THE GLOWING GIFT

A Commentary on the
al-Muqaddimah al-Ajurrumiyyah
By Sh. Muhammad Muhyiddin AbdulHamid

The Author

popularly known as

"
" , born in the year 672 (AH) and died in the year 723 (AH) (May

Allah have mercy on him) said:

is a compound utterance that conveys a complete and self-contained

meaning according to (Arabic) coinage and convention.
I (

) say:

has two senses: the first is lexical and the second is grammatical.
The word
As for

in

the lexical sense, it is that through which a message is conveyed

whether it be an utterance ((
)or not, such as writing, signaling, etc.

in the grammatical sense, it is that which must comprise four things: (1)

it must be an utterance (2) ,((
)it must be a compound (3) ,((,
) it must
convey a self-contained meaning (
) and (4) it must be coined in Arabic words (

).


As for

The meaning of it being an utterance is that it is a sound composed of some of the

letters of the alphabet which start with the
and end with the , e.g. ,

(,

and . Each one of these three words when utterred is a sound

composed of four letters of the alphabet. Hence, signaling, for example, is not called
according to the Grammarians due to it not being a sound composed of some of

the letters (of the alphabet), even though according to the Lexicologists it is called
because of it conveying a message.

The meaning of it being a compound is that it is composed of two or more words, e.g.

(Muhammad is travelling/a traveller),
( Knowledge

( The hard worker will achieve glory),





(,




(Every hard worker will have a portion) and

( Knowledge is the best objective that you can strive towards). Each of
and each of them is composed of two or more
these expressions is called
according to the Grammarians except when
words. A single word is not called
is beneficial),

something else is joined to it whether it is joined to it in the real sense like the
previous examples or in the hypothetical sense like when someone says to you:

(Who is your brother?) and you say:

(Muhammad) then this word

because the hypothetical construction is:

is considered

(Muhammad is my brother). Thus, it is hypothetically speaking composed of three
words ( , and the pronominal suffix ")".
The meaning of it conveying a complete and self-contained meaning is that the
silence of the speaker holds valid for it such that the listener does not have to wait for
anything else (like having to wait for the speaker to finish his sentence). So should

( When the teacher is present .) it is not called

you say:




even though it is an utterance composed of three words because the addressee is
waiting for what you are going to say after this as regards what will happen when the

teacher is present. Thus, should you say:






(When the teacher is present the students keep quiet) it becomes
complete and self-contained meaning being conveyed.

because of a

The meaning of it being coined in Arabic words is that the words used in
should be from the words that the Arabs coined for denoting particular meanings. For
example: "

" (was present) is a word which the Arabs coined for a particular

meaning, namely: the occurrence of being present in the past tense; the word



(Muhammad) the Arabs coined for a particular meaning, namely: the essence
or identity of the person called by this name. Therefore, should you say:

(Muhammad was present) you would have used two words each of which has

been coined by the Arabs. This is in contrast to when you utter an expression which
non-Arabs have coined like the Persians, Turks, Berbers or the Europeans, then it is
according to the technical definition of the Scholars of Arabic even
not called

.
though speakers of another language call it
that satisfies the conditions:
Examples of

( the garden is bearing fruit),


( the air is clean),
( the crescent is rising),



( The sky is clear),




( the moon shines at night),


( the hard




worker is successful),
( the lazy one will not prosper),



( there is no god but Allah),





(Muhammad


is the elite of the messengers),


( Allah is our Lord),

(Muhammad is our Messenger).

Examples of single utterances:

(Muhammad),

(from).

(Ali),

(Ibrahim),

(stood),

Examples of compounds not conveying self-contained meanings:

( the servant of Allah,

(the City of Alexandria),

Abdullah),


(Hadramaut),


( If people were just

( When winter comes .),
and fair .),

(Whatever the showy person hides ),

( If the sun rises


.).

The Author said:

Its constituent parts are three:
(verb) and

( noun),
(particle) signifying meaning.
I say:
The words which the Arabs used to use in their speech and which were transferred to
us and which we now utter in our conversations and lessons, read in our books and
which we write with to our family and friends, each of these words must belong to
one of three things: the
(particle).
( verb), ( verb) and
As for the
in the lexical sense: it is that which denotes the object designated or
named (by it), and in the technical terminology of the Grammarians: it is a word
denoting a meaning in and of itself unaccompanied by time e.g.

( a man),
(a camel), ( a river),

( Ali),

( an apple),
(a stick). Each one of these words

( a lemon),

(Muhammad),

denotes a meaning (in and of itself) and time does not enter its meaning, and is
therefore an
.

As for the
in the lexical sense: it is an action, and in the technical terminology
of the Grammarians: it is a word denoting a meaning in and of itself accompanied by
one of the three tenses which are the past, present and future, like (,
( wrote) for
it is a word denoting a meaning (in and of itself) which is "writing" and this meaning
is furthermore accompanied by the past tense, and like (,
( write/s) for it also
denotes a meaning (in and of itself) which is also "writing" and this meaning is
accompanied by the present tense, and like (,
( write!) for it also denotes a
meaning (in and of itself) which is also "writing" and this meaning is accompanied by
the future tense which occurs after the time of speaking.
Similar to these words are:

(to help)

(to understand)

(to know)

(to sit)

(to hit, beat)

The
is of three types: ( perfect),

(imperfect) and

(imperative).
The

is that which denotes an action occurring in the time before the time of

(,
(left, went out),

( wrote),

( understood),

( asked forgiveness) and
( spoke),
( helped),

speaking, e.g.
(heard),

(participated).

The

is that which denotes an action occurring in the time of speaking or

after, e.g.

(,

(hear/s),

forgiveness) and

(write/s),

( leave/s, go/goes out),

( ask/s
( speak/s),
(understand/s),

( help/s),

( participate/s).

The
is that which denotes an action whose occurrence is requested after the time
of speaking, e.g.

(,

( hear!),


( participate!).

(write!),
(help!),

( leave!, go out!),

( understand/s),

( ask forgiveness!) and
( speak!),

As for the
it is lexically equivalent to "periphery / margin", and in the

technical terminology of the Grammarians it is a word denoting a meaning in
something other than itself, e.g.
(from), since this expression is a word denoting

a meaning, namely "commencing / starting", and this meaning furthermore is not
complete unless you join something else to this word such that you say:

( I went from the house/home), for example.

( pen), ( inkpot),

(notebook),
(Khalil, friend),

(newspaper),
(Salih, pious,
righteous),
('Imran), (paper),
(predatory animal, beast of prey),

(donkey), (,( wolf), ( cheetah),

( tiger, leopard),



(lemon),
( orange),


( pear),
( narcissus),

(rose),
( these) and
( you masculine plural).
Examples of the

(book),

Examples of the
:

truth)

forgiveness)

(to travel)
(to say)
(to be safe and secure)

(to be pleased)
(to be truthful, speak the

(to work hard, exert effort)

(to seek

Examples of the
:

(on), ( except),
(from), ( to),

( away from, about, of),

( indeed, truly, verily),

( to), ( indeed, yes "it is so"),
( but),
( rather, instead, but), ( indeed, definitely),

(will, shall),

(until),
( did not), ( not),
( will/shall not),
( if, were something to be
( hopefully, with the hope, so that),
the case),
( when, did not yet),

(not),
( if),
( not),
( were that, how I wish, if only),
( then) and
( or).

The Author said:

The
, the
is identified and characterised by ,
, the entry of the

and the and the ,

(from),
, and they are:

( to),
(about, of),
(on),
(in),
( often, perhaps), the


( like) and the
( to, of), and (the entry of) the
( with), the



, and they are: the

( by), the ( by) and the
( by).
I say:

has signs such that it is distinguished from its two sister categories the
and the
by the presence or acceptance one of these signs. Of these

The

signs the Author may Allah have mercy on him mentions four signs, namely:
,

, the
, the entry of the and and the entry of one of the

,


.

As for

it is lexically the opposite of elevation and in the technical

terminology of the Grammarians it is the

which the

produces or

 ( Bakr) and

of the (letter) in

'( Amr) as when you say:

(I passed by Bakr) and when you

( This is 'Amr's book).
say:


, therefore, are

and

two
due to the presence of the
at the ending of each of them.
whatever stands in place of it, like the

As for the
it is lexically equivalent to "whistling". You say (for example):

( The

bird whistled), and in the technical terminology of the

Grammarians it is an unvowelled
which follows at the end of the
in
articulation but is absent from it in script due to the fact that the need for it (in
writing) is obviated through doubling the vowel mark when diacritically marking (the
text), e.g.
(book),
( continue talking),




(Muhammad),

(keep quiet),

(at

( at that hour). These words are all

(female Muslims),

that time, when that happens),

(Fatimahs),

on the evidence that the

is found at the ending of each of them.
The third sign from amongst the signs of the

"at the
is the entry of "

( the servant/boy),

( the man),

( the horse/mare), ( the book), ( the house),

(the school). These words are all
due to the entry of the and at
beginning of the word, like:

their beginning.

The fourth sign is the entry of one of the

,


,

like

( I went from the house to the school). Each of

and

entering on them

due to a ,
is an
"at its beginning.
and due to the presence of "
The ,

are:

among its meanings is ( commencing, starting), e.g.

( I travelled from Cairo).

among its meanings is ( ending, finishing), e.g.

( I travelled to Alexandria).

(surpassing, going beyond), e.g.

among its meanings is

( I shot the arrow from the bow).



among its meanings is

( being elevated), e.g.

( I climbed on top of the mountain).

( The
among its meanings is ( inclusion/in-ness),

water is in the jug).


( rareness/infrequency),
among its meanings is

( Maybe a generous person met me).

the among its meanings is
( transitivity),

(I passed


by the valley).

( resemblance/likening)
the among its meanings is

(Layla is like the full moon).


and the among its meanings are
(possession)



( The

( specificity)

( The door is
for the house) and


( All Praise is due to Allah
( worthiness)

money belongs to Muhammad),
i.e. Allah is worthy of it).
Of the ,

are the
, and they are three
:

The first is the

( substantive noun),
( by) and only enters on a
like: ( By Allah) and like:


( By the Mountain

and) and like:



( By the Fig and the Olive and
Mount Sinai).
the second is the

( by) and is not used with one kind of word at the exclusion of
another but enters instead on the


( By Allah, I
, like:

will work hard) as well as on the
(personal pronoun), like:

( By You, I will beat the lazy person).

the third is the
( Expression of
( by) and enters only on the
(

Majesty), e.g.
[ And by Allah, I shall plot a plan (to




destroy) your idols].

The Author said:

(indeed, sometimes), the

(indicating near future),

(indicating distant future) and the


( unvowelled Ta' of Femininity).
The
is identified and characterised by

I say:
The

is distinguished from its two sister categories the

and the

by four signs such that whenever one is present in it or you see that it accepts it
then you know that it is a
.
The first is , the second is the


, the third is
and the fourth is the

As for it enters on two types of

, namely: the and the
.

it denotes one of two meanings, viz.

(definitiveness i.e. it definitively happened) and (,
( imminence i.e. it is about
to happen). An example of it denoting
is the statement of the Most High:

( Indeed. The Believers are successfully) and His statement:

( Indeed, Allah is pleased with the Believers)

and our statement:


( Muhammad has definitely arrived) and our


statement:


( Khalid has definitely travelled). An example of it
denoting (,
is statement of the one announcing the commencement of the
prayer:

( The prayer is about to be established) as well as your


statement:
( The sun is about to set).


When it enters on the

it also denotes one of two meanings, viz.

( frequency, regularity). As for it denoting

( infrequency, rareness) and

it is like when you say:

( Sometimes a liar speaks the

truth) or when you say:

( Sometimes a miser is generous) or
when you say:

( Sometimes an unintelligent person passes). As for
it is like when you say:
( Often the
it denoting




hard worker reaches his desired goal) or when you say:





(Often the pious person performs righteousness) or when the poet says:



*

,

When it enters on the

(Often the unhurried person fulfils some of his needs and often slips
accompany the hurried person)

only and denote

which means "future" except that the

is nearer in the future

than


. As for the it is like the Most High's statement:

( The fools among the people will say) and

( Those who failed to turn up i.e. for the battle, will say to you). As for






it is like the Most High's statement:


( And your Lord will give to you i.e. in the Hereafter, and you will be
pleased), and


(We will make them fuel a fire) and

( He will give them their rewards i.e. in the Hereafter).
As for the

and

they enter on the

it enters on the exclusively, and

its function is to indicate that the
of which this is predicated is

(feminine) whether it is a

( doer), like




or a

( ,

( agent/substitute of the doer), like:



.
As for the

What is meant [by it being

(unvowelled)] is that it is
according to its
original coinage, such that its vowelisation is due to the temporary cause of avoiding
the juxtaposition of two unvoweled letters in for example the Most High's statement:

( She said: Go you out to them), and

( They said: We come in

( Pharaoh's wife said) and

willing obedience).

Based on the aforementioned it should become clear to you that the signs of the

that the Author has mentioned are of three categories: a category specific to entering

on the , which is the

, a category specific to entering

, which constitutes the
between them, which is .
on the

and

, and a category shared

, which is it denoting a request whilst

accepting the


)
of the second person feminine singular) or

( stand),
)
of corroboration or emphasis), like:
(sit), (,
( write) and ( look). These four words denote the request for the
occurrence of standing, sitting, writing and looking, whilst accepting the

[ Stand (feminine singular)] and
in for example:

[ Sit
(feminine singular)] or whilst accepting the
in for example:




( Write and look at what will benefit you).

He disregarded the sign of the

10

The Author said:

The

is that for which the sign of the
are not valid.

and the sign of the

I say:

is distinguished from its two sister categories the
and the
by the fact that the entry of one of the previous signs of the
is not

applicable to it just as the entry of one of the previously explained signs of the
( question article) and
is not applicable to it, like
(from),
( negative
",
particle). These three words are
due to the fact that they do not take "
nor the


, nor is it allowed that the ,
enter on them (i.e.
govern them). Therefore it is incorrect to say:
( the from) or to say:
or to


say:
( to from) and the same applies to the rest of the
. Similarly, it

is incorrect that the

or or

or
or the

anything else which constitutes a sign indicating that a particular word is a

The

enters on them.

11

The Author said:

(The Chapter on
)

is changing the endings of words due to the alternation of the

entering on them (whether the change is) explicit or implicit.

I say:

has two meanings: one which is lexical and the other technical.
As for its lexical meaning it is "to reveal, make known, clarify". You say:

( I expressed what is in my heart), when you reveal or


make it known.
As for its technical meaning it is what the Author has mentioned by saying: "changing
the endings of words etc."
What is meant by "changing the endings of words" is changing the states or modes of
the endings of words. It is illogical and unreasonable to think that what is meant is
changing the very endings. Changing the states of the endings of words is changing
, to (,
them from
in the real or virtual sense. This change is the
or

result of the alternation of

necessitating on the
, that is, from an

( doer) for example to another requiring (,

on the basis
of being the

(object) for example and so on and so forth.
basis of being the

By way of illustration: when you say:

then

necessitating

is

(Muhammad was present),

is

because it is governed and operated on by an

on the basis of being the

(doer) and this

, and if you were to say:



( I saw Muhammad) then the state of
the ending of
alternating with


changes to that of (,
due to the

another
necessitating (,

. When you say:

, which is



( I enjoyed the favour of Muhammad) the state of its ending changes to that
of
alternating with another
necessitating
due to the
, which is

the .
When you consider these examples it becomes evident to you that the ending of the
word which is the of


did not change but what changed instead was the
states or modes of its ending, for you saw that it was

in the first example,

in the second example and
in the third example.

12

This change from the state of

, to the sate of (,

and to the state of

is

according to the Author and whosoever follows his view. These three

vowel-marks which are

(,
,

and

are merely a sign or indicator of

in this regard is the

. Thus, were you to say:

( Ibrahim is tavelling or will be traveling), then

is a

necessitating
that is
due to it being stripped of an
its (,
necessitating its
. Thus, when you say:

or an

changes from to
( Ibrahim will not travel) the state of
(,
alternating with another
which necessitates its
due to the
(,


( Ibrahim did not
, which is
. Thus, when you say:
travel) the state of

due to the
changes from or (,
to

alternating with another

which necessitates its
, which is
.
Like the

Know that this change is divided into two types:

( implicit and assumed).
As for the

(explicit and real) and

it is a change whose pronunciation is not obstructed by any

obstruction as you have seen in the case of the vowel-markings of the

and the vowel-markings of the of

.

it

obstruction such as
As for the

of

is a change whose pronunciation is obstructed by an

,(
(i.e. the difficulty of the vowelling a or with a
or a
)or

(the necessity of vowelling the letter before the of the first person
singular with a corresponding vowel which is the
).

You say:


( the young lad, the judge and my




(i.e. the impossibility of vowelling an

servant are calling)

and a .
because it is stripped of a (,
is

is
.
due to it being the

and

are
because they are
(conjoined) to


the
which is
.
However, the

is not

(apparent/subject to pronunciation) at the

, and its difficulty
in the case of
and due to correspondence with the of the

and

first person singular in the case of
. Hence, the
is
( implicit


endings of these words due to its impossibility in the case of

13

and assumed) at the ending of the word and what obstructs it from becoming apparent
or the occupation of the place (of declension) by the vowel of
is
,

(correspondence).

( The young lad, the judge and
my servant will not be pleased) and you say:






(Indeed, the young lad and my servant are victorious) and you say:

( I passed by the young lad, the judge and my servant).


You say:

has all the vowels obstructed

. The
and assumed due to

ending in an is called
, like:

( young lad),
( intellect),

( mill-stone) and
( stick),

( satisfaction).
That whose ending is a necessary and permanent

has the
and

ending in the is called

That whose ending is necessary and permanent

obstructed and assumed due to

The

( on the other hand) is apparent due to its lightness and ease of

. The
pronunciation, like:
( judge),


( propagator),



(warrior/battler),

( striver),

( comer, coming, following) and

( archer/thrower).


(annexed) to the
has all the vowels obstructed
and assumed due to
( my servant),


, like:

( my book),

( my teacher).
(my friend),

( my father) and

That which is

stands in contrast to
. Each of these two (concepts) becomes abundantly

clear with the explanation of the other.
. However, we will explain it to you
in the manner in which we have explained
.

The Author does not give any explanation of

Thus, we say:
has two meanings: one which is lexical and the other technical.
As for its lexical meaning it is placing one thing on another in a way that is stable and
permanent.
As for its technical meaning it is the adherence of a word's ending to a single state or
mode which is not the result of an
nor a change involving a weak letter. This

is like the adherence of

(howmuch/howmany) and

and the adherence of

(these),

14

(Hathami) and

(who) to the
,

(yesterday) to



(where) to the
,
, and the adherence of
(since) and

and the adherence of

( how) to the
.
( where) and
the

From this explanation you know then that the title names of
are four:

,
and .

After having clarified all these things it should not be difficult for you to know (the
meaning of)
and
. The
is that the state of whose ending

is

that whose ending adheres to a single state which is not the result of an
nor a
changes either explicitly or implicitly due to (different)
change involving a weak letter.

15

and the

Types of

The Author said:

and

,
,,
. Of these ,,
,,

,

apply to the
does not feature in them
, and

and ,
and
, and
at all, and of these ,
apply to the
,,

,
does not feature in them at all.
Its types are four:

I say:

that occur in both the

and are four: the first is
, the second (,

and the fourth
. Each of these four
, the third ,

The types of

types has a meaning lexically and a meaning in the technical terminology of the
Grammarians.

it is lexically equivalent to exaltation and elevation, and technically it is a

As for

or what substitutes for it. You will know

shortly what substitutes for the
in the section that follows if Allah so wills.

occurs in both the
( Ali is standing) and

and , e.g.

( the nightingale is chanting).
specific change whose sign is the

(,
it is lexically equivalent to levelling and evenness, and technically it is
a specific change whose sign is the
or what substitutes for it. (,
also

occurs in both the


and , e.g.
( ,
( I will never like
As for

laziness).

As for ,

it is lexically equivalent to lowering or debasing, and technically it is a

or what substitutes for it. It does not occur

( I feel pain regarding the lazy

specific change whose sign is the

except in the
person).
As for

, e.g.

it is lexically equivalent to severing, and technically it is a specific

or what substitutes for it. It does not occur except

, e.g.

( The lazy person was not

change whose sign is the

in the
successful).

are divided into three categories: a

category shared between the

and , viz. and (,

, a category
specific to


, and a category specific to , viz.
.
, viz. ,

It is thus clear to you that the types of

16

17

The Author said:

Chapter on knowing and identifying the Signs of

there are four signs: the

For ,

, ,
and .

I say:

by the presence of one of four signs at

its ending: one of which is primary, viz. the
, and three that are secondary, viz.

the
, and .
You are able to know that a word is

18

The Places of the

The Author said:

in four places: the ,

it is a sign of ,




that does
,
,
and

,

As for the

not have anything attached at its end.

I say:

The
is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of in four places:

, the third
, the second place is the


place is the

and the fourth place is the


which
does not have an


, , nor a
,

(single or double) or


suffixed to it.
The first place is the

, what is meant by it here is anything that is not

(dual),


(plural),
(affiliated) to the two of them and from the

( five nouns). It does not matter whether what is intended thereby is

(Hamzah)
(masculine), like

(Muhammad),

( Ali),
or what is intended thereby is

(feminine), like:
( Fatimah),

('A'ishah), (,( Zaynab), nor does it matter whether the

is

( explicit and real), like in


(Muhammad was present),

(Fatimah traveled), or

(implicit and assumed), like:

(the young lad, the judge and my brother were


present) and
( Layla and Nu'ma got married).

and
are
and the sign indicating that they are
is the

.(
(explicit
and likewise and


are

and the sign indicating that they are

is the



(implicit
) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is .

is

and the sign indicating that it is

is the





) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is .
(implicit

is

and the sign indicating that it is

is the

(implicit
) on the letter before the

and what obstructs its
explicitness is the vowel of


.
As for the

As for the

(broken plural) what is meant by it is anything denoting

more than two masculine or feminine objects accompanied by a change in the
structure of its singular form.

19

The kinds of change found in

(broken plurals) are six:

(1) A change through diacritical marking only, e.g.

( lion) and

(lions),
( tiger/leopard) and
( tigers/leopards). The letters of the
singular and the plural in these two plurals are the same and the difference
between the singular and plural is only in their diacritical marking.

(2) A change through decreasing (the number of letters) only, e.g.

(accusation) and
( indigestion) and
( accusations),
(indigestions). You find that the plural has decreased in one letter in these two
examples, which is the while the rest of the letters are the same as in the
singular.
(3) A change through increasing (the number of letters) only, e.g.

(one
palm tree from a group of palm trees joined by a single/same root) and

(palm trees joined by a single/same root) as in the Most High's

statement:

(palms trees growing out of single roots or

otherwise)

(4) A change through diacritical marking and decreasing (the number of letters),
e.g.

(bed) and
(beds), ( book) and (,( books),

(red for singular) and

singular) and

(red for plural),

(white for

(white for plural).

(5) A change through diacritical marking and increasing (the number of letters),

( hero) and

e.g. (,

(cause) and
( causes),

( Hind) and

(hyena) and
( Hinds),
( wolf) and ( wolves),
(brave person) and
(hyenas), (,

(brave people).

(heroes),

(6) A change through diacritical marking, increasing and decreasing (the number
of letters), e.g.
( noble) and
( nobles), ( loaf) and

(writer) and ( writers),

(,

(prince/commander) and
( princes/commanders).

(loaves),

and it makes no difference whether

with the


what is meant by the word
is
( men) and ( writers)

, like
or

is
, like

( Hinds) and (,( Zaynabs), or whether the
as illustrated in these examples or

(implicit and assumed) as in for
All of these kinds are

20

example:

(drunkards) and

(wounded people) or for example

( virgins) and

(pregnant women). You say:

(,
( The men and the Zaynabs stood) and you find that they are

with the
, and you say:



(the wounded

is
people and the virgins were present) such that each of

and

with a

(implicit and assumed) on the with
obstructing its explicitness.

it is anything that denotes more than two feminine


objects with the addition of an
and a at its ending, e.g.
(Zaynabs), ( Fatimahs),
(hot baths). You say:

( the Zaynabs came and the Fatimahs travelled).

are
and


and the sign indicating that they are

. The
is not

is the


in the

except when it is annexed (

) to the
, e.g.
(These are my trees and my cows).

As for the

is not additional by being present in the

(singular), like:

( judge) and
( judges),




( propagator) and



(propagators), then it is not a

but is a
instead.



If the

Similarly, if the

is not additional by being present in the

e.g.

( house, poetry verse) and

(houses, poetry verses),

(sound) and
( sounds), then it



belongs to the
and not to the
.



(deceased person) and

(deceased people),

( hit/s) and (,( write/s). Each of

, it is like:

these two verbs is
and the sign indicating that they are
is the

( explicit
). Similarly,
( hope/s), each


( call/s) and

of which is


and the sign indicating that it is
is the

(implicit
. Likewise are
) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is

( judge/s) and

( please/s), each of which is
and the sign


indicating that it is


) on the and
is the

(implicit


what obstructs its explicitness is
. In like fashion also are
( is pleased)
and
( is strong), for each of them is
and the sign indicating that it is

) on the and what obstructs its
is the

(implicit

.
explicitness is
As for the

21

By saying: "which does not have an

or
,

suffixed to it" we exclude that which has one of these three things suffixed to it. That

which has the
suffixed to it is like
( they masculine dual write)
and
( they masculine dual help). That which has the

suffixed
to it is like
( they masculine plural write) and

( they masculine

plural help). That which has the

suffixed to it is like
( you
feminine singular write) and
( you feminine singular help). It (i.e. the

)is then not
, instead it is
with the

with the fixing
or attachment of the , while the ,
or is a
. This will be
explained (in greater detail) later.

( single or double)" we exclude the
that has one of the two suffixed to it, like the statement of the Most High:

( He will most certainly be imprisoned and





then is
be amongst the humiliated ones). The
(indeclinable and
fixed) on a
.
By saying: "nor a

that has the

" we exclude the

suffixed to it, like the statement of the Most High:




then is
(The mothers should suckle). The
(indeclinable and fixed)
on a
.
By saying: "or the

22

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

it is a sign of ,

in two places: in the

and in the

( your

, they are:


( your father),



(your mouth) and
brother),
(your wife's in-laws),






As for the

(Possessor of Wealth).

I say:

in two places: the first is

and the second place is the

.

The is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of

As for the

it is an
denoting more than two masculine


objects (i.e. males) through an addition at its ending, capable of being stripped of this
addition and having its like conjoined (





) to it, like:

(Those who failed to turn up i.e. for the battle, were filled with happiness),

( But those firmly grounded in




knowledge amongst them and the Believers),




( Even

though the sinners detest),




( if there



twenty patient ones amongst you) and
( and others



who acknowledged their sins). Each of
,



,

is a

,
and


,
denoting more than two masculine objects and has an addition at its end and is
capable of being stripped of this addition. Do you not see that you say: ,

,
. Each of these plural words

and


,
,

that occur in these (Qur'anic) verses is
and the sign indicating that it is in a

is the as a substitute for the
state of
. This after the is a

compensation for (the loss of) the


in your saying:
and its sisters,
which is an

.


As for the

they are these limited (number of) words which the

( your father),

( your brother),

( your mouth) and

(your wife's in-laws),

( Possessor of

Wealth). They are
. You say:
with the as a substitute for the

(Your father, brother




and wife's in-law were present, and your mouth and a possessor of wealth uttered).



( this is your father) and you say:
Similarly, you say:

(your father is a pious man). Allah, the Most High says:
Author enumerated and they are:

23

(from where their

father ordered them),

( And truly, He is one possessing
knowledge) and
( Indeed, I am your brother). Each
thereof
in these examples is
and the sign indicating that it is in a state of is the

as a substitute for the
. What comes after them in terms of the

(personal pronoun) or the word
(knowledge) is a
(wealth), or the word

to which a prior
the
(the
is annexed).
(And our father is an old man),

Know that these

are not declined in this way except with (certain)


conditions. Of these conditions some are stipulated for all of them (i.e. all of the

)and some are stipulated for some of them.


As for the conditions that are stipulated for all of them, they are four conditions: the
first is that they be

(singular), the second that they be
(non-diminutive),

other than the

.
the third that they be

(annexed) and the fourth that they be

to

By stipulating being

, we exclude the case where they might be

or

in the form of the

and
. If they were
then




they would have been declined with
(explicit vowels). You say:

( the fathers raise their sons) and you say:




( Your brothers are your hand that you grasp with). Allah, the

( Your fathers and your sons ),
Most High says:

( Truly, the Believers are a single brotherhood),




( So you became through His Bounty brothers). If they were

then they would have been declined with the

for , and with the for

(,
. An explanation thereof will follow shortly. You say:

and

(You parents raised you) and you say:



( Be well
mannered in the company and presence of your parents). Allah, the Most High said:

( And he lifted his parents on to the throne) and

( Make peace between your two brothers). If they were



in the form of a
then they would have been

with the based on the aforementioned, and

and
with the .

You say:


( These are fathers and brothers) and you say:

)have their
( I saw fathers and bothers). None (of these

plurals formed with the and the except the words and . The rule
is that none of them should have their plurals formed in this way at all.

24


, we exclude the case where they might be
, for

then they would be declined with

(explicit vowels). You say:

( this is a small father and a small brother) and you say:

( I saw a small father and a small brother) and you say:

( I passed by a small father and a small brother).

By stipulating being

By stipulating being

we exclude the case where they might not be

(explicit

( this is a father) and you say:

vowels). You say:

( I saw a

father) and you say:

(I passed by a father). The same applies to the


rest. Allah, the Most High says:


( and he has a brother or a


sister),









( If he had stolen then

( He
he had a brother who stolen before),

said: Bring to me a brother of yours from your father) and



for then they would also be declined with

(Truly, he has an old father).

to other then the
, we exclude the case
where they might be
to this , for then they would be declined with


(implicit vowels) on what is before the

and what
By stipulating being

obstructs them from becoming apparent or explicit is the occupation of the place (i.e.
the letter subject to declension) by the vowel of


(correspondence). You say:

(My father and my brother were present) and you say:

( I respect my father and my elder brother) and you say:

( I do not speak in the presence of my



father and my elder brother). Allah, the Most High says:

( Truly,

this is my brother),


( I am Yusuf and this is my brother)

and
( And they threw it on my father's face).



As for the conditions that are specific to some of them but not to the others, of them is
( your mouth) is not declined having this declension except on
that the word
condition that it is stripped of the . Therefore, if the was attached to it then
it would have been declined with

(explicit vowels). You say:

( This is a good mouth) and you say:

I saw a

good mouth) and you say:


( I looked at a good mouth).

This condition applies to this word specifically over and above the four conditions
that have been mentioned previously.

Of them (i.e. these conditions) is that the word "

( "possessor of ) is not declined
having this declension except on two conditions: the first is that it has the meaning of
"(,

to which it is
" (possessor, owner) and the second is that the

25



should be a non-descriptive substantive generic noun (



). Therefore, if it does not have the meaning of " (,

" such
that it is
(a relative pronoun) then it is
(indeclinable). An example

of it being a non-relative pronoun (
)is the statement of (,

:

(The possessor of intellect feels miserable in pleasure with his intellect, while the
brother of ignorance rejoices in misery)
These two conditions apply to this word specifically over and above the four
conditions that have been mentioned previously.

26

Substitution of the
for the

The Author says:

in the
As for the

it is a sign of ,

specifically.

I say:
The
is a sign indicating that the word is in a state of

in one place and that

(The two friends were present).
, like:

and the sign
and it is
because it is a
is

indicating that it is
, and the
is the as a substitute for the


compensates for (the loss of) the
in your saying:

(friend) and it is
an

.


is the

The

is every

denoting two masculine or two feminine objects with an

and the

( The two
(conjunction and the noun conjoined), e.g.




'Umars and two Hinds approached).
is an utterance denoting two males

addition at its ending. This addition dispenses with the

each of whose name is 'Umar due to the presence of an addition at its ending. This
addition is the
and the and dispenses with having to bring the

( Waw of conjunction) and repeating the

such that you say:

is also an

'( Umar and 'Umar were present). Similarly, the

utterance denoting two females each of whose name is Hind. The cause for it denoting
that is the addition of the
and the in the example. The presence of the

and
obviates the need for having to bring the
repeating the

(Hind and Hind were
by having to say:

and the

present).

27

Substitution of the for the

The Author says:

in the
As for the it is a sign of ,

when a


, a ,

or the
is attached to

it.

I say:

is a sign indicating that the word, at whose ending it is, is

in one
place. And that is the
or
that is predicated of the


, predicated of the

or predicated of the


.
The

, it is like:
)that is predicated of the




( The two male companions will travel tomorrow) and

and
( The two of you are travelling tomorrow).


likewise
is a
that is
due to it being stripped

of a (,
and a , and the sign indicating that it is
is the

( fixing or attachment of the ). The
is a
and is

(indeclinable and fixed) on the

in a place of .
As for (the

that is predicated of the
sometimes begins with the to denote the third person as illustrated in the first
example and sometimes begins with the to denote the second person as illustrated
You have seen that the

in the second example.

, it is like:
)that is predicated of the

( The two Hinds will travel tomorrow) and






( You two Hinds are travelling tomorrow).





in the two examples is a
that is
due to it being stripped of a

(,
and a , and the sign indicating that it is
is the

(fixing or attachment of the ). The
)is a
and is
)

(indeclinable and fixed) on the

in a place of .
As for (the

that is predicated of the
does not begin except with the to denote that the
is feminine and it is the
From this you know that the

same whether it is in the third person as illustrated in the first example or in the
second person as illustrated in the second example.

28



, it is like:
)that is predicated of the

( The sincere men are the

ones who carry out their duty) and

( You, my

people, are carrying out your duty).
and likewise
is a

and a , and the

that is
due to it being stripped of a (,
sign indicating that it is
is the
( fixing or attachment of the

). The

and is
is a
(indeclinable and fixed) on the

in a place of .
As for (the

From this you know that the

begins with the

that is predicated of this sometimes

to denote the third person as illustrated in the first example and

sometimes begins with the to denote the second person as illustrated in the second
example.

)that is predicated of the

, it is like:

( You, O Hind, know your duty).

is a

and a ,
that is
due to it being stripped of a (,
and the sign indicating that it is
is the
( fixing or attachment of

the ). The
and is


is a
(indeclinable and
fixed) on the
in a place of .
As for (the

The

that is predicated of this

does not begin except with the

which

denotes that the

is
.

)which is predicated of the

begins with the or the , (the
)which is predicated of the
similarly begins with the or the and (the
)which is
predicated of the does not begin except with the .
Thus, it can be summed for you that (the

Their forms or paradigms are:

,
,

. These forms are called:

( the five verbs).

29

and

Signs of (,

The Author said:

and

,

, ,
there are five signs: the ,,
.

For

I say:

when you find one of five

signs at its ending: one of which is primary, viz. the

and four that are

It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be

secondary, viz. the

,
.
, and

30

The
and its Places
The Author said:

it is a sign of ,





in three places: the ,
,

when a ,
enters on it and it
and

As for the

does not have anything attached at its end.

I say:

The
is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of (,
in four places:

, the third
, the second place is the


place is the
and which does not have
which is preceded by a (,

an

, , nor a
,
( single or
double) or
suffixed to it.
The first place is the

is
at its ending in for example:
( I met Ali) and

( I
met Hind). and

are two
which are

because
they are the

(in each case) and the sign indicating that they are
is

the

. The first is
is
and the second is
. The



( I met the young lad) and
(I
in for example:


spoke to Layla).
and are two


which are

due to each of them being a

and the sign indicating that they are

. The first is
is the

and what obstructs its explicitness is

and the second is

.
As for the

its definition has been mentioned before. The

As for the

its definition has also been mentioned before. The
is


at its ending, e.g.
( I accompanied the men) and



and are both

( I took care of Hind).

which are

due to them being the
and the sign indicating

that they are


. The first is
is the
and the second is


is sometimes
. The
as in the statement of the Most High:

( You will see people drunk) and

(Marry the widows).
which are
and
are two

due to them being the
and the sign indicating that they are
.

and what obstructs its explicitness is
is the

31

As for the aforementioned

is a

like the Most High's statement:

( We will continue to be devoted to it).

which is
by means of "
( "will not), and the sign indicating
that they are


. The
is sometimes
is the
as

in:



( It pleases me that you are striving towards


glory/nobility).

"
is a
which
by means of "
(that, to) and the sign indicating that they are


and
is the

.
what obstructs its explicitness is

as in

( they masculine dual
will not hit or strike), a

as in



( you masculine plural will
not hit or strike) or the

as in



( you feminine
singular will not hit or strike) is attached to it, then it is not

with the

. Instead, each of
,
and
is
with "


"

and the sign indicating that they are

(dropping or omission
is
of the )while the ,
or is a
and is
(indeclinable and
fixed) on the
in a place of . You will know the explanation thereof in
If the

' has a

what follows.
When a

whether double as in

(By Allah, you will

( By Allah, you will not go) is attached to

its ending, then it is

in a place of (,
(indeclinable and fixed) on a
.
not go) or single as in

When a

as

in

( You

will not

achieve glory except through chastity) is attached to its ending, then it is

(indeclinable and fixed) on a
in a place of (,
.

32

Substitution of the
for the

The Author said:

As for the

it is a sign of

in the

, e.g.

(I saw you father and your brother) and whatever resembles that.

I say:

from what has gone before and the conditions for

, the for (,
their declension with the for
.
and the for
Now, we will inform you that the sign indicating that one of these words is

is the presence of the
at the end, e.g.
( Respect your father),





( Help your brother),
( Visit your father-in-law),

( Clean your mouth) and

( Do not






respect the possessor of wealth for his wealth). Each of
,

,

, and
in these examples is

due to it occurring as the



therein, and the sign indicating that it is in a state of (,
is the
as a substitute for the
. Furthermore, each of them is
(annexed to
another
)and what comes after it as regards the and "
"is the


to which the
(the
is annexed).
You know the

33

Substitution of the

for the

The Author said:
As for the ,
it is a sign of ,
in the

.
,

I say:
You know the

from what was mentioned before. Now, we

inform you that it is possible for you tell that this

is in a state of (,

through

at its end. This is like when you say:




( the well-mannered lasses achieve glory). Each of

and


and both are
is a


due
to first being an
"and the second a ( descriptive or qualifying
of "
adjective) of the
), and the sign indicating that

(before it which is
they are

.
as a substitute for the
is the
the presence of the

There is no place in which the

except this place.
substitutes for the

34

Substitution of the YA' for the FATHAH

The Author said:
As for the it is a sign of ,
.

in the and ,
I say:
You know the

from what has gone before and likewise you know the

. Now we want to tell you that it is possible for you to know that one of
them is in a state of (,
through the presence of the . The difference between
the two is that the in the

and
is preceded by a letter bearing a

followed by a letter bearing a
is
while the in the


preceded by a letter bearing a
.
and followed by a letter bearing a

Example of the

sparrows on top of the

( I saw two

tree) and






is:

( My father bought two books, one for me and the other for my brother). Each
of
, and the
is
due to being the
and

sign indicating that they are

is the preceded by a letter bearing a

and followed by a letter bearing a

, because it is
. Furthermore,
the is a compensation for the
( that has been forfeited) in the

.





(Truly, the Believers have earned the pleasure of their Lord) and



( I advised the hard workers to embark
or get down to studying). Each of
and
due to

is
being the


, and the sign indicating that they are
is the
preceded by a letter bearing a
,
and followed by a letter bearing a


because it is

. Furthermore, the is a compensation for the

( that was forfeited) in the

.

Example of the

is:

35

Substitution of the

for the

The Author said:

which



it is a sign of ,


in the
are
with the .

As for the

I say:

are. Now, we will tell

you that it is possible for you to know that each one of them is in a state of (,

, dropped or omitted. Examples of the
when you find the , which is a sign of
in the Case of
( It pleases me that you
:(,
are memorising your lessons) and

( It pains me that the lazy ones are neglectful of their duties). Each of

and is a
, and the sign
that is
with

indicating that it is



, and the
is a
is the
that is

in a place of ' . The same
(indeclinable and fixed) on the
( It
applies to that which is attached to the
as in:
is pleases me that you are realising your wishes) and that which is attached to the

( It pains me that you are

as in:
You know from what has preceded what the

showing slackness in your duty) and you know how to decline and analyse them.

36

Signs of ,

The Author said:

For ,
there are three signs: the

.
,,

and

I say:

when you find one of three
things: the first is the

. The second is
which is the primary (sign) in ,

the and the third the
, both of which are secondary to the
. For each
It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be

of these three things there are places in which it occurs. We will mention for you their
places in detail in what follows.

37

The
and its Places

The Author said:

,
in three places: the
it is a sign of ,


,


,
.


and
,





As for the

I say:
For the
there are three places in which it is a sign indicating that the

is

. You know the meaning of it being

. The meaning of it being
is that the

is suffixed to its end.

The
( I ran to Muhammad),
is the as in:

( I am pleased with 'Ali),

( I


benefited from keeping company with Khalid) and
( Bakr's


character impresses me). Each of and

due to being
is
entered on by a ,



, and the sign indicating that it is
is the


. Each of and is
due to being the

of what is before it, and the sign indicating that it is

is also the



. Thus, ,


, and are
(singular nouns) and are
due the being suffixed to them.


The first place is Ism

. You know from what has gone





before the meaning of "
" and you know from (a discussion of) the first

place here (in this section) the meaning of it being
and that is like:



( I passed by honourable men) and




( I am pleased with our brave companions). Each of and

is



, and the sign
due to being entered on by a ,
indicating that it is

, and each of and
is the
is

due to being a ( descriptive or qualifying adjective) of
the


(before it), and the sign indicating that it is
is also the

. Thus, , , and are

( plurals) and are

due the being suffixed to them.

The second place is the

. You know from what has gone before


"


" and that is like:

The third place is the

the meaning of

38


( I looked at the well-mannered young girls) and

( I am pleased with female devotee Muslims). Each of and

is



, and the sign
due to being entered on by a ,
indicating that it is

, and each of and
is the
is

due to being a ( follower, in the form of a ) of the

(before it), and the sign indicating that it is
is also the
. Each of , , and is a

39

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

it is a sign of ,

and ,
.

As for the

in three places: the

I say:

For the

there are three places in which it is a sign indicating that the

is

. You already know them and the conditions

for their declension from what has gone before, and that is like:


( Greet your father on the morning of everyday),
( Do not raise your voice above the voice of your eldest
brother) and




( Do not love the
possessor of wealth except if he is well-mannered). Each of , and
is



entering it, and the sign indicating
, due to the ,

that it is

is the . The in the first two is the (,

(personal pronoun of the second person masculine singular), and it is

(annexed to) and

. The word in the

in a place of ,
on the
third example is also

.
and
with the
The first place is the

and that is like:
( Look at the
two soldiers) and

(Greet the two friends). Each of

due to being entered on by the

and
is
,

, and the sign indicating that it is

is the preceded by a letter
bearing a
and followed by a letter bearing a
. Furthermore, each of

is
because it denotes two (masculine) objects.
and

The second place is the

( I am
, like




pleased with the two Bakrs) and

( I looked


at the humble Muslims). Each of

is
due to

and
being entered on by the ,



, and the sign indicating that it is

is the preceded by a letter bearing a

and followed by a letter bearing a

. Furthermore, each of them is

.


The third place is the

40

Substitution of the
for the

The Author said:

it is a sign of ,

As for the
in the

that is not
.


I say:
For the
there is only one instance in which it is a sign indicating that the
is

that is not
, namely: the
.

is that it does not take the

which is

the
. The
that is not
is: "that which resembles the in


having two

(secondary common causes), one of which goes back to the

(
( verbal form) and the other to the
which
(meaning), or it has one

stands in for two
. The
(plural of
) which are found in the
and
which denote the secondary nature (of the
)and go back to the
are only
two. The first is
( being a proper noun) and the second is


( being a
descriptive noun i.e. being of the type of
used for describing and qualifying). It

is necessary that one of these two
be found in the





in
( i.e. the noun debarred from the ) due to the presence of two
The meaning of it not being

it.

which are found in the

and which denote the secondary nature (of

the
are six
, and they are: ( being
)and go back to the (
feminine) not with the



) or

i.e. short or long),


(being a foreign name), (,

( being a compound),
(addition of the
and the
,(( pattern of the verb) and


(deviation from another pattern). It is necessary that one of these (six)
be found

with
in it (i.e. in the



). As for with



,

only one of three out of these (six
) has to be present, and they are:

, and
.
The

Examples of
with other than with the are:

(,( Zaynab) and

(Hamzah).

Examples of

( Ibrahim).

with

are:

41

(Idris),

( Fatimah),

(Ya'qub) and

with (, are:
(Ma'dikarib),

( Qadikhan),

( Buzurjamihr) and

Examples of

(Belbecca),
(Ramahurmuz).

Examples of
with

are:
(Marwan),
( Ghatafan),
'( Uthman),
'( Affan),

(Sahban),

('Imran),
( Qahtan) and
'( Adnan).

with
are:

( Yazid), (,( Taghlib) and
( Tadmur).

Examples of

with
are:

(Qutham),
( Hubal),
( Zuhal i.e.
(Quzah) and

(Mudar).
Examples of

(Ahmad),

'Umar,
Saturn),

(Yashkur),

(Zufar),
(Jumah),

are: ( Rayyan),
with
(full) and
( awake, wakeful).
Examples of

Examples of



with

are: ( more generous, honourable),

( better), and
( more beautiful).

Examples of


are:
(twos), ( threes), ( fours)
with

and
( other).

, each of which stands in place of two

, they are:

(furthest plural form) and the which is

(short) or


(long).
As for the two

the rule for it is that the

is


( i.e. the third additional ) are two letters as
and occurring after its

in
( most respected ones),

(mosques),
(pulpits),

( most honourable ones), ( most exemplary ones), ,

(menstruating), or three letters the middle of
(menstruating women) and

which is
(sparrows) and
( unvowelled) as in:
(keys),
( candleholders).
As for

it is
( nearest) and

As for the short

like:

(furthest),

(claim).

42

(pregnant lady),

 it is like: ( red), ,()

( white), ,()
)( and

As for the long

(good, becoming),
(scholars).

All these nouns that we have mentioned and those similar to them are not allowed to
take the

, and are
as a substitute for the
as
with the

( May Allah send His Blessings on Ibrahim,
His Friend) and
( May Allah be pleased




with 'Umar, the Commander of the Believers). Each of
and
is

, and the sign indicating
due to being entered on by the ,
that they are

as a substitute for the
, because each
is the
one of them is an
that is not
. What blocks
from being



and
and
(i.e. from having the


or ) is

what blocks
and
. Apply this to rest.
from being
is


in:

, that is not
,
with the


"and that it not be

that it be void of (the definite article) "

(annexed) to an
after it. If it is accompanied by " "or it is

(annexed) it is made

, as in the Most High's statement:
with the

( And you a in the mosques) and as in:

( I passed by the beautiful damsel of the Quraish).

It is a condition for making the

43

Two Signs of

The Author said:

For

there are two signs: the
.
and
I say:

when you find in it one of two
things: the first is the
. The second is
which is the primary (sign) for


which is the secondary sign. For each of these two signs there are places in
It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be

which we will mention for you in what follows.

44

Place of the

The Author said:

As for the

it is a sign of

( with the sound ending).

in the

I say:
For the
there is only one place in which it is a sign indicating that the

, and this place is the
( with the sound

ending). The meaning of it being "

" is that its ending (i.e. its final

letter) is not one of the three

(three weak letters) which are the ,
and .
is

( play/s),


are: (,

(is/are successful),
( ask/s). So
( travel/s), ( promise/s) and
when you say:



( Ali did not play),
( no dim-witted
( ,

person was successful),
( your brother did not travel) and

( Ibrahim did not promise Khalid anything), then each

is
of these


(particle of
)
because of the
preceding it, and the sign indicating that it is

. Furthermore,
is the
is a
each of these

.

Examples of the

45


Places of

The Author said:

it is a sign of
in the





which are
(with the weak ending) and the



with the
.
As for

I say:

there are two places in which it is a mark and sign indicating that the

word is


. The first place is the

( with the

weak ending). The meaning of it being "

" is that its ending (i.e. its

final letter) is one of the three

(three weak letters) which are the ,
and .
For

Examples of the

(is/are pleased),
(remain/s).

whose ending is an :( strive/s),

( desire/s), ( is/are distant) and

Examples of the

(hope/s), (test/s),
(grow/s).

whose ending is a

:( call/s),

( is/are hard) and

( is/are elevated),

Examples of the

(judge/s),
(guide/s).

whose ending is a

:( give/s),

( cover/s),

( revive/s),
)( and

'( Ali did not strive for honour),

then
is


, and the sign
due to it being preceded by a

indicating that it is

(dropping/omission of the )
is the
and the
before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before).

Furthermore, it is a


.
Thus, when you say:

( Muhammad did not call except to

the Truth), then is

that is
due to being preceded by a




, and the sign indicating that it is

is
(dropping/omission of the )and the
before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the

was there before).
When you say:

( Muhammad did not give except to
Khalid), then
is

that is
due to it being preceded by a
When you say:

46

and the sign indicating that it is

(dropping/omission of the
the was there before).
The second place is the

)and the

is

the

before it is evidence for it (i.e. that

which are

are:

with the

and an explanation thereof was already given. Examples of them

(they masculine dual hit),

(they feminine dual hit/ you dual hit),

( you masculine plural hit) and
(you feminine singular hit). You say:


( they masculine dual
did not hit),


( they feminine dual did not hit/ you dual did not hit),

( they masculine plural did not hit),

( you masculine plural did


not hit) and

( you feminine singular did not hit). Each one of these

is a

that is
due to it being preceded by a

(particle of
) which is

, and the sign indicating it that it is
is

the
and is
. Furthermore, the , or is a
on
the
in a place of .
(they masculine plural hit),

47


( Declinables)
The Author said:

The

Section
are two categories: a category declined by means of

(vowel markings) and a category declined by means of

(letters).
I say:

The Author May Allah have mercy on him intends by this section to explain in a
general way the rule concerning what was previously discussed in detail in the places
of declension. The places whose rules as regards declension were mentioned in

detail are eight, and they are: the

,

, the

, which does not have anything attached at its end, ,

. Furthermore, these
and

,





types i.e. the places of
, are divided into two categories: the first category is
declined by means of
and the second category is declined by means of


. Each of these types will be discussed in detail.

48



(Declinable by means of vowel markings)
The Author said:
Section

(vowel markings) are four things:

,

,
,

, the


,


which does not have anything attached at its end.

That which is declined by means of

I say:

,
and
. The
is affiliated to

them. You know that the
(declinables) are of two categories: the first

category is declined by means of
and the second category is declined by

means of
. This (here) is the onset of the discussion of the first category
which is declined by means of
, and constitutes four things:

The
are three: the

like:


(Muhammad) and ( the lesson) when
you say:


( Muhammad revised the lesson). is a

( declension).
with no place in
on the
that is
and is



is a
and the sign indicating that it is
is the

is a

that is
and the sign
.
indicating that it is

. Each of

is the

and
is an

.


(1) the

like: ( pupils) and ( the lessons) when

you say:


(the pupils memorised the lessons). (

(
is a
( declension).
with no place in
on the
that is
is a
and is
and the sign indicating that it is
is
the

is a

that is
and the sign
.
indicating that it is

. Each of and
is the

is an
.

(2) the

like: ( female Believers) and




(the prayers) when you say:
(the female





Believers are Allah-conscious in the prayers).

is a

that is

( declension).
with no place in
on the
is a

and is

and the sign indicating that it is

is the

(3) The

49




through and the sign indicating that it is
. is

. Each of and
is the

is an

.
which does not have anything attached at its end like (,

(goes/is going) when you say:

( Muhammad goes/is going). (,


(,
is
and a , and
that is
due it being stripped of (,

the sign indicating that it is


is a
is the

.


that is
.
and the sign indicating that it is
is the


(4) The

50

The general rule for the declension of the

, and what is
with

excluded from it
The Author said:
Section

with the ,

with the
,

and
. Excluded from
with the ,
with the

that (i.e. this general rule) are three things: the

is
,

), the

( instead of the
that is not
with the ,
(instead of the ,



)and the
is
with the

is





with the dropping of its ending

(instead of the
).
All of them are

I say:

is to be

with the
with the

with the
,

,
and

.
with the
The general rule pertaining to the four things that are declined with

As for

with the

all of them (i.e. these four categories of word) proceed

according to what is the norm for them, so that all of them are

with the

( Muhammad, the friends

, e.g.


and the female Believers are traveling).
that is

is
due it being stripped of (,
and a , and the sign indicating that it is

is a
that is

is the .

and the sign
indicating that it is
and it is furthermore an

is the




.
is
because it is
(i.e. conjoined) to the

(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is

is the

and it is furthermore a
is
.

because
it is also

(i.e. conjoined) to the
(which is ) and the sign
indicating that it is
and it is furthermore a

is the




.

all of them (i.e. these four categories of word) proceed

according to what is the norm for them except the

for it is

, e.g.
as a substitute for the
with the

( I will not oppose Muhammad, the friends
and the female Believers) ).
is
that is
by means
of
(will not), and the sign indicating that it is


is the
As for (,
with the

51


. is a


that is
and the sign indicating
that it is


and it is furthermore an

is also the

as you know.

is
because it is
(i.e. conjoined) to

the

(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is
is the


is
and it is furthermore a
as you know.

because it is also
(i.e. conjoined) to the
(which is
) and the sign indicating that it is
as a substitute
is the
for the
because it is a
.


As for

with the

all of them (i.e. these four categories of word)

for it is
not

that is not
at all and except for the
for it is

as a substitute for the
, e.g.
with the


( I passed by Muhammad, the men, the female

Believers and Ahmad).

and the is a

is and

is a

.,
with the and the sign indicating that it is

and it is furthermore an

is also the



is
as you know.
because it is
(i.e.


conjoined) to the

(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is

as you
and it is furthermore a
is the

know.

is
because it is also
(i.e. conjoined) to
the


(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is
is the

as you know.
and it is furthermore a


is


because it is also
(i.e. conjoined) to the
(which
is ) and the sign indicating that it is

as a substitute
is the
for the
because it is an that is not
and what bars it from the




(being a proper noun) and

( the
(i.e. the ) is
proceed according to what is the norm for them except the

pattern specific to the verb).

with the
is specific to the
you know that

is with
. Therefore, if it is
(of sound ending) the its
the
, e.g.
as is the norm for
( Khalid did not
travel).

(i.e. particle of negation,
( did not) is a (,

and transformation i.e. transforming the verb's tense from the present or future
to the past).

that is
by means of
( did
is
not), and the sign indicating that it is


is a
is the .
that is
. If
and the sign indicating that it is
is the




the

is with the

is
then its

As for

52


(dropping or omission of the weak letter), e.g.





,
( Bakr did not strive, invite and fulfill what was incumbent upon

him). Each of ,
is a


and ,
that
and


the sign indicating that it is

in


and the
is the

before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the
was there before), the
in
and the
before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before)


and the
in

and the
before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the
was there before).

53



(Declinable by means of letters)
The Author said:

(letters) are four categories: the





, and

,


,


,
,
,
and
and they are:

That which is declined by means of

I say:
The second category of the

is the things that are declined by means of

are four: the , ,
(letters). The letters that act as a sign of
and . That which is declined with these letters is four things:
(1) The
, and what is meant by it is the
, e.g.

( the two Muhammads),

( the two men).

cities),

, e.g.





( the Muhammads).

(2) The

Bakrs) and

(the two

(the two Bakrs) and

(the Muslims),

(the

( your father),
( your

, and they are:

( your in-law from your wife's side),
( your mouth) and

(3) The

brother),

(a possessor of wealth).

and they are:

( they masculine dual hit),

( they feminine dual/you dual write),
( they masculine plural
understand),

( you masculine plural memorise/protect) and

(4) The

(you feminine singular stay up the night).

An explanation of the declension of each one of these four things will follow in detail.

54


( Declension of the Dual)

The Author said:
As for the
it is
with the

with the .

, and

I say:
The first of the things that are declined with letters is the
, which is the
as
you know. You already know from what has gone before the definition of the

.

with the as a substitute for the ,

and
with the preceded by a letter vowelled with a
and followed by a letter vowelled with a
or
as a substitute for the

. Further extended to it after the or the is a which

compensates for the

that is in the
. This is not dropped

( annexation).
except during
The rule for it is that it is

An example of the


that is
is

( the
two judges attended/came and two men said). Each of
and
is

and the sign indicating that it is

because it is a
is the
as a substitute for the
because it is a

, and the compensates for the
( that was forfeited in) the

.

An example of the

that

is

is
( ,

(I like the two well-mannered persons and detest the two lazy

is
because it is a

and the sign indicating that it is
is the preceded by a
letter vowelled with a
and followed by a letter vowelled with a
as a
substitute for the
because it is a
, and the compensates for the
( forfeited in) the

.

persons). Each of

and

( I looked at the two horsemen on the two horses). Each of

and



entering on it and the sign
is
due to the ,
indicating that it is


is the preceded by a letter vowelled with a
and followed by a letter vowelled with a
as a substitute for the


An example of the

that is

55

is

because it is a

, and the

compensates for the

56

(forfeited in) the

(Declension of the Masculine Sound Plural)

The Author said:
As for the

it is
,

with the
,
and

with the .

I say:

.



definition of the

The second of the things that are declined with letters is the
You already know from what has gone before the

with the as a substitute for the ,

and
with the preceded by a letter vowelled with a
and followed by a letter vowelled with a
as a substitute for the
or

. Further extended to it after the or the is a which

compensates for the

that is in the
. This is dropped during

( annexation) like the of the
.
The rule for it is that it is

that is

(The


are

( Those ordering Good
Muslims attended/came) and
are successful). Each of and is
because it is a

and the sign indicating that it is

is the as a substitute for the

because it is a
, and the compensates for the



(that was forfeited in) the

.

Examples of the

that is


are
( I
saw the Muslims) and

( I respected those ordering
Good). Each of and is



because it is a

and the sign indicating that it is

is the preceded by a letter vowelled

with a
as a substitute for the
and followed by a letter vowelled with a

because it is a
, and the compensates for the


(forfeited in) the

.


Examples of the

( I got in contact with those who order Good) and
( May Allah be pleased with the Believers). Each of and

Examples of the

that is

57

are

entering on it and the sign
due to the ,
indicating that it is

is the preceded by a letter vowelled with a

as a substitute for the

and followed by a letter vowelled with a

, and the compensates for the

because it is a


( forfeited in) the

.

is

58

(Declension of the Five Nouns)

The Author said:

they are

with the

and
with the .
As for the

with the

I say:

. You

and essence of the

The third of the things that are declined with letters is the
already know from what has gone before the meaning

as a substitute for the ,

and
with the as a substitute for the
with the
as a substitute for the
.

The rule for it is that it is

with the

that are

are
(When your father orders you than obey him) and

( You

brother came/arrived from his travel). Each of and is
because

it is a
and the sign indicating that it is
is the as a substitute for
the

because it is a
, and the is a

that is

.

in a place of ,
on the
Examples of the

(,


( Obey your father and love your brother). Each of and is

because it is a
and the sign indicating that it is
is
the

as a substitute for the
because it is a

, and the

is a

as in the
in a place of ,
that
on the
Examples of the

that are

are

previous case.

that are

are
(Listen to your father) and
( Be kind to your brother). Each of

and is



entering on it and the sign
due to the ,
indicating that it is

because it is a
is the substitute for the

in a

, and the is a

that
on the
place of ,

as in the previous case.
Examples of the

59

(Declension of the Five Verbs)

The Author said:

they are

and

with the dropping thereof.
As for the

with the

I say:

. You

already know from what has gone before the meaning and essence of the

.


The fourth of the things that are declined with letters is the

with the fixing of the as a substitute

for the

and

,

with the dropping of this as a
substitute for the
or
.
The rule for them is that they are

that are


are: ( you masculine
dual/they feminine dual write) and
( you masculine dual/they feminine dual

understand). Each one of them is a
that is
due to it being

stripped of a (,
and and the sign indicating that it is
is the
. The is the
(personal pronoun denoting the dual)
being a
and is
in a place of
(indeclinable and fixed) on the
.
Examples of the

that are

are:
( you masculine

dual/they feminine dual will not be sad) and

( you masculine dual/they
feminine dual will not fail). Each one of them is a
that is

with (will not) and the sign indicating that it is

. The
is the
is the
and
(personal pronoun denoting the dual) being a
is

in a place of .
(indeclinable and fixed) on the
Examples of the

that are


are:
( you masculine
dual/they feminine dual did not study) and

( you masculine dual/they

feminine dual did not understand). Each one of them is a
that is

with (did not) and the sign indicating that it is

is the
. The is the
(personal pronoun denoting the dual) being a

and is
in a place of .
(indeclinable and fixed) on the
Examples of the

60

61

 and its types

The
The Author said:

)
(Chapter on the
The

are of three types: the

(beat, hit, struck),

and

, like:

(beat/will beat, hit/will hit, strike/will strike) and

( Beat, Hit, Strike).

I say:

The
is divided into three types:

, which is that which denotes the occurrence of something

before the time of speaking (of the speaker), e.g.

(hit, beat, strike),

(help, aid),

( open, conquer),

(reckon, think),

( know), (,
The first type is the

(be noble, generous), etc.

The second type is the

which is that which denotes the occurrence of

something during or after the time of speaking (of the speaker), e.g.

( help/will help, aid/will aid),

( open/will open, conquer/will conquer),

( know/will know), (,
(reckon/will reckon, think/will think),
( is/will be noble, is/will be generous),
(hit/will hit, beat/will beat, strike/will strike),

etc.

The third type is the

, which is that whereby the occurrence of something after the

( Hit, Beat, Strike),

( Reckon,
( Know), (,

time of speaking (of the speaker) is requested, e.g.

Think),

(Help, Aid),

(Open, Conquer),

(Be noble, Be generous), etc.

We mentioned this division (of the

)to you at the beginning of the book and we
mentioned together with it the characteristics or defining signs of each of these three
types.

62

The Rules of the

The Author said:

)
(Chapter on the

always ends in

is that which has

The

the

the

is always

and the

at its beginning one of the four additional letters

( I matured, drew near) and it is always

or
until a ,
enters upon it.

grouped together in your statement:

I say:
After the Author mentioned the types of
of each type thereof.

he commences with an explanation

, and this
is either
on the
is to be
or

.

The rule for the

which is it occurs in the (
([ strong
ending (verb)] that does not have the

nor the

attached to it as well as in every

whose ending is a or a , like:

(honoured),
( forwarded, placed before),
(travelled) and like:


( ,


(Zaynab travelled and Su'ad came) and like:


(was wretched) and like:

( was pleased),

(was generous)


and
( was obscene, lewd).
As for the

As for the

that is
, it is of three types because:

and this is in the case of every whose

due to
ending (i.e. final letter) is an
( call, invite, supplicate),
, e.g.

(strive, run), for each of them is a
on a
that is
,


on the what obstructs its explicitness is

or the

is

due to
and that is the case of every

is attached, e.g.
( they masculine
to which the
plural write),
(they masculine plural are happy), for each of them is

a

on its final letter and what
on a

that is
it is either

obstructs its explicitness is the occupation of the place (of declension) by the
vowel of


in each case is a

(correspondence) and the

that is
in a place of ,
on the
63

or the

is
due to avoiding the repugnance of the consecutive
following of four vowelled letters (i.e. the intinterrupted sequence of four
vowelled letters) and that is in the case of every
to which the

(vowelled personal pronoun occurring in the place of

) is suffixed, like the )
indicating the
)or the
)
denoting feminine plural), e.g.
( I wrote),


(you masculine singular wrote),
( you feminine singular wrote),
(we wrote) and
( they feminine plural wrote), for each of these
is a

on its final letter and
on a

that is
what obstructs its explicitness is the occupation of the place (of declension) by
a
that appears temporarily for the purpose of repelling the
repugnance of the consecutive following of four vowelled letters in what is
similar to a single word, and the , or is a
that is
on
the


The rule for the

,
,
or
and occupies a place of .

is that it is
on the sign with which its
is

.
So if its
( i.e. of a strong ending) and

is
with the

then the
. Furthermore, this
is either
is
on the

or
has two places. The first is for it (i.e.

that is
. The
the
( i.e. of a strong ending) and not have anything
) to be

suffixed to it, and the second is for it to have the )
denoting

feminine plural) suffixed to it, e.g.

( Hit!) and (,
( Write!) and likewise

( Hit! feminine plural) and

( Write! feminine plural) being
predicated of the


. As for the
that is
it has one place

which is for it (i.e. the
) to have the whether the single or

double like:
( Hit!!) and
( Hit!!!) and

( Write!!) and like:

( Write!!!).

(dropping or omission of the weak letter) and hence the

thereof is
on the

, e.g. ( Call!, Invite!), ,


( Judge!, Spend!) and
If the

is

then it is

with the

(Strive!).

then it is

is of the

with the
(dropping or omission of the ), and hence the
thereof is
on the


, e.g. ( Write! dual),
( Write! masculine plural) and

( Write! feminine singular).

If the

64

Furthermore, the characteristic sign of the

is to have at its

beginning an additional letter out of four letters grouped together by your statement:

( I was slow), or your statement:

( I was distant), or your statement:

( they feminine plural came) or your statement:

( we come/will come).

is for (signifying) the first person (speaker) masculine or feminine,like:

( I masculine or feminine understand), the is for (signifying) the first

The

person (speaker) who exalts himself or the first person with whom there is someone
else, like:
( we understand i.e. a single speaker who exalts himself or a

is for (signifying) the third person

(absentee), likle:
( he stands/will stand) and the is for (signifying) the

second person (addressee) or the third person feminine singular (and dual),like:







( You understand, O Muhammad, your duty) and like:

( Zaynab understands her duty).

( ,

speaker with whom there is someone else), the

If these (four) letters are not additional but are from the root or stem of the

like:
(ate),
( transferred, transport),
and
or the letter is
additional but does not signify the meaning that we have mentioned (for it), like:

( progressed, advanced), then the is

( honoured) and

and
not
.

is that it is
as long as the
whether
it is single or double or the
is not suffixed to it. If the

is
suffixed to it then it (i.e. the
) is
with it (i.e. the
) on the

, like the Most High's statement:







The rule for the

(He will most certainly be imprisoned and be amongst the humiliated ones) and if the

is suffixed then it is
, like the Most
(with it) on the

High's statement:
their children).

(The mothers should suckle

then it is
as long as it is not entered on (i.e. governed
by) a (,
( Muhammad understands/will
or , e.g.




understand).
is a

that is
due to it being stripped of a
(,
and a and the sign indicating that it is

is the

and
that is

.

is a
with the

When it is

, like

( A hardworker will never be disappointed).

(,
is a

is a

( ,
that is

( future tense), (,
and the sign indicating that it is

and

is the
is a
If it is entered on (i.e. governed by) a

(,

65

that makes it


that
.

is

and the sign indicating that it is

is the

that makes it


, like

(i.e.
( Ibrahim did not feel anxious).
is a (,
particle of negation,

and transformation i.e. transforming the verb's tense from
the present or future to the past),

is a

that is
and
the sign indicating that it is
that is

and
is the
is a

.
and the sign indicating that it is
is the

If it is entered on (i.e. governed by) a

66


( Nasb-effectors of the Mudari')
( ,
The Author said:

,
are ten, and they are:
( to),

( will not, will never),
" (the

(in that case, therefore),

( so that, in order to),
"
(the
,( "
which
denoting the meaning of
"




emphasises a previous negation),

(until, up to, to the point of),


( the verbal compliment introduced by the

,(

(the verbal compliment introduced by the )and

( until, unless, except).
The

I say:

is

are ten particles and are threegroups: a group effecting (,

by itself, a

a group effecting (,
"that is optionally dormant or latent after it
by means of "

and a group effecting (,

"that is obligatorily dormant or latent
by means of "
The instruments (in this case particles only) after which the

after it.

As for the first group that which effects (,

by itself it consists of four
particles, and they are:

,
and
,
.

As for "
( "to, that) it is a

(particle
( ,



denoting the infinitive or verbal noun, effecting (,
and signifying the future

tense), and an illustation of it is the Most High's statement:

(I desire Him to forgive me), and His statement: (,

(And

I fear that the wolf will eat him), and His statement:

( Indeed, It saddens me greatly that you are taking him) and His statement:
( They all agreed to place him into
(,







the depths of the well).

As for "
( " in that case, thus, therefore, hence) it is a

(,
( particle denoting response, the consequence and (,
). Three conditions
are stipulated for the
to be made
by it:

The first is that "
" must occur at the beginning of the
denoting the resonse).

67

(sentence

The second is the

occurring after it must denote the future tense.

except the
(negative ).

( oath), ( addressing the listener), or the ""

The third is that nothing must separate between it and the

An example of "
" meeting the conditions is like when one of your brothers says
to you: "

" (I will work hard in my studies) and you say to

( " In that case, you will pass). An example of where it is separated

by means of a
-

-
( " In that case by
is when you say: "
Allah you will pass). An example of where it is separated by means of a
is
when you say: "

-

( " In that case O Muhammad you will

-
pass). An example of where it is separated by means of the negative is when you

say: "


( " In that case your effort and striving will not be in
(,

vain) or you say: "




( " In that case by Allah
( ,
him: "

your work would not have gone to waste).

As for"
[ "to, (in order) to] it is a

(,

. It is required in



) "
of
order to make (,
with it that it be preceded by the "

is verbally expressed) as in
Causation) explicitly (such that the


implicitly (such
(in order that you do not despair) or that it be preceded by this
is not verbally expressed)
that the

68