬

The grammar rules for ‫ انلعت السبب‬are as follows:

PSEUDO-‫ فعل‬RULES: Follows all the same rules as a normal ‫ فعل‬and ‫فاعل‬

o the ‫ فعل‬must be SINGULAR (‫ هو‬or ‫ يه‬form)

o the ‫ فاعل‬MATCHES the ‫ فعل‬in GENDER
o the ‫ فاعل‬must come AFTER the ‫فعل‬
o the ‫ فاعل‬must be in the ‫ رفع‬STATUS

PSEUDO-‫ موصوف‬RULES: The psuedo-‫ موصوف‬will dicatate the STATUS and TYPE of the pseudo-‫فعل‬

31
7.3 RHETORICAL IMPLICA TIONS OF ‫انلعت السبِب‬
As mentioned previously, the ‫ نعت سبب‬structure bears resemblance to the complex ‫ صفة‬structure. So
what distinguishes one from the other in terms of usage and meaning?

‫ انلعت السبب‬is unique because there are two descriptive relationships happening within a single
construction. Let’s take a look at the first example from the chapter to see how this works.

ُ ٌ َ َّ ٌ
‫َر ُجل ُمتسخة َمالب ُسه‬

a dirty-clothed man
Here, dirty (‫ )متسخة‬is describing the clothes (‫)مالبسه‬, which is the word that comes after it. It does not describe the word that
comes before it, as is the case with normal ‫ صفة‬constructions. Additionally, the construction ‫ متسخة مالبسه‬as a whole is
describing the man. These are the two descriptive relationships in a single construction. The second word describes the
third. The second and third word together describe the first.

ُ ْ َ َّ َ
‫الق ْريَة الظ الم أهل َها‬

the town whose people are oppressive (lit., the oppressive-peopled town)
Here, oppressive (‫ )الظالم‬is describing the people (‫)أهلها‬, which is the word that comes after it. It does not describe the word
that comes before it, as is the case with normal ‫ صفة‬constructions. Additionally, the construction ‫ الظالم أهلها‬as a whole is
describing the man. These are the two descriptive relationships in a single construction. The second word describes the
third. The second and third word together describe the first.

32
 CHAPTER 8 - ‫الفعل املايض واملضارع‬
8.0 RECOMMENDED REVIEW
‫( الجملة ر‬Chapter 14 – Advanced ‫)نحو‬
✓ ‫الشطية‬

8.1 INTRODUCTION TO ‫الفعل الماَض‬

Our study of ‫ الفعل املايض‬will be split into two categories:

1) Standard Usage
2) Non-Standard Usage

Standard usage is when the ‫ فعل ماض‬is used according to its expected grammatical function – to express
an action occurring in the past. Even within standard usage, the ‫ فعل ماض‬can serve a variety of
implications.

Non-standard usage is when the ‫ فعل ماض‬translates as something other than the past-tense.

8.2 STANDARD USAGE OF ‫الفعل الماَض‬

PLAIN PAST
Plain past refers to the standard usage of the ‫فعل ماض‬. Within plain past, the ‫ فعل ماض‬can be used to talk
about events that occurred in the RECENT PAST as well as events that occurred in the DISTANT PAST.

Take a look at an example of each.

ۡ ۡ َ َ َۡۡ َ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َّ َۡ
َ
١٨ ... ‫َض أحدهم ٱلموت قال إ ِ ِّن تبت ٱلَٰٔـن‬َ ‫ِت إذا ح‬ ِ ‫ٱلسي ِ َئ‬
ِ ٰٓ ‫ات ح‬
َّ ‫ون‬ ِ ‫َولي َس‬
‫ت ٱلوبة ل َِّلِين يعمل‬

Repentance is not for those who do evil until a time when death comes to one of them, then he
says, “I have repented now.”
In this ayah, ‫ ت بْت‬is being used to talk about an event occurring in the recent past.

ۡ
َ ‫ٱۡلق إ َّن ِف َذٰل َِك ٓأَليَ اة ل ِۡلم ۡؤ ِمن‬ َ َ ۡ َ ٰ َ ٰ َ َّ َّ َ َ َ
٤٤ ‫ِني‬ ِ ِ ٖۚ ِ َ ِ ‫ت وٱۡلۡرض ب‬ِ ‫خلق ٱلِل ٱلسمو‬

He created the skies and the earth with truth and purpose. No doubt, there is a sign for the
believers in that.
َ َ
In this ayah, ‫ خ ل َق‬is used to talk about an event that occurred in the distant past.

A brief glance at the context can help determine whether the RECENT PAST or the DISTANT PAST is intended.

33
REPEATED PAST
The ‫ ماض‬can be used to talk about an action that occurred repeatedly in the past. Take a look at the
following examples.

َ ۡ َ َ َ َ َٰ ٰ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ِ ۡ َ ٰ َ َ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ٰ َّ َ َ َ
٩٣ ... ۡۖ‫حت لك ۡم‬‫ت ر ِّب ونص‬
ِ ‫ل‬ ‫س‬ِ ‫ر‬ ‫م‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ت‬‫غ‬ ‫فتوِل عنهم وقال يقوم لقد أبل‬

Then he turned away from them and said, “My people, I have certainly delivered the messages of
my Master to you and I have advised you.”
Here, Shuaib (AS) is saying that he delivered the message and advised his people. There is no doubt that these actions
occurred repeatedly, not just once.

ۡ َ ‫ات ك‬
٩٩... ٖ‫َشء‬
َ ََ
‫ب‬‫ن‬ ‫ۦ‬ِ ‫ه‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬‫ن‬َ ‫ٱلس َمآءِ َما ٓ اء فَأ َ ۡخ َر ۡج‬
َّ ‫نز َل م َِن‬َ َّ َ
َ ‫ِي أ‬
ٓ ‫وه َو ٱَّل‬
ِ ِ
He is the one who sent down water from the sky, then We brought forth plants of all sorts using
it.
The sending down of rain is an action that has occurred repeatedly.

َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َّ َ َّ ۡ ۡ َ ٰ َ َ ‫ٱلرسل فَ َّض ۡل َنا َب ۡع َضه ۡم‬

ُّ ‫ك‬َ ۡ
ٖۚ ٖ ٰ ‫ض مِنهم من ُكم ٱلِلۖۡ ورفع بعضهم درج‬
٢٥٣ ... ‫ت‬ ٖٖۘ ‫لَع بع‬ ‫ت ِل‬

Those are the messengers, We preferred some of them over others. Among them are those who
Allah spoke to and He raised some of them in ranks.
The messengers that Allah spoke to were spoken to on more than one occasion.

Remember that ‫ مضارع‬+ ‫ اكن‬can also be used to express a continuous, past-tense action. This template is
commonly translated as “used to …” or “was …ing”.

The difference between ‫مضارع‬+‫ اكن‬and the regular ‫ ماض‬is that ‫مضارع‬+‫ اكن‬indicates a habit or a continuous
action.

SINGULAR PAST
The ‫ ماض‬can also be used to talk about a singular event – an action that occurred only once. Take a look
at the following examples.

34
 َ ۡ ۡ ‫َٰ َ َ ا‬ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ٰ َ ٰ َ َّ َّ َ َ َ
٤٤ ‫ق إِن ِِف ذل ِك ٓأَلية ل ِلمؤ ِمن ِني‬
ٖۚ ِ ‫ت وٱۡلۡرض ب ِٱۡل‬ِ ‫خلق ٱلِل ٱلسمو‬

He created the skies and the earth with truth and purpose. No doubt, there is a sign for the
believers in that.
The creation of the skies and the earth was a single event.

‫َ ا َ َ َ ٰ َّ َ ا‬ َ ۡ َ
٧٩ ‫َف ب ِٱلِل ِ ش ِهيدا‬ ِ ‫ َوأ ۡر َسل َنٰك ل َِّلن‬...
‫اس رسوال وك‬

And We send you to the people as a messenger. And Allah is enough as a witness.
The messenger ‫ ﷺ‬was sent once. This ayah described a singular event.

Note that ‫ ماض‬+ ‫ اكن‬can also be used to indicate a singular, past event. Take a look at the following
example.
َ ََ ۡ
١١٦ ... ‫ إِن كنت قلتهۥ فق ۡد عل ِۡم َتهۥ‬...

If I said it even once, you would already know it.

Here, Isa (AS) is saying that had he said it EVEN ONCE , Allah would already know it. ‫ ماض‬+ ‫ َكن‬indicates a single occurrence.

8.3 NON-STANDARD USAGE OF ‫الفعل الماَض‬

Non-standard usage of ‫ الفعل املايض‬covers cases in which the ‫ فعل ماض‬is not necessarily translated as one.

DU’A
The past-tense can be used when making du’a for someone. It can be used either positively or
negatively.
َ َ ُ َََ
َ ‫ َش‬or ‫ك‬ َ ُ َ َ ً ْ ‫اهلل َخ‬
ُ ‫فاك‬
A positive example would be ‫اهلل‬ ‫ غفر اهلل ل‬or ‫اهلل فيْك‬ ‫ بارك‬or ‫ريا‬ ُ ‫اك‬ َ ‫ج َز‬.
َ

ُ ‫لَ َعنَ ُه‬.

A negative example would be ‫اهلل‬

َ ۡ َ ٓ َٰ ۡ َ
١٧ ‫نسن َما أكف َرهۥ‬‫ٱۡل‬
ِ ‫قتِل‬
May the human be cursed. How disbelieving he is!
The ‫ فعل ماض‬in this ayah is not literal. It is being used as a du’a. For this reason, it translates as “May the human be cursed”
rather than “The human was cursed”.

35
PROMISES AND WARNINGS
The ‫ ماض‬can be used to make promises or to issue warnings. Though both promises and warnings are
events that are to occur in the future, the past is used as a form of emphasis or ‫ توكيد‬as though to say
that it is so sure to happen, it is as though it is already done.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ ‫ك ٱلۡم ۡس َت ۡهزء‬
٩٥ ‫ِين‬
َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َ َّ
‫إِنا كفين‬
ِ
Certainly WE will protect you against the mockers.
In this ayah, Allah is making a promise to his Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. He uses the ‫ ماض‬as a form of assurance and emphasis.

‫ۡ َ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ُّ َ َ ا َ َ ۡ َ َ ُّ َّ َ َ َ َ ُّ ۡ َ ا‬ َ ۡ َ َ ََ
ٰٓ ‫وناد‬
ٰ
٤٤ ... ۡۖ‫ى أصحب ٱۡلنةِ أصحب ٱنلارِ أن قد وجدنا ما وعدنا ربنا حقا فهل وجدتم ما وعد ربكم حقا‬ ٰ

And the people of Jannah will call out to the people of hell saying, “We have found what our
Master promised us to be true, so did you find what your Master promised to be true?”
This ayah describes a scene in the afterlife. The ‫ ماض‬is often used to describe such scenes to emphasize that they are sure
to occur. This emphasis also serves as a warning.

َ َ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َّ ٓ َ َّ َۡ َ َ َّ ‫ٱلصور فَ َصع َق َمن ِف‬

ُّ ‫َونف َخ ِف‬
‫ يَنظرون‬ٞ‫ى فإِذا ه ۡم ق َِيام‬ ‫ۡرض إِال َمن شا َء ٱلِلۖۡ ث َّم ن ِفخ فِيهِ أخر‬
ِ ‫ت َو َمن ِِف ٱۡل‬
ِ ٰ ‫ٱلسمٰو‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ
٦٨

And the horn will be blown in to and whoever is in the skies and whoever is in the earth will fall
down unconscious. Then it will be blown into again, and suddenly, they will be standing and
watching.
This ayah describes a scene on the day of judgement. The ‫ ماض‬is often used to describe such scenes to emphasize that
they are sure to occur. This emphasis serves as a warning.

When the ‫ ماض‬is used for promises or warnings, it translates as a ‫مضارع‬. A device of emphasis such as
“certainly” or “no doubt” can also be added to capture the rhetorical implication that comes with using
the ‫ ماض‬to describe a future event.

36
‫صلة الموصول‬
When a ‫ فعل ماض‬appears in a ‫ صلة املوصول‬it can be translated EITHER as a ‫ ماض‬or as a ‫ مضارع‬depending on
context and flow.

Take a look at the following examples

َ َ َ ‫َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ا َّ َ َ ٓ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ٰ ا‬
َ ‫ال إنَِّن م َِن ٱلۡم ۡس لِم‬
٣٣ ‫ني‬ ِ ِ ِ ‫ومن أحسن قوال مِمن دٗع إِِل ٱلِل ِ وع ِمل ص ل ِحا وق‬

And who is better in terms of speech that the one who calls toward Allah and does good and says,
“Certainly I am from among those who submit.”
Here, the ‫ أفعال‬in the ‫ صلة‬are all ‫ماض‬. However, it would not make sense to say that these actions occurred only in the past
and are no longer occurring. These ‫ أفعال‬are translated in the present tense.

َۡ ۡ ‫َ ا‬ َ َ َ َۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ َّ
٢ ‫ٱۡل َي ٰوة َِلَ ۡبل َوك ۡم أيُّك ۡم أ ۡح َسن ع َمٗل َوه َو ٱل َع ِزيز ٱلغفور‬‫ٱَّلِي خلق ٱلموت و‬

The one who created death and life to test you which of you is best in terms of actions, and He is
the Mighty and the Forgiving.
The contents of the ‫ صلة‬in this ayah clearly describe a past event. In this case, the ‫ ماض‬is translated as is.

‫ م ن حيث‬/ ‫حيث‬
When a ‫ فعل ماض‬follows the word ‫حيث‬, it can be translated EITHER as a ‫ ماض‬or as a ‫ مضارع‬depending on
ُ ُ
context and flow. ‫ َحيْث‬means “wherever.” ‫ م ْن َحيْث‬means “from the place where”.

Take a look at the following examples.

ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٰٓ َ َ ۡ َ
٣٥ ... ‫ٱۡل َّنة َولُك مِن َها َرغ ًدا َح ۡيث شِئت َما‬ ۡ ‫ادم‬
‫ٱسكن أنت وزوجك‬ ‫وقلنا يـ‬

We said, “O Adam, live, you and your wife in Jannah and eat from it freely wherever you want.”
Allah is speaking to Adam and Hawa (AS) and telling them how they should live in Jannah. The speech revolves around
their future in Jannah. For this reason, the word after ‫ حيث‬makes most sense translated in the ‫مضارع‬.

ۡ َ َۡ ۡ ۡ ََ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ
١٩١ ... ‫َوٱقتلوه ۡم َح ۡيث ثقِفتموهم وأخ ِرجوهم مِن حيث أخرجوكم‬
ۡ َ

Kill them wherever you find them and expel them from the place where they expelled you.
The first ‫ حيث‬appears in the context of a command concerning the present and the future. The second ‫ حيث‬appears in the
context of what happened to the Muslims.

37
 َ َ ْ َ َ َ
٦٨ ... ‫َول َّما دخلوا م ِۡن َح ۡيث أ َم َره ۡم أبوهم‬

And when they entered from the place where their father commanded them…
The context of this ayah is the story of the journey of Yusuf’s brothers to Egypt. Their father commanded them to enter
Egypt from a specific entrance BEFORE they departed. For this reason, it is translated in the past.

‫همزة التسوية‬
َ ٌ َ
The words ‫واء لَع‬ ‫ س‬are almost always followed by a ‫همزة‬, a ‫فعل ماض‬, the word ‫أم‬, and another ‫فعل ماض‬. This
template is known as ‫ همزة التسوية‬and translates as “It is the same for x, whether… or …” The ‫ أفعال‬that
appear in this template translate as ‫مضارع‬.

Take a look at the following examples to understand how this template is structured and translated.

َ ۡ َ َ َۡ َ َ َ َ َ ٓ ْ َ َ َ َّ َّ
٦ ‫ِين كفروا َس َوا ٌء عل ۡي ِه ۡم َء أنذ ۡرته ۡم أم ل ۡم تنذ ِۡره ۡم ال يؤمِنون‬
‫إِن ٱَّل‬

Certainly those who disbelieve, it is the same for them, whether you warn them or do not warn
them, they will not believe.

َ َ َ َۡ َ ََ ََ ٓ َّ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ
١٩٣ ‫ى ال يَتبِعوك ۡم َس َوا ٌء عل ۡيك ۡم أ دع ۡوتموه ۡم أم أنت ۡم ص ٰ ِمتون‬ ‫ِإَون ت ۡدعوهم إِِل ٱلهد‬

And if you invite them to guidance, they will not follow you. It is the same for them whether you
invite them or whether you are silent.

َ ‫سق‬ َۡ َ َۡ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ ٌ ٓ َ َ
ۡ َ َ َّ ‫ٱلِل لَه ۡم إ َّن‬
٦ ‫ني‬ِ ِ ٰ‫ٱلِل ال َيهدِي ٱلق ۡوم ٱلف‬ ِ ‫سواء علي ِهم أ ستغفرت لهم أم لم تستغفِر لهم لن يغفِر‬

It is the same for them whether you seek forgiveness for them or do not seek forgiveness for
them. Allah will not forgive them. Certainly, Allah, He does not guide a corrupt nation.

‫لوال‬
َ َ
Recall that ‫ ل ْوال‬means “why not…?” or “if only…” When ‫ ل ْوال‬is followed by a ‫فعل ماض‬, it can translate either
as ‫ ماض‬or ‫مضارع‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

38
 َ َ َ ٰٓ َ ٓ َ ۡ َّ َ ٓ َ ۡ َ َ َ َ َ
١٠ ... ‫يب‬
ٖ ِ‫ب لوال أخرت ِِن إِِل أج ٖل قر‬ ِ ‫ فيقول ر‬...
Then he will say, “My Master, why don’t you reprieve me for a little while…?”
The request being made is a request regarding the present. For this reason, it makes most sense to translate it as ‫مضارع‬.

٣١ ‫يم‬
َ ََۡ ۡ َۡ َ َ ٰ َ َ ‫َوقَالوا ْ ل َ ۡو َال نز َل َهٰ َذا ۡٱلق ۡر َءان‬
ِ ‫لَع رج ٖل مِن ٱلقريت‬
ٍ ‫ني ع ِظ‬ ِ
And they said, “Why was this Quran not sent down upon a great man from the two towns?”
The sending down of the Quran is a past event. For this reason it makes most sense to translate it as ‫ماض‬.

‫اۡلملة الَشطية‬
َ
As we learned previously, all of the ‫ أدوات الرشط‬except for ‫ ل ْو‬push the meaning of the ‫ فعل ماض‬to ‫مضارع‬. If
both the ‫ ماض‬and the ‫ مضارع‬translate the same way in a ‫مجلة رشطية‬, this leaves us wondering why one
would be used over the other. Generally, when the ‫ ماض‬is used in a ‫ مجلة رشطية‬it indicates a one-time
event. When the ‫ مضارع‬is used, it indicates a recurring event.

Take a look at the following examples.

َّ َ َ ٓ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ِ ‫ت فَن ِ ِع َّما‬ َ َ َّ ْ ۡ
٢٧١ ... ‫ لك ۡم‬ٞ‫ِه ۖۡ ِإَون َّتفوها َوتؤتوها ٱلفق َرا َء فه َو خ ۡۡي‬ ِ ٰ ‫إِن تبدوا ٱلصدق‬

If you disclose [your] charities, then what a beautiful thing they are. And if you conceal them and
give them to the poor, then it is better for you.
Giving charity publicly and privately are actions that repeat. For this reason, the ‫ مضارع‬is used.

َ ۡ ‫ِت تَنك َِح َز ۡو ًجا َغ‬ َ َ َ َّ

٢٣٠ ... ‫ۡيهۥ‬ ٰ َّ ‫فَإِن َطل َق َها فَٗل َت ُِّل َلۥ ِم ۢن َب ۡعد َح‬

Then if he divorces her, she will not be permissible to him after that until she marries someone
else.
Divorce between couples is not something that is repeated and renewed. For this r eason, the ‫ ماض‬is used.

ٞ َ ٌّ َ َ َّ َّ َ َ َ َ َ َ ِ ‫ َو َمن ي َ ۡشك ۡر فَإ َّن َما ي َ ۡشكر نلِ َ ۡف‬...

١٢ ‫ِن ۡحِيد‬
ِ ‫سهِۖۡۦ ومن كفر فإِن ٱلِل غ‬ ِ

39
 Whoever is grateful, the he is only grateful for his own benefit. And whoever is ungrateful, then
certainly Allah is free of need and worthy of praise and thanks.
Gratitude is something that must be renewed constantly. It is not a one -time event. For this reason, the ‫ مضارع‬is used.
Ingratitude or disbelief, on the other hand, is something that a person falls in. It does not have to b e renewed or refreshed.
For this reason, the ‫ ماض‬is used.

8.3 ‫الفعل المضارع‬

Recall that in terms of standard use, the ‫ فعل مضارع‬is used for the present and future tense. As far as non-
standard use goes, we will be looking at three usages.

U S A G E 1: P A I N T I N G A P I C T U R E
Sometimes, the Quran uses the ‫ مضارع‬when telling a story from the PAST or relaying PAST events. Telling a
past event as though it is occurring in the present captivates the listener and helps them visualize the
event.

Take a look at the following examples.

ٓ َ ٓ َ َ َ َ َۡ َٓ ۡ َ َ َ َۡ ۡ َ ۡ َّ َ ۡ
٤٩ ... ‫اب يذ ِّبون أ ۡب َنا َءك ۡم َوي َ ۡس َت ۡحيون ن َِسا َءك ۡم‬ َ ۡ
ِ ‫ِإَوذ َنينٰكم مِن ءا ِل ف ِرعون يسومونكم سوء ٱلعذ‬
And remember when we saved you from the people of Firaun. They would inflict on you the worst
type of punishment and slaughter your children and let your women live…
Allah is reminding the children of Israel of the trials that they went through. He uses the ‫ مضارع‬to make them recall or
picture the events more vividly.

ٞ َ ٌ َ َ َّ َّ ً َّ َ ۡ َۡ ۡ َ ‫َ َ ۡ َ َ َ َّ َّ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ ٓ َ ٓ ا‬
٦٣ ‫ألم تر أن ٱلِل أنزل مِن ٱلسماءِ ماء فتصبِح ٱۡلۡرض ُمَضة إِن ٱلِل ل ِطيف خبِۡي‬

Have you not seen that Allah sent water down from the sky then the earth becomes green?
Certainly, Allah is subtle and informed.
There is a switch to ‫ مضارع‬part-way through the ayah. The ‫ مضارع‬is used to talk about the earth becoming green to allow
listeners to visualize and appreciate this miracle of nature.

EMPHATIC COMMAND
The ‫ مضارع‬can be used to issue commands. When the ‫ مضارع‬is used for this purpose, it is more emphatic
that a regular ‫أمر‬. The difference between the two is similar to the difference between saying, “Don’t go
to that party” (‫ )أمر‬and “You are not going to that party” (‫)مضارع‬. The latter is more authoritative and
assertive.

40
 َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ ۡ ٰ َ َ َ َ ۡ ََ ۡ ََٓ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ََٰ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ
٨٤ ‫ِإَوذ أخذنا مِيثقكم ال تسفِكون دِماءكم وال َّت ِرجون أنفسكم مِن دِي ِركم ثم أقررتم وأنتم تشهدون‬

And remember when we took a pledge from you, “You will not spill your own blood and will not
expel yourselves from you own homes!” Then you acknowledged while witnessing.

َ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ َ َ َٰٓ ۡ ٓ َ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ
٨٣ ... ‫ِإَوذ أخذنا مِيثق ب ِِن إِۡسءِيل ال تعبدون إِال ٱلِل‬

And remember when we took a pledge from the children of Israel, “You will not worship anyone
except for Allah!”

ََََ َ ۡ َ َ َ‫َوٱلۡم َط َّل َقٰت ي‬

ِ ‫َت َّبص َن بِأنف‬
٢٢٨ ... ٖۚ ٖ‫س ِه َّن ثلٰثة قر ٓوء‬

Divorced women should wait by themselves for three periods…

ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ ٰ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ
ِ ‫ني َكمِل‬
٢٣٣ ... ‫ني‬ ِ ‫ضعن أولدهن حول‬ ِ ‫وٱلول ِدت ير‬

Mothers should nurse their children for two full rounds…

ْ
‫إذ‬
When a ‫ فعل مضارع‬follows ‫إذ‬, it can be translated either in the PAST or the FUTURE depending on context.
Generally, if the context is the afterlife, it translates in the future. If the context is a past event, it
translated as a ‫ماض‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ َ ۡ َ ٓ َّ
َ َّ ‫ك َوٱتَّق‬ َ ۡ
٣٧... ‫ٱلِل‬ ِ ‫ِإَوذ تقول ل َِّلِي أنعم ٱلِل عليهِ وأنعمت عليهِ أمسِك عليك زوج‬

When you said to the one who Allah blessed and who you blessed, “Keep your wife and be
conscious of Allah”…
In this ayah, Allah is reminding the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬of the advice he gave Zayd (R) regarding his marriage. This is a past event.
For this reason, the ‫ فعل مضارع‬translates in the past tense.

41
 َ ۡ ُّ َ ۡ َ َ ‫ُّ َ َ ٰٓ ْ َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٓ ْ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ا‬
‫ون َع َّنا نَ ِص ا‬ َ َ ٓ َ ََ ۡ
٤٧ ِ‫يبا م َِن ٱنلَّار‬ ‫حا ُّجون ِِف ٱنلَّارِ ف َيقول ٱلضعفؤا ل َِّلِين ٱستكَبوا إِنا كنا لكم تبعا فهل أنتم مغن‬‫ِإَوذ يت‬

When they will argue with one another in the fire then the weak ones will say to those who were
arrogant, “Certainly, we were your followers, so will you relieve us a share of the fire?”
This ayah talks about a scene that will happen in the afterlife. This is a future event, which is why the ‫ فعل‬after ‫ إذ‬translates
as a ‫مضارع‬.

42
 CHAPTER 9 - "‫الم َع َّرف ب ِـ"ال‬
9.1 INTRODUCTION
We learned previously that ‫ ال‬translates as “the”. We found, however, that ‫ ال‬in Arabic is often used in
places where a “the” in English would not be used or would sound unnatural. This is because the ‫ال‬
serves several functions.

Let us learn about the five most common functions of ‫ال‬.

9.2 THE FUNCTIONS OF ‫ال‬

‫الع َ ه ْ دِ ي َّ ة‬
The word ‫ عهد‬means “familiarity”. This type of ‫ ال‬is used when both the speaker and the listener are
familiar with what is being referred to. It is used to refer to something specific that both the speaker and
the listener know about. This type of ‫ ال‬is generally translated as “the”.

Take a look at the following example.

َ َ َ ََ َ َٰ ۡ َ َۡ ۡ ََ ۡ َ َ َ ََ ۡ َ ََۡ
٤٤ ‫ب أفٗل ت ۡعقِلون‬ ‫نس ۡون أنف َسكم وأنتم تتلون ٱلكِت‬‫َب وت‬ َّ َ
ِِ ‫أتأمرون ٱنلاس ب ِٱل‬
Do you command people to righteousness and forget yourselves while you recite the book. Do
you not comprehend?
Both the speaker (Allah) and the listeners (the children of Israel) know what “the book” is. This is an ‫ال العهدية‬.

ْ
‫ا ۡلِ ن س‬
The word ‫ جنس‬means “category” or “species”. The ‫ ال‬can be used to refer to an entire category or
species, animate or inanimate. When this type of ‫ ال‬is used, a “the” DOES NOT appear in the translation in
most cases. When this type of ‫ ال‬is used, the word often translates as a plural, even if it is grammatically
singular.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ ٓ َ َ ‫َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ا‬
َ ۡ
٨٠ ‫ارا فإِذا أنتم مِنه توق ِدون‬‫َض ن‬‫خ‬ ‫ٱۡل‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ٱلش‬ َ ‫َّٱَّلِي َج َع َل لَكم م‬
‫ِن‬
ِ ِ
The one who made for you fire from green trees , then (surprisingly) you kindle from it.
‫ الشجر اۡلخَض‬is not referring to a specific green tree that is known to everyone. It is referring to the category or species of
green trees (i.e. trees with leaves). Notice that the word “the” is not used in the translations and that it translates as a plural
despite being grammatically singular.

43
 َ ۡ َ َ ‫ِ َّ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ُّ َ ٓ َ َ ُّ َ َ ا‬ َ
٧١ ‫ َوۡل َصل َِب َّنك ۡم ِِف جذوع ٱنلخ ِل ولعلمن أينا أشد عذابا وأبق‬...
ٰ

And I will most certainly crucify you on the trunks of palm trees and you will most certainly
know which of us are more intense in punishment and more ever-lasting.
‫ انلخل‬is not referring to specific palm trees that are known to everyone. It is referring to the category of palm trees as a
whole. Notice that there is no “the” in the translations and that it translates as a plural despite being grammatically
singular.

ْ ْ
‫االس ت ِ غ راق‬
The word ‫ استغراق‬literally means “immersion” or “full inclusion”. ‫ الم االستغراق‬is a type of ‫الم اجلنس‬. The
difference between them is that ‫ الم االستغراق‬is used to include every individual within that category. ‫الم‬
‫ اجلنس‬speaks of the category or species in general, but does not necessarily include every individual
within that category. This type of ‫ ال‬does not translate with a “the”. “All” or “every” may be used to
capture the ‫استغراق‬.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ َ َ ۡ ۡ ‫ يَ ۡو َم يَنظر ٱل ۡ َم ۡرء َما قَ َّد َم‬...
٤٠ ‫ت يَ َداه َويَقول ٱلَكف ِر يٰل ۡي َت ِِن كنت ت َرٰبَۢا‬

…the day on which every man looks at what he put forward and every disbeliever says, “I wish
I was dirt!”
‫ المرء‬and ‫ الَكفر‬are not referring to a specific man or a specific disbeliever nor are they simply referring to the categories of
men and disbelievers. Rather, EVERY man will be looking at their deeds that day. EVERY disbeliever will be wishing that they
were dirt.

‫ۡ َ َ ۡ َٰ َ ا‬ َ َ َ َ َّ
٢٨ ‫نسن ضعِيفا‬‫ٱۡل‬
ِ ‫ِق‬ ‫ل‬‫خ‬‫و‬ ‫م‬‫نك‬‫ع‬ ‫ي ِريد ٱلِل أن ُيفِف‬

Allah wants to lighten your load. And all humans were created weak.
‫ اۡلنسان‬is not referring to a specific human nor is it referring to the category in general. Rather, it is referring to each and
every individual in the category.

To determine whether an ‫ ال‬is ‫ استغراق‬or just plain ‫جنس‬, simply ask if there are exceptions to the
ْ َّ ُ ُ ْ
statement. If there are, it is ‫( جنس‬e.g. ‫انلخل‬ ‫جذ ْوع‬ ‫)يف‬. Otherwise, it is ‫استغراق‬. Remember that ‫ استغراق‬is a
type of ‫جنس‬. This means that every ‫ استغراق‬is also a ‫جنس‬, but not every ‫ جنس‬is an ‫استغراق‬.

44
‫المصادر‬
Ideas are generally proper. The ‫ مصدر‬often appears with an ‫ ال‬on it. This ‫ ال‬does not generally translate.

َ ‫لَع ۡٱۡل‬
َ َ َ ۡ ۡ ْ ُّ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ ۡ َ ٓ َ َ ْ ٓ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ُّ َ ٰٓ َ
َ ٓ ‫ِإَوخ َوٰنَك ۡم أ ۡو َِلَا‬
٢٣... ‫يم ٰ ِ ٖۚن‬ ِ ‫ر‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ك‬‫ٱل‬ ‫وا‬‫ب‬‫ح‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ٱس‬ ‫ن‬
ِ ِ ‫إ‬ ‫ء‬ ‫خذوا ءاباءكم‬
ِ ‫يأيها ٱَّلِين ءامنوا ال تت‬

You who believe, do not take your parents and siblings as protective friends if they prefer
disbelief over faith…
‫ الكفر‬and ‫ اۡليمان‬are ‫ مصادر‬that take an ‫ ال‬that does not translate.

‫اۡلقيقة‬
‫ ال‬can sometimes be used to refer to an individual in a category. This usage of ‫ ال‬is not very common.
When this ‫ ال‬is used, the word translates like a common word without a “the”.

Take a look at the following example.

َ َ َّ ‫ٌ َّ ٓ ا‬ َۡ ۡ َ َ َ َ ْ َ
١٤ ‫قالوا لئ ِ ۡن أكله ٱَّلِئب َوَنن ع ۡص َبة إِنا إِذا لخٰ ِِسون‬

They said, “Surely, if a wolf eats him while we are a strong group, then we would certainly be
losers in that case.”

‫االختصاص‬
In most cases, a ‫ خرب‬is common. When an ‫ ال‬appears on a ‫خرب‬, it can sometimes serve the function of
exclusivity. Take a look at the following example.
َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ َٰ َ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٰ َّ َ ۡ َ َّ َّ َ َ
ٰ
٨٩ ‫ت ُت ِري مِن َتتِها ٱۡلنهر خ ِِلِين فِيها ذل ِك ٱلفوز ٱلع ِظيم‬ٖ ‫أعد ٱلِل لهم جن‬
Allah prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, remaining in them forever. That is
the (only) great success.

45
 CHAPTER 10 - ‫اجل ُ ُم ْوع‬
10.0 RECOMMENDED REVIEW
✓ Plural Patterns (Chapter 13 – ‫)رصف‬

10.1 INTRODUCTION
Recall that there are two types of plurals:
َ ‫ – اجل َ ْم ُع‬sound plurals
1) ‫السال ُم‬
ْ َّ ُ ْ َ
2) ‫اتلكس ْري‬ ‫ – مجع‬broken plurals

Recall that a plural is considered sound when the original form of the word is maintained and an ending
combination is used. A plural is considered broken when additional letters interrupt the original form of
the word.

Many words have both a sound version and one or more broken versions, which gives rise to two
questions that are essential in the study of plurals:

1) When is the sound plural used and when is the broken plural used?
2) Why are there different broken plural patterns and how do they differ in usage and meaning?

Let us find the answer to each of these two questions.

10.2 SOUND VS. BROKEN

Know that the question of sound vs. broken is only relevant when there is an option to use either
version.

As a general principal in ‫بالغة‬, if there are no alternate ways of saying something, there is no sense in
asking why it was said that way and how it may differ from an alternative.

The plural patterns that fall under the category of “no alternative” are the ‫ ظرف‬pattern (‫)مساج ُد‬ َ and the

‫ آلة‬pattern (‫)مصابيْ ُح‬.

َ Our study will primarily involve plural patterns for other ‫ صيَغ‬in ‫ رصف‬like the ‫اسم فاعل‬

and the ‫ اسم صفة‬to name a few.

When it comes to sound vs. broken, there are generally two considerations as to which is used. They
are:
َ
َ ْ ‫والك‬ َّ
1) ‫ْثة‬ ‫ – القلة‬This refers to the range of numbers that that plural falls in. ‫ القلة‬can be anywhere
from 3-10 and ‫ الكْثة‬is more than 10.
ْ َُ ْ َُ
2) ‫ إرادة احلدث – إرادة احلَدث وإرادة االسم َّية‬is when the ‫ اسم‬carries a strong element of action and is
behaving similarly to a ‫فعل‬. ‫ إرادة االسمية‬is when the ‫ اسم‬is used as a noun.

Let us learn about each of these two considerations in more detail.

46
‫القلة والكرثة‬
When it comes to inanimate objects, sound plurals are used for ‫( قلة‬3-10) and broken plurals are used for
‫( كْثة‬11+).

Take a look at the following case study.

‫ٱلض ۡع ِف ب ِ َما‬
ٓ َ َ َ ٰٓ َ ْ َ ‫َ َ َ ا‬ َ َ ‫َو َما ٓ أَ ۡم َوٰلك ۡم َو َالٓ أَ ۡو َلٰدكم بٱلَِّت ت َقربك ۡم ع‬
َ َّ ٰٓ َ ۡ‫ِندنَا زل‬
ِ ‫َف إِال م ۡن َءام َن َوع ِمل صٰل ِحا فأولئِك له ۡم ج َزاء‬ ِ ِ ِ
َ َ ۡ ْ َ
[ ‫ ] سبأ‬٣٧ ‫ت َءامِنون‬ ِ ٰ ‫ع ِملوا َوه ۡم ِِف ٱلغرف‬

Your money and children are not at all what will bring you closer to us, except for the one
who believes and does good deeds. Then those people, they will have double the reward
because of what they did, and they will be safe in rooms.

َ ‫ِيها ن ِۡع َم أ َ ۡجر ٱلۡ َعٰمل‬

] ٥٨ ‫ِني‬ َ ‫ٱۡل َّنةِ غ َر افا َُتۡري مِن ََتۡت َِها ۡٱۡلَنۡ َهٰر َخ ٰ ِِل‬
َ ‫ِين ف‬ َ ۡ ‫ت َنل َبو َئ َّنهم م َِن‬
ِ ٰ َ ‫ٱلصل‬
‫ِح‬ َ ‫َو َّٱَّل‬
ٰ َّ ْ ‫ِين َء َامنوا ْ َو َع ِملوا‬
ِ ِ ِ
[‫العنكبوت‬

Those who believe and do good, we will settle them in rooms in paradise under which rivers
flow, remaining in it forever. And how amazing is the reward of those who work!

َۡ ۡ َۡ َۡ ٞ ٞ َ ٞ َ ْ َ َّ َ َّ َ
[‫ ] الزمر‬٢٠ ... ۡۖ ‫ِين ٱتق ۡوا َر َّبه ۡم له ۡم غ َرف مِن ف ۡوق َِها غ َرف َّم ۡبن َِّية ُترِي مِن َتت َِها ٱۡلن َهٰر‬
‫لٰك ِِن ٱَّل‬

Rather, those who have consciousness of their master, they will have rooms on top of which
there are built rooms under which gardens flow...

َ ُ
Notice that all three of these ayaat include a plural of the word ‫غ ْرفة‬. The ayah in ‫ سورة سبأ‬uses the sound
ُ ُ
plural (‫)غ ُرفات‬, the ‫مجع قلة‬. The in ‫ سورة العنكبوت‬uses the broken plural (‫)غ َرف‬, the ‫مجع كْثة‬, as does the ayah
in ‫سورة الزمر‬.

A look at the context gives us a clue as to why this may be the case.
َ َ َ
1) The ayah in ‫ سبأ‬speaks of those who believe and do good deeds, ‫َم ۡن َء َام َن َوع ِمل صٰل اِحا‬
2) The ayaat in ‫ العنكبوت‬and ‫ الزمر‬both speak of those who migrated for the sake of Allah.

47
 Take a look at the ayaat in ‫ العنكبوت‬and ‫ الزمر‬that speak about migration.

َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ ۡ َ ۡ َ َٓ ۡ َ ُّ ۡ َ َ ٰ َّ َ ٞ َ ٰ َ ِ َ َّ ْ ٓ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ٰ َ
٥٧ ‫ت ثم إَِلنا ترجعون‬ ِ ‫يعِبادِي ٱَّلِين ءامنوا إِن أۡرَض وسِعة فإَِّي فٱعبد‬
ِ ‫ ك نف ٖس ذائِقة ٱلمو‬٥٦ ‫ون‬
َ ٰ َّ ‫ٱلِلِ َوٰس َِع ٌة إ َّن َما ي َو ََّّف‬
َّ َ َ ٞ َ َ َ َ ۡ ُّ َ ْ َ ۡ َ َ َّ ۡ َّ َ ْ َّ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ٰ َ ۡ
‫ٱلص َِبون‬ ِ ‫ۡرض‬ ‫أ‬‫و‬ ‫ة‬‫ن‬ ‫س‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ا‬‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ٱدل‬ ِ ‫ه‬‫ذ‬ِ ٰ ‫ه‬ ‫قل يعِبادِ ٱَّلِين ءامنوا ٱتقوا ربكم ل َِّلِين أحسنوا ِِف‬
١٠ ‫اب‬ َ ‫أَ ۡج َرهم ب َغ ۡۡي ح‬
‫ِس‬
ٖ ِ ِ
Note: when the expansiveness of Allah’s earth is mentioned, it is an encouragement to the oppressed believers to migrate.

The ‫ مجع قلة‬is used for those who believe and do good and the ‫ مجع كْثة‬is used for those who migrate. That
is because those who migrate, the ‫مهاجرون‬, are people who endured immense hardship and who
sacrificed in order to hold on to their faith. These people, the ‫مهاجرون‬, are higher in status than those
who did not have to endure what they endured. For this reason, their reward is greater and the ‫ مجع كْثة‬is
used for them.

‫إرادة اۡلدث و إرادة االس مي ة‬

This rule applies specifically to the ‫ اسم فاعل‬and its plurals.

Recall that we learned that the ‫ اسم فاعل‬can sometime behave and translate like a ‫فعل مضارع‬. This is
known as ‫إرادة احلدث‬. This term simply means that the intended meaning behind using the ‫ اسم فاعل‬was an
action or a ‫حدث‬.

When the ‫ اسم فاعل‬is being used and translated as an ‫اسم‬, this is known as ‫إرادة االسمية‬.

SOUND PLURALS are used for ‫إرادة احلدث‬, when an action is intended.

BROKEN PLURALS are used for ‫إرادة االسمية‬, when the noun is intended.

Take a look at the following case studies.

َ ‫خٰزن‬َ َ ۡ َََٓ َ ‫ٱلس َمآءِ َما ٓ اء فَأَ ۡس َق ۡي‬

َّ ‫نز ۡنلَا م َِن‬َ َ
َ ‫َوأ ۡر َس ۡل َنا ٱلر َي ٰ َح لَ َوٰق َِح فَأ‬
٢٢ ‫ِني‬ ِ ِ ‫ب‬ ‫ۥ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫م‬ ‫نت‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬‫و‬ ‫وه‬‫م‬ ‫ك‬ٰ ‫ن‬ ِ
And We sent the winds as pollinators, then We sent down water from the sky and gave it to
you as drink. And you do not at all store it.
The sound plural of the ‫ خازن‬is used because the focus is the action of storing. Notice that it translates as a ‫مضارع‬.

٤٩ ‫اب‬‫ذ‬
َ َ ۡ َ ‫َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ ۡ ْ َ َّ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ۡ ا‬
‫ع‬ ‫ٱل‬ ‫ِن‬
‫م‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬‫و‬‫ي‬ ‫ا‬‫ن‬‫ع‬ ‫ف‬‫ف‬
ِ ‫ُي‬ ‫م‬ ‫ك‬‫ب‬ ‫ر‬ ‫وا‬‫ع‬ ‫ٱد‬ ‫م‬ ‫ن‬‫ه‬‫ج‬ ‫ة‬
ِ ‫ن‬ ‫ز‬ ِ
‫ۡل‬ ‫ار‬ َ ‫َوقَ َال َّٱَّل‬
َّ‫ِين ِف ٱنل‬
ِ ِ ِ

48
And those who are in the fire will say to the keepers of Hell, “Call upon your master to lighten
the punishment for us for a day!”
The broken plural of the ‫ خازن‬is used because the word ‫ خزنة‬is referring to a group of people. The focus is the people and
not the action. Notice that this translates as an ‫اسم‬.

َ َ َٓ َ َ ََ َ ۡ ٞ ۡ ََ ٓ َ َ َ َ َ
٧١ ... ‫ت َربِك ۡم َوينذِرونك ۡم ل ِقا َء يَ ۡومِك ۡم هٰذا‬
ِ ٰ ‫ َوقال له ۡم خ َزنت َها أل ۡم يَأت ِك ۡم رسل مِنك ۡم َيتلون عل ۡيك ۡم َءاي‬...

And its keepers said to them, “Didn’t messengers from among you come to you reciting the
signs of your master to you and warning you of the meeting of this day of yours?”
The broken plural of the ‫ خازن‬is used because the word ‫ خزنة‬is referring to a group of people. The focus is the people and
not the action. Notice that is translates as an ‫اسم‬.

* * *

َ ‫ٱلِلِ َوبََش ٱلۡم ۡؤ ِمن‬

١١٢ ‫ِني‬
َّ َ
ِ‫حٰ ِفظون ِۡلدود‬
َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ
َ ۡ‫نكر َوٱل‬ ۡ ۡ َ
ِ ‫ٱٓأۡلمِرون ب ِٱل َمعر‬...
ِ ِ ِ ‫وف وٱنلاهون ع ِن ٱلم‬
…those who encourage what is good and forbid evil and those who maintain the boundaries
of Allah… And congratulate the believers.
The sound plural of ‫ حافظ‬is used because the focus is the action of maintaining or protecting. Notice that it takes a ‫متعلق‬
(‫ )ۡلدود الِل‬that translates as a ‫ مفعول به‬just like a ‫ فعل‬would.

َ
١٢ ‫حٰ ِفظون‬ ۡ ‫أَ ۡرس ِۡله َم َع َنا َغ ادا يَ ۡر َت ۡع َو َي ۡل َع‬
َ َ‫ب ِإَونَّا ََلۥ ل‬

Send him with us tomorrow to have fun and play. And we will definitely take care of him.
The sound plural of the ‫ حافظ‬is used because the focus is the action of storing. Notice that it translates as a ‫مضارع‬.

َ َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َّ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٓ َ َ َّ َ ً َ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ
ٰٓ ‫ َوي ۡرسِل عليكم حفظة ح‬...
٦١ ‫ِت إِذا جا َء أحدكم ٱلموت توفته رسلنا وهم ال يفرِطون‬

And he sends upon you guardians until a time when death comes to one of you, our
messengers will take him in full and they will not overlook [anything at all].
The broken plural of the ‫ حافظ‬is used because the word ‫ حفظة‬is referring to a group of people. The focus is the
people and not the action. Notice that this translates as an ‫اسم‬.

49
10.3 BROKEN PLURAL PATT ERNS
Again, broken plurals are used for ‫ إرادة االسمية‬. There are, however, a number of broken plural patters,
each with their unique usages and meanings.

Let us learn some of the most commonly used plural patterns and their unique meanings.
ٌ
‫ف عَّ ال‬
This plural patters denotes ‫ الكْثة‬in the ACTION. Note that this differs from saying that there is a ‫ كْثة‬in the
PEOPLE who do that action.

It is like the difference between saying “He reads a lot” and “A lot of people read”. In the first example
the ‫( كْثة‬the word a lot) is going back to the action, reading. In the second example, the ‫( كْثة‬the word a
lot) is going back to the people carrying out that action.
ٌ ُ
Again, the plural patter ‫ ف َّعال‬indicates a ‫ كْثة‬in the ACTION.

ٌ َّ ُ
The word ‫حفاظ‬, for example, translates as “memorizers”. In order to capture the ‫كْثة‬, rather than saying
“a large number of memorizers,” we would say, “memorizers who memorize a lot.”
ٌ
Similarly, the word ‫ ُز َّراع‬would translate as “people who plant/farm a lot” rather than “a lot of farmers.”

Take a look at the following case study.

َ َّ ۡ َ َ َّ ْ َّ
٣٤ ‫ فلن َيغفِ َر ٱلِل له ۡم‬ٞ‫يل ٱلِلِ ث َّم َماتوا َوه ۡم كفار‬ َ َ ْ ُّ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َّ
ِ ِ ‫إِن ٱَّلِين كفروا وصدوا عن سب‬

َ َ ‫َٰٔـن َو َال َّٱَّل‬ َ َ‫َض أ‬

َ ‫ح َدهم ٱل ۡ َم ۡوت قَ َال إّن ت ۡبت ۡٱل‬ َ َ ‫ِت إذَا َح‬ َّ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َّ َۡ
‫ِين َيموتون َوه ۡم‬ ِِ ِ ٰٓ ‫ات ح‬ ِ ‫ٱلسي ِ َئ‬
َّ ‫ون‬ ِ ‫َولي َس‬
‫ت ٱلوبة ل َِّلِين يعمل‬
‫ا‬ َ ً َ َ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ ٰٓ َ ْ ٌ َّ
١٨ ‫كفار أولئِك أعتدنا لهم عذابا أ َِلما‬

َ ٌ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٰٓ َ ْ ۡ ََ ‫َ َا‬ َۡ ۡ َ َ‫ فَلَن ي ۡق َب َل م ِۡن أ‬ٞ‫ك َفروا ْ َو َماتوا ْ َوه ۡم ك َّفار‬

َ َ َّ َّ
‫م‬ٞ ‫اب أ َِل‬ ٰ ‫ٱف َت َد‬
‫ى ب ِهِۦٓ أولئِك لهم عذ‬ ِ ‫ح ِدهِم مِلء ٱۡل‬
‫ۡرض ذهبا ول ِو‬ ‫إِن ٱَّلِين‬
َ ‫َص‬ ٰ َّ َ ََ
٩١ ‫ين‬ ِ ِ ‫وما لهم مِن ن‬

َ ۡ َ ِ َّ‫كةِ َوٱنل‬
َ ‫مجع‬
١٦١ ‫ني‬
َ ٰٓ َ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ َ ٰٓ َ ْ ٌ َّ ۡ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َّ
ِ ‫اس أ‬ ِ ‫إِن ٱَّلِين كفروا وماتوا وهم كفار أولئِك علي ِهم لعنة ٱلِل ِ وٱلملئ‬
َّ ُ
As seen in the ayaat above, the plural ‫ كفار‬is often used in the context of death. Remember the plural
ُ
pattern ‫ ف َّعال‬indicates ‫ كْثة‬in an action. By the time a person reaches the stage of death, they have
ُ
engaged in a lot of disbelief. For this reason, the ‫ ف َّعال‬pattern is used.

50
 َّ ُ
The word ‫ كفار‬is also often used in ayaat that were revealed in Al-Madina. Again, at this stage in the
seerah of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, the disbelievers have been engaged in ‫ كفر‬for long enough to warrant the
ُ
use of the ‫ ف َّعال‬pattern.

ۡ ۡ ََ ۡ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َّ ۡ َ َ ُّ ََ
٧٣ ... ‫يٰٓأيها ٱنل ِِب ج ِه ِد ٱلكفار وٱلمنفِقِني وٱغلظ علي ِهم‬
ٰ ٰ ُّ َّ

O prophet, struggle against the hypocrites and be severe with them…

This ayah appears in ‫ سورة الوبة‬which was revealed in the late madani stages, soon before the conquest of Makkah.

َّ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٰ‫ فَإ ۡن َعل ِۡمتموه َّن م ۡؤم َِن‬...

١٠ ... ِ‫جعوه َّن إِِل ٱلكفار‬
ِ ‫ت فٗل تر‬ٖ ِ
Then if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers.
This ayah appears in ‫ سورة الممتحنة‬which was revealed in Al-Madina in the context of women who used to flee from Makkah
and take refuge in Al-Madina.

ََٓ َّ ۡ َ َ ٓ َ َ ‫ٱلِل ِ َو َّٱَّل‬

َّ ٞ َ ُّ
٢٩ ... ۡۖ‫ۡحاء بَ ۡي َنه ۡم‬ ‫ِين َم َعه ٓۥ أش َِّداء لَع ٱلكفارِ ر‬ ‫ُّم َّمد َّرسول‬

Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. And those who are with him are harsh against the
disbelievers and merciful amongst themselves…
This ayah appears in ‫ سورة الفتح‬which was revealed in the madani period after ‫اۡلديبية‬.

ٌ َ َ َ
‫فعلة‬
This plural pattern lacks action or movement. It is used to refer to a specific classification or
categorization of people. When this pattern is used, the focus is on the occupation, label, or
classification of that particular group.

Take a look at the following examples.

ۡ
ٞ ‫ج َس َألَه ۡم َخ َز َنت َها ٓ َأل َ ۡم يَأت ِك ۡم نَذ‬
٨ ‫ِير‬ ٞ ‫ِيها فَ ۡو‬
َ ‫قف‬ ۡ َّ
َ ِ ‫ ُك َما ٓ أل‬...

Whenever a crowd is thrown in it, its keepers ask them, “Didn’t a warner come to you?”
Here, the focus of the word is their occupation or label as gatekeepers.

51
 ً َ َ ََ
٦١ ... ‫ َوي ۡرسِل عل ۡيك ۡم َحفظة‬...

And We send guardians over you…

Here, the focus of the word is their role or label as guardians.

َ ‫سجد‬ َ َ َ َّ َ ۡ َ
١٢٠ ‫ِين‬ ِ ٰ ‫ق ٱلسحرة‬ ِ ‫وأل‬
And the magicians were thrown down in prostration.
Here, the focus of the word is their label or classification as magicians.

ٌ ُ ٌ ُ ٌ ُ
Note that the ‫ ناقص‬version of this plural pattern is ‫( فعاة‬e.g. ‫داعة‬, ‫)ر َماة‬

ٌ
‫ف عَّ ل‬
This plural pattern is used to talk about individuals carrying out visibly apparent actions that span over a
short period of time.

Take a look at the following examples.

‫ۡ ا‬ َّ ‫َ َ ۡ ا‬ ‫ا‬ َّ َ
٢٩ ... ۡۖ‫ت َرىٰه ۡم رك اعا س َّجدا يَ ۡب َتغون فضٗل م َِن ٱلِلِ َورِض َوٰنا‬...

You see them in ruku and in prostration seeking favor and pleasure from Allah…
Ruku and sujud are both physical actions that can be seen visibly. They are also actions that do not span over a long
period of time.

َ
‫ف وا ع ِ ل‬
This plural pattern can only be derived from the feminine ‫اسم فاعل‬. This pattern is used for the inanimate.
It often implies stillness or lack of movement.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ ‫َس أَن تَم‬
١٥ ... ‫يد بِك ۡم‬ َ ِ ٰ ‫ۡرض َر َو‬
َۡ َۡ
ٰ َ ‫َوأل‬
ِ ‫ق ِِف ٱۡل‬
ِ

And He cast pegs on earth lest it shake with you…

ٌ
The plural of ‫ را ِس يَة‬is ‫واَس‬
ِ ‫ر‬.َ This means pegs or firm mountains.

َ َ َ ‫اح أَن يَ َض ۡع َن ث َِي‬

َ ۡ ‫ابه َّن َغ‬
َ ‫ۡي م َت ََب‬ ٌ ‫احا فَلَ ۡي َس َعلَ ۡيه َّن ج َن‬ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٰ َّ ِ ٓ َ
‫ِك ا‬ َۡ
‫ينةٖ َوأن‬ ‫جٰت ب ِ ِز‬ ِ ِ ‫َوٱلق َوٰعِد م َِن ٱلنِساء ٱل ِِت ال يرجون ن‬
ٞ ‫يع َعل‬ َّ َ َّ َّ ٞ ۡ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ
ٌ ‫ٱلِل َس ِم‬
٦٠ ‫ِيم‬ ‫يستعفِفن خۡي لهن و‬

52
 And women who are past the age of child bearing who do not desire marriage, then there is
no blame upon them if they take off their outer garments without flaunting their adornment.
And keeping chaste is better for them. And Allah is seeing and knowing.
َ
The plural of ٌ‫ قاع َِد ة‬is ‫ق واعِد‬. This literally means a sitting, stationary woman, or more figuratively, a woman past the age of
child bearing.

َ ۡ
َ ‫كٰفِر‬ َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٰ َ َ ٓ ۡ َ َٰ َ َ ََۡ
َّ ‫اذانِهم م َِن‬
َ ‫ٱلص‬
١٩ ‫ين‬ِ ‫ٱل‬ِ ‫ب‬ ‫ِيُۢط‬ ‫ُّم‬ ‫ٱلِل‬‫و‬ ‫ت‬
ٖۚ ِ ‫و‬‫م‬ ‫ٱل‬ ‫ر‬‫ذ‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ِق‬
ِ ‫ع‬ ‫و‬ ِ ‫َيعلون أصبِعهم ِِف ء‬...
They put their fingers in their earth because of the thunderbolts out of fear of death. And
Allah will encompass the disbelievers.
ٌ َ َ This means a thunderbolt or strike that causes one to fall unconscious.
The plural of ‫ صا عِق ة‬is ‫ص وا عِق‬.

ٌ
‫ف ع ْ ٗلن‬
This pattern is used to express relative ‫قلة‬. In other words, this plural pattern refers to a group that is
small in number relative to another.

Let us look at the comparative case study.

‫ا‬ ‫ا‬ ََ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ
٧٣ ‫ت َرب ِ ِه ۡم ل ۡم ُيِ ُّروا عل ۡي َها صما َوع ۡم َيانا‬
ِ ٰ ‫ِين إِذا ذكِروا أَ‍ِبي‬
‫وٱَّل‬

And those who, when they are reminded of the signs of their master, they do not fall upon
them deaf and blind.
ْ َ
This ayah speaks about ‫عباد الرۡحن‬, which is a group that is small relative to those who are misguided. For this reason, ‫ أ ع َم‬is
ٌ ٌ
pluralized as ‫ع مْ يان‬, following the ‫ ف ْع ٗلن‬pattern. This is the only time in the Quran that ‫ أعم‬is pluralized this way.

ُ
ٌ ْ ‫ع‬.
All other ayaat use the plural ‫م‬ Notice that all of these ayaat are in the context of people of
misguidance and disbelief. This is a relatively larger group.
َ
١٨ ‫جعون‬ ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ٞ ۡ ‫ك ٌم ع‬
ۡ ۢ ُّ
ِ ‫م فهم ال ير‬ ‫صم ب‬

َ َ َ ٞ ۡ ٌ ۡ ۢ ُّ ‫َ َ َ ۡ َ َّ َ ٓ ا َ َ ٓ ا‬ ۡ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ
١٧١ ‫م فه ۡم ال َي ۡعقِلون‬‫ِين كفروا ك َمث ِل ٱَّلِي َينعِق بِما ال يسمع إِال دٗعء ون ِداء صم بكم ع‬
‫ومثل ٱَّل‬

‫ا‬ َ ۡ ٰ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ َ َّ َّ َ َ ۡ ٰ َ ۡ َّ ‫ۡ ۡ ا َ ۡ ا َ ا‬ ٰ َ َ ِ‫َنَشه ۡم يَ ۡو َم ٱلۡقِ َيٰ َمة‬

َۡ َ
٩٧ ‫لَع وجوهِ ِهم عميا وبكما وصماۖۡ مأوىهم جهنمۖۡ ُكما خبت زِدنهم سعِۡيا‬ ‫ و‬...

َ ۡ ُّ َ َ َٰ ۡ َ َّ ۡ ۡ َ َٰ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ َ َََٓ
٨١ ‫م عن ضللت ِ ِهمۖۡ إِن تس ِمع إِال من يؤمِن أَ‍ِبيتِنا فهم مسل ِمون‬ ٰ
ِ ‫وما أنت بِهدِي ٱلع‬

53
 ُّ ٰ َ َ َ َ ََ َۡ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ َ َّ ُّ ۡ َ َََ
٤٠ ‫ني‬
ٖ ِ ‫أفأنت تس ِمع ٱلصم أو تهدِي ٱلعم ومن َكن ِِف ضل ٖل مب‬

Let us take a look at a comparative case study.

َ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ ُّ َ ۡ َ َ
١٦٥ ‫أتأتون ٱَّلكران مِن ٱلعل ِمني‬

Do you approach males of all creatures?

ٌ
This ayah is spoken by Lut (AS) when addressing his people. The ‫ ف ْع ٗلن‬pattern is used because it was a specific group of
men that the people of Lut (AS) used to go after. This group of male s is small in number relative to the broad category or
males.

١٣٩ ... ۡۖ‫ج َنا‬ َ ۡ َ ٰٓ َ َ ‫ُّم َّر ٌم‬

َ َ َ ٞ َ َ َۡ ۡ َ
‫ون ه ٰ ِذه ِ ٱۡلنع ٰ ِم خال َِصة َِّلكورِنا و‬ َ ْ ََ
ِ ٰ ‫لَع أزو‬ ِ ‫وقالوا ما ِِف بط‬
They said, “Whatever is in the stomachs of these cattle is pure for our males and forbidden
for our wives…”
This ayah referring to a superstition of the ‫ مَشكني‬that milk was only okay for males and was forbidden for females. This rule
of theirs was not specific to a certain group of males, rather it was a general rule.

َ َ َ َ َ
‫ف ع ْ َل وف عاِل وف عاِل‬
This plural patter is used for deficiency, calamity, or illness.

Take a look at the following examples.

َ ‫ٱدل َٗع ٓ َء إ َذا َول َّ ۡوا ْ م ۡدبر‬

٥٢ ‫ين‬ ُّ ‫ت َو َال ت ۡسمع‬
ُّ ‫ٱلص َّم‬ ِ
ۡ َ َ َّ َ
ٰ َ ‫ك ال ت ۡس ِمع ٱل َم ۡو‬ ‫فإِن‬
ِِ ِ
Then certainly, you do not make the dead hear nor do you make the blind hear the invitation
when they turn away, giving you their backs.
َ
ٌ ‫م ي‬,
‫ الموت‬is the plural of ‫ت‬ ِ which means “dead person”. It follows this pattern because death is a calamity.

َ َ ْ َ َ ٰ َّ َ ٰ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ َ َ ٰ َ َّ ْ َ ۡ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ َ ُّ َ ٰٓ َ
٤٣... ‫ِت ت ۡعلموا َما تقولون‬‫يأيها ٱَّلِين ءامنوا ال تقربوا ٱلصلوة وأنتم سكرى ح‬

O you who believe, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you understand
what you are saying…
ْ َ
‫ س َكرى‬is the plural of ‫س ك ران‬, which means drunk. It follows this pattern because drunkenness causes deficiency in intellect,
dignity, and behavior.

54
 َّ َ َ ۡ ْ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ۡ َ ٰ َ ۡ َ ٰٓ َ ٰ َ َ ۡ ْ َ َ
ِ ِ ‫وءاتوا ٱَلتم أمولهمۖۡ وال تتبدلوا ٱۡلبِيث ب ِٱلطي‬
٢ ... ‫ب‬

Give orphans their money and do not exchange the pure of the impure.
‫ ي َتاِم‬is the plural of ‫يَت ِيْ ٌم‬, which means orphan. It follows this pattern because losing a parent is considered a calamity.

ٌ
‫ف ع َ ٗلء وف ِعال‬
ُ ‫ُف َع‬
Both of these patterns are plural patterns for the ‫اسم صفة‬. The difference between them is that the ‫الء‬
ٌ
pattern is used in METAPHORICAL contexts while the ‫ فعال‬pattern is used in LITERAL contexts.

۠ َ َّ َ ُّ َ َ َ َ َ ٓ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٓ َّ ٓ َ َّ َ ْ َ َ
٦٧ ‫ٱلسبِيٗل‬ ‫وقالوا ربنا إِنا أطعنا سادتنا وكَباءنا فأضلونا‬

They said, “Our Master, certainly, we obeyed our masters and noblemen, then they misguided
us from the path”.
‫ كَباء‬is the plural of ‫كبۡي‬. The ‫ فعٗلء‬pattern is chosen over the ‫ فعال‬pattern, because the meaning is non-literal. These people
are not physically big. Rather, they are big in status and social rank.

َ ۡ ُّ َ ۡ َ َ ‫ُّ َ َ ٰٓ ْ َّ َ ۡ َ ۡ َ ٓ ْ َّ َّ َ ۡ َ َ ا‬
‫ون َع َّنا نَ ِص ا‬ َ َ ٓ َ ََ ۡ
٤٧ ِ‫يبا م َِن ٱنلَّار‬ ‫حا ُّجون ِِف ٱنلَّارِ ف َيقول ٱلضعفؤا ل َِّلِين ٱستكَبوا إِنا كنا لكم تبعا فهل أنتم مغن‬‫ِإَوذ يت‬

And when they are arguing in the fire, then the weak say to those who were arrogant, “We
certainly used to be followers for you, so will you protect us from some of the fire?”
‫ ضعفاء‬is the plural of ‫ضعيف‬. The ‫ فعٗلء‬pattern is chosen over the ‫ فعال‬pattern, because the meaning is non-literal. These
people are not physically weak. Rather, they are blind followers who are mentally weak.

َّ
٤١ ... ِ‫يل ٱلِل‬ ‫ب‬ َ ‫جٰهدوا ْ بأَ ۡم َوٰل ِك ۡم َوأَنفسِك ۡم ِف‬
‫س‬ َ ‫افا َوث َِق ااال َو‬
‫ْ َ ا‬
‫ٱنفِروا خِف‬
ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ
Go forth light or heavy and strive with your wealth and yourselves in the path of Allah…
This ayah appears in the context of the battle of. ‫خفاف‬, the plural of ‫ خفيف‬refers to people who have no armor and are
travelling light. ‫ ثقال‬refers to those who are wearing armor. This is a physical lightness and heaviness, which is why the ‫فعال‬
pattern is used.

َ َ َ َ َّ ‫َۡۡ َ َ ا‬ َّ
١٢ ‫اب ٱل ِقال‬‫َبق خ ۡوفا َو َط َم اعا َوينشِ ئ ٱلسح‬ ‫ه َو ٱَّلِي يرِيكم ٱل‬

He is the one who shows you lightning causing fear and hope and He generated heavy clouds.
‫ ثقال‬is the plural of ‫ثقيل‬. The ‫ فعال‬pattern is chosen over the ‫ فعٗلء‬pattern, because the meaning is literal. Rain clouds are
physically heavy.

55
 ُ ‫ ُف َع‬pattern becomes ‫الء‬
Note that the ‫الء‬ ُ ‫ أَفْع‬when the word is ‫ مضاعف‬or ‫ناقص‬. For example, the plural of
ُ ‫أَش َّد‬. The plural ‫ قَوي‬would be ‫ياء‬
‫ شديد‬would be ‫اء‬ ُ ‫أَقْو‬. The ‫ فعال‬pattern looks the same.

‫لَع وزن المصد ر‬

The ‫ مصدر‬patterns can sometimes be used as a plural pattern. When this happens, it implies that the
people belonging to this group are carrying out the action in its TRUE SENSE or its LITERAL SENSE. For
ٌ ُ ُ ُ
example, ‫ج ْود‬‫ س‬is a ‫ مصدر‬pattern that means “prostration”. When ‫السج ْود‬ is used as a plural, it means
َ ْ َ
people who make TRUE ‫سجدة‬.

ٌ ‫ق‬. The word ‫قام‬

An example of this plural pattern being used to denote something LITERAL would be ‫يام‬ َ can

mean to stand [lit.] or it can mean to stand in prayer [fig]. When the literal meaning is intended, the
َ
‫ مصدر‬pattern (‫ )قيام‬is used. When the figurative meaning is intended, the normal plural (‫ )قائ ُم ْون‬is used.

Take a look at the following examples.

ُّ ِ‫ٱلر َّكع‬
٢٦ ِ‫ٱلسجود‬ َ ‫ني َوٱلۡ َقآئم‬
ُّ ‫ني َو‬ ِِ
َ ‫ِلطآئف‬ َ ِ ‫ َو َط ِه ۡر َب ۡي‬...
ِ ِ َّ ‫ِت ل‬

…and purify my house for those who do tawaf and for those who stand [in prayer] and for
those who do ruku and true prostration.
The ‫ مصدر‬pattern is used for ‫ سجود‬to express that these people are doing ‫ سجود‬in its true sense, meaning that their
prostration is full of humility and ‫خشوع‬.

َۡ َ َ َّ ‫ون ِف َخ ۡلق‬
َ َّ َ َ َ َ ۡ َ َ َ ‫َ َّ َ َ ا َ ا‬ ۡ َ َ َّ
ِ ‫ت َوٱۡل‬
١٩١ ... ‫ۡرض‬ ِ ٰ ‫ٱلسمٰو‬ ِ ِ ‫ر‬ ‫ك‬‫ف‬ ‫ت‬‫ي‬ ‫و‬ ‫م‬ ‫ه‬
ِِ ‫وب‬‫ن‬‫ج‬ ٰ
‫لَع‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ود‬‫ع‬‫ق‬‫و‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬ٰ ‫ِي‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ٱلِل‬ ‫ون‬ ‫ر‬‫ك‬‫ذ‬ ‫ٱَّلِين ي‬

Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and on their sides and who think deeply
about the creation of the skies and the earth…
Here “standing” and “sitting” are being used in their literal sense. This is why the ‫ مصدر‬pattern is used.

56
 10.4 SUMMARY

There are two main discussion points when it comes to the topic of plural patterns:

As far as sound vs. broken, the rules differ when

dealing with INANIMATE and ANIMATE . Below is a summary of each plural pattern and its implications.

PATTERN EXAMPLE IMPLICATIONS

ٌ ُ ٌ
‫ف َّعال‬ ‫ار ُز َّراع‬
ٌ ‫ُك َّف‬ doing the action a lot

57
ٌَ َ ٌ َ َ ٌَ َ
‫ف َعلة‬ ‫خ َزنة َحفظة‬ lack of movement, label/classification
ٌ ُ ٌ َّ
✓ Sound indicates smaller amount (‫)قلة‬ ‫ف َّعل‬ ‫ُرك ٌع ُس َّجد‬ visibly apparent action, short-term
‫ر‬
✓ Broken indicates larger amount (‫)كثة‬ ُ َ َ
‫فواعل‬ ‫َصواع ُق قواع ُد‬ lack of movement
ٌ ُْ ٌ ْ ٌ ْ ُ
‫فعالن‬ ‫عميَان‬ ‫ذكران‬ a relatively small number
َ َ َ ُ ََْ
‫فعاىل‬/‫فعاىل‬/‫فعَل‬ ‫تام‬ illness, deficiency, calamity
َ َ‫َم ْو ََت ُس َاك َرى ي‬
ٌ ٌ َ
‫الء‬
ُ ‫أَفْع‬/‫عال‬ ‫ف‬/‫الء‬
ُ ‫ُف َع‬ ‫اء‬
ُ ‫اد أَش َّد‬ ‫اء شد‬ ُ ‫ُك َرب‬ metaphorical and literal attributes
✓ Sound indicates action ‫لَع وزن املصدر‬ ‫يام‬
ٌ ‫ج ْو ٌد ق‬ُ ‫ُس‬
true or literal action
✓ Broken indicates noun
‫‪10.5 ADDITIONAL PATTERNS‬‬
‫‪Below are additional plural patterns. Commit them to memory.‬‬

‫)‪ (3- 10‬أ و زا ن ال قلة‬

‫‪PATTERN‬‬ ‫‪EXAMPLE‬‬
‫َْ ٌ‬
‫أف ُعل‬ ‫ومٰ ‪ٞ‬‬‫ۡ َ ُّ َ ۡ ‪َ ۡ َّ ٞ‬‬
‫ت ‪١٩٧ ...‬‬ ‫ٱۡلج أشهر معل‬
‫َْ ٌ‬ ‫ۡ َ ۡ َ َ َ ۡ ًَٰ‬ ‫ۡ َۡ َ‬
‫أف َعال‬ ‫ِسين أعمٗل ‪١٠٣‬‬ ‫قل هل ننبِئكم ب ِٱۡلخ ِ‬
‫َْ ٌَ‬ ‫َۡ ا‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫ۡ َ‬
‫أفعلة‬ ‫‪َ ...‬و َج َعل َنا له ۡم َس ۡم اعا َوأبۡص ٰ ارا َوأفئ ِ َدة ‪٢٦ ...‬‬
‫ٌَْ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫َۡ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫َّ‬
‫فعلة‬ ‫‪ ...‬إِنه ۡم ف ِۡت َية َء َامنوا ب ِ َرب ِ ِه ۡم َوزِدنٰه ۡم هدى ‪١٣‬‬

‫)‪ (11+‬أ و زا ن ا ل ك رثة‬

‫‪PATTERN‬‬ ‫‪EXAMPLE‬‬
‫ٌُْ‬ ‫َ‬
‫جعون ‪١٨‬‬ ‫ك ٌم ع ۡ ‪ۡ َ َ ۡ َ ٞ‬‬ ‫ُّ ۢ ۡ‬
‫فعل‬ ‫م فهم ال ير ِ‬ ‫صم ب‬
‫ُ ٌ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫‪ٞ‬‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َّ‬ ‫َ‬
‫فَإن كذب َ‬
‫ف ُعل‬
‫َ‬ ‫وك فق ۡد كذ َ‬
‫ِب رسل مِن ق ۡبل ِك ‪١٨٤ ...‬‬ ‫ِ‬
‫ٌ‬ ‫َ ‪ٞ ٰ َ ٰ َ َ ُّ ٞ‬‬ ‫َ َۡ‬
‫ف َعل‬ ‫ۡرض ق ِطع متجوِرت ‪٤ ...‬‬ ‫و َِّف ٱۡل ِ‬
‫ُ ٌ‬ ‫‪ٞ‬‬ ‫ۡ‬
‫ون بٱلم ۡؤ ِمن َ‬ ‫َ ۡ َ َٰ َ َ ۡ َ َ‬
‫ف ُعول‬ ‫ِني شهود ‪٧‬‬ ‫لَع ما يفعل ِ‬ ‫وهم‬
‫َ ُ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫َۡ ْ َ ٓ‬
‫ف َعائل‬ ‫إِن ُت َتن ِبوا ك َبائ ِ َر َما ت ۡن َه ۡون ع ۡنه ‪٣١...‬‬
‫ْ ٌ‬ ‫ۡ ‪ٞ ۡ ٞ‬‬ ‫ۡ ‪َّ َ َ َّ ٞ‬‬ ‫َ‬
‫فعالن‬ ‫َو َيطوف َعل ۡي ِه ۡم غِل َمان له ۡم كأنه ۡم لؤلؤ َّمكنون ‪٢٤‬‬

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