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ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﳒﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ
Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction
To
Arabic Grammar
Part One
Ibn Ājrrum was a celebrated scholar and righteous man, often referred to as “a sea of
knowledge.” His complete name was Abū ‘Abd Allah Muhammad bin Muhammad bin
Dawūd al-Sinhājī (Allah be pleased with him). He was born 1273 C.E and He died 1323
C.E. He wrote a commentary of al-Shattibīs meta poem on variant readings of the
Qur’an and a few other works, some of them in prose, and others in metered poetry.
Ibn ‘Imād al-Hanbalī wrote about him that the correct way to pronounce his name is with
a shadda on the letter ra. Thus, the correct pronunciation is Ibn Ājrrūm, not the more
common Ājrūm.
Ibn Maktūm noted that Ibn Ājrrūm was known for “his piety and scrupulousness.”
With mountains of weaknesses, I strove to make the text accessible to all, adding to it
notes that I took from my teachers while I read this book to them, and from my students
while I taught the book. If you are able to read this with a qualified teacher, then it
should serve you well in your quest.
Finally, there will certainly be a number of shortcomings found in this effort. Thus, I say
as al-Harirī said
I ask Allah to accept this work, forgiving me for my mistakes, expanding for me its re-
wards and for those who read it, study it and benefit from it. May Allah unite us with our
beloved Prophet (sa) on a day when “No wealth or offspring will avail, except for those
who meet Allah with a sound heart.”
Imam Will
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
March 28th 2014
1 Complete Sentences 1
ِ"$َ
ْ &'(ِ) +ُ ْ,-ِ ُ .ُ ا0123َ ُ . ا4
ُ ْ-51 ' َ& ا6ُ ُم8َ9'ا
Explanation
The goal of the study of grammar is the ability to articulate oneself clearly and correctly. For
that reason, the author opens his text with the conditions of a complete sentence, referred
to by the early scholars as kalām
1. Noun Sentence (:,;<= ا:5;>' )ا- A noun sentence is a sentence that begins with a noun 3
2. Verb Sentence (:,5?-' ا:5;>' )ا- A verb sentence is a a sentence that begins with a verb4
4- Bi al-Wad’ - "$&'() - It conforms to the rules of Arabic syntax laid down (wada’a) by the
Arabs.
Examples of Lafdh
Each of these words are examples of the first condition, lafdh, because they are composed of
Arabic letters. Any word that is not composed of them, even if it is a transliteration, is not
considered lafdh.
0'(U +Vز
“Zaid is a Student.”
0'(U
“Student”
Y;D
“Sun”
The four examples above illustrate this condition. The first and third ones are complete sen-
tences - composed of two or more words. The second and the fourth consist of one word -
they are not murakkab.
Z\ل اXأ
Allah revealed
The word anzala is a transitive verb - it requires an object. In the first example, it has a sub-
ject only. In the second, it doesn’t. Thus, while the first phrases is lafdh and murakab, it is not
complete - the listener is left waiting for the meaning!
The Arabic language is an ancient language. Scholars in the 2nd century after the migration
of the Prophet (sa) began to collect its words, noting important patterns. For example, in
Arabic an adjective precedes its noun and never the opposite. Thus, we can say,
`(ص3' اa5T'ا
A led pen
a5T'`(ص ا3'ا
Drills: Please look at the following words, identify if they are kalam or not
Words%% % % Examples
ه3d آNK ة36(e :;` f?K ر:M8hاء و+j)=() &عK3M أ+jlM :م89'ا
\,;V ()" أيj' وا3,m' اn) Jo-V fXp f) N;< وa<& ا6 J,q و.اب3hs اRM f' JtM = u`p اE5h JoK 3,;$ :&6
Jo-FM 3,;$ &6أ أول و+jlM م89'(K ً (S;< اfX&2 E5?K ,3ld = ")(w 4-5' أن اa6&j' 4-5'م ا89' ا:J,q &' إذ,(;zF,)
.3;{.() 36(|' ا+,2}w &ازH RM ~,?{'&ل اT' اE5h +,2}w fX إ:J,q و."K رJtM NK uj-' اE5h NFlM أ •(ن+jlM
,NX(€'أ ا+jl. ا3ld fX أNX(€' اE5h و,ه3d آNK ة36(e :;$ f?K ر:M8h&ع وK3M &6 و,ولp&ل اT' اE5h أ+jl. ا3ld :4-5'ا
.ولpأ ا+jl. ا3ld ه3ld وNX(€'وا
.ه3d آNK ة36(e :;$ f?K ر:M8h و,&عK3M &عK3. ا:-` و4-5' :-` :023.ا
.ه3d آNK ة36(e :;$ f?K ر:M8h و,&عK3M &عK3. ا:-` و,023;5' :-` :+,-.ا
fXp ا+,-.() •5?jM ور3>. وا'>(ر وا,ه3d آNK ة36(e ة3b2 ه3H :M8h(ء وl'() ور3>M "$&' وا.3H ف3d (ءl' ا:"$&'()
ّ اعu` ر+o.?&ل وا-. اa< واJh(-' اa<(2 J?-' اfl‚V (ن2 (M J2 و.Jh(K a<ا
The Arabic language consists of three parts of speech: nouns, called a<( اism), verbs, called
J?K (f'il) and articles of preposition, called EF?. (ءH ف3@ (harf ja li m'ana). One of my teachers
told me something inspiring, "If you look in the Quran, the Prophet's traditions and every
book written on Islam, you will find only three parts of speech: nouns, verbs and articles of
preposition - learning Arabic is easy!"
Nouns are recognized by a kasra (at then of a word), tanwīn6 (at the end of a word), alif and
lām (added to the front of a word)7 and (any word) preceded by an article of preposition 8.
They articles of preposition are, to start from, to end to, to hear from, on, in, maybe, to pass
by, to be similar, and to belong 9. The letters of oath: al-waw, al-ba’ and al-ta’.
Explanation
The Imām begins with nouns, noting their signs. He does not mention all of the signs of
nouns, just those he felt are important. If you understand this section well, you will com-
plete it able to recognize a noun with very little difficulty.
Look at this majestic phrase. Every word, save the letter ب, is a noun. Now look at
the rest of al-Fatiha and identify the nouns that end with this sign.
6 Ryding 161-164.
7 Ryding 156-158.
8 Ryding 366-386
9 Ryding 371-372
Allah says
+ٍ <(@ 3D RMو
"And (I seek refuge) from the evil of any envious"
And,
And,
ٍ aSِ5Sbُ
ْ M ŠJُ2 ٰE5َh :ٌ {Vِ
َ 3َK ِ aS5ْ ِ?' ا:ُ َlS5َ َU
"Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim
ٍRb
َ َ@ •ٍ 5ُ m
ُ )ِ (س1 FS'('ِ ِ• اd
"Be good to all people."
Provide ten examples from the Quran of nouns with kasara, tanwin and Alif and lam.
The author mentions some of the most important articles of preposition, but not all of
them.
1. From Rْ Mِ
ِة36(T' اRَ M (Xأ
I'm from Cairo
2. To ٰE'إ
ِة3َ 6ِ (َT'ٰ اE'ِْتُ أ3َKَ(S<
I travelled to Cairo
3. From Rْ hَ
3w&,l;9' اRh f?;<أ
I'm listening to it from the computer
4. Upon ٰE5َh
L5€'ٰ اE5h N‚Mأ
I'm walking on ice
5. In ْNKِ
ٍ ( ِرعD
َ ْNKِ ُ•ْ,‚َ
َ M
I walked in the street
6. Perhaps 1رُب
َ ٌن8bَ
ْ 2 (َV •ْ
ِ Mَ(لُ اTV وYَ
َ 5 َH(رع ٍ وD ْNKِ َ(ش
َ M Jٍ Hب رََ ُر
Perhaps a man walked in a street, rested and was told, walk you lazy man!
7. Pass by/with/because
ٍ•ْ,َlS)ِ ُرْت3َ Mَ
I walked by a house
Z اab)
With the name of Allah
8. Similar/like ك
+ٍ <ََ }S2َ +ٌ ْVَز
Zaid is like a lion
ِ +ُ ْ; َt'ا
Z
All praise is to Allah
Nِ' :ُ |- ْtِ.ا
That wallet is mine.
3o?'وا
“By time.”
Et$و
“By the morning light.”
nj'وا
“By the fig”
10 Not pronouns
ُوت
“By I.”
The last two examples are not acceptable because the object of waw is a pronoun.
ُ•)
“By me.”
aَ jS)ِ
“By you (plural).”
(َ FS)ِ
“By us.”
اب3hs اRM =هJtM = uj-' اE5h NFlM :,X(,l' ا'&او اN6 ا'&او:و
f,K 3z|V = NFlM a< اfXp 3H JtM NK a{' اE5h NFlM f,'{(ف إM (ءz'{(ف واM (مbq وأ.ه3d آNK ة36(e
.اب3hsا
.ه3d آNK ة36(|' ا:;{' اf?K ر:M8h و,&عK3M &عK3.ل ا+) و:•8• RM ل+) :a<إ
.ه3d آNK ة36(e :;$ f?K ر:M8h&ع وK3M &عK3. اE5h &فŒ?. واa< اE5h &فŒ?M :J?Kا
.ه3d آNK ة36(e :;$ f?K ر:M8h&ع وK3M &عK3. اE5h &فŒ?M وa< اE5h &فŒ?M :ف3@
Jh(-' واJ?-' اRM :5;>' وا.ف3@ E5h ?&دV &6 :ه3V+Tw ً &ازاH f,K 3jjbM 3,;$ f5h(K وujK E5h NFlM (ضM J?K :(ءH
.?(رف أ@&اا. ا+?w(ت و-` ات39F' ا+?) :5;>' ا:ة+h(T'ن اp ف3t' :-` "K رJtM NK
J`ر إذ أP?j'( ا6&رze RM "FM nF2(b'(ء اTj'= :KوPt.'~ اp اE5h رة+TM ة3b2 ه3H د:M8hور )(=م و3>M :EF?M
RV&Fj''~ واp(ن اF2(< ETj'(K ً (S-'• أ5lTK (z5lq (M uj-X(ء وا,'• ا23tw :X&FM (ء,' اa$&ن وF' اuj-) (ٌNَFS?M) EF?M
ف3d RV&Fj' أن ا:('>&ابK '~؟pل ا+) RV&Fj'ف اPtV aْ ' aَ ' :•5q إن.EF?M (رoK nF2(b'(ء اTj'= ~'p• اKPtK
.•KP@ ”'P5K :5h ف3@ ~'p واu,t`
Drills:
3. What is the difference in meaning between tanwin and alif and lam?
6. Find five words from the Qur’an, made majrur by an article of preposition or oath
7. Find five words form the Qur’an the nouns. Explain why.
:ِ َ FSِ2(b'ا
َ ِ–,ِXْ}Sَ jS'َ( ُء اw َو, َو<&ْف
َ ,ُnْ b'ا
Š َو,ْ+Tَ )ِ َُف3?ْ ُV ُJْ?َ-'وَا
“Verbs are recognized by qad 11, al-Sin and Sofa (both causing the imperfect verb to take on a
future tense) and the female silent ta.”
Explanation
Just like nouns, verbs have specific words or letters that identify them. However, before we
get into that, let’s spend some time talking about verbs.
Type of Verbs
There are three types of verbs in Arabic:
At this time it may be hard for you to recognize these verbs, but soon, God willing, you will
do so with ease.
The reason that I took the time to explain this to you is that some of the signs of verbs are
restricted to a specific type of verb. For example, qad appears in front of Mudar’i and Madī,
but The letters sin and sofa appear in front of mudar’i. The female silent ta, appear at the
end of madī only.
A) Affirmation
11 Ryding 448-451
12 Meaning a command like “Sit!”
ُة8o'• اM(q +q
The only time qad carries this meaning if it precedes a past tense verb.
Qad carries two meanings when it precedes a present future verb, also: likely or unlikely
A) Likely
B) Unlikely
•K(F.ق ا+oV +q
These two letters appear in front of a present future verb only. They carry the same mean-
ing: “Will.”
آن3T'أ ا3T,<
The letter ta appears at the end of a past tense verb when the subject of the verb is a female:
:‚˜(h •'(q
:>V+d •'(q
Khadija said
“Articles of preposition do not accept the signs of nouns or the signs of verbs.”
Articles of preposition do not accept the signs of nouns and verbs. Hence, you will never
find, N-' اor ٍ بor RM+q. For that reason, I coined an axiom, by God’s grace:
“Articles of preposition have no signs .... Understand what I said and you’ll be a scholar.”
2 ‘Irab14
Summary
The subject of this book is the change of vowels or letters that take place at the end of a
word. That change (Ar. Taghir - 3ْ,,ِ ™ْ َw) is called ‘Irab - اب3ْhِإ. Here are some examples
1)
ِآن3T' َ( ُح اjSْ-Mِ :ُ 1,)ِ 3َ ?َ 'ا
13 Thisquote is from a book that I’m working on that I hope and pray will be released in the
distant future.
14 Ryding 165.
Look at the three examples above. In the first, the word ‘Arabic ends with a doma, in the
second it ends with a fatha and in the third, a kasra. Those changes are caused by certain
words, articles or the placement of the word in a sentence. The changes not only affect the
sound of the word, but its meaning. In the first, it is the subject of a noun sentence; in the
second it is the subject of a nominative particle, indeed; and in the third, it is the object of
the article of preposition, bi. That change is called ‘Irab. That change is the focus of this
book. I heard Sh. Ahmed of Senegal say, “Suhaib, everything prior to this was only an intro-
duction. This is where the book really starts!”
Types of Change
Look at the following examples and try to recognize something that is happening related to
the change at the end of the word.
1)
Nّ5oُ
َ V aُ ِ5Sbُْ .ا
The Muslim prays
Nّ5oُ
َ V aَ 5b.ْ•ُ اVََرأ
I saw the Muslim praying
2)
ُ& َن5oُ
َ V ِ;ُ & َن5Sbُْ .ا
The Muslims are praying
3)
›&ن5oُ
َ V nِ
َ ْ ;ِ5Sbُْ .ْ•ُ اVََرأ
I saw the Muslims praying
E<&ُM ُ•ْVََرأ
I saw Mosa
5)
N$(َT'َلَ ا+hَ
The judge was just
N$(َ
ِ T5' ً=8 ْHِ َ( إFS ْ;ُq
We stood in awe of the judge
َN$(َ
ِ T'ْ•ُ اVََرأ
I saw the judge
If you look at the examples, you will notice that the change at the end of the first word of
each sentence is different. In sentence number one we see the end of the word Muslim in
both cases experiences a change in the vowel on the last letter. In the second example, you’ll
notice that the last vowel in each word stays the same, fatha, but the letter before it changes
from waw to ya. This type of change is called change due to letters. In the last two exam-
ples, you’ll notice that there is no change save for the last example under number 5. This
change is called muqdar, because you don’t see it, but it is assumed (muqadar) to be there.
3) The Personal ya
The letter (ءV appears at the end of a noun when the speaker wants to show ownership. For
example, my book in Arabic is
Nِ)(َ jSِ2
The the letter ya is added to the end of the word kitab (book) to give it a meaning of posses-
sion.
Practice: Take the following nouns and add ya to the end of them:
Car (رَة1,<
َ
Boat :َ FSْ,-ِ <
َ
Child م8ُœ
You’ll notice that the presence of ya demands that the letter before it takes kasra - kitabI,
Qur’anI, DinI. Now when these word appear in a sentence, and the possessive ya is added to
them, their ‘irab becomes understood:
15 Ryding 183-184
As far as meaning goes, this case represent the subject of both a noun and verb sentence as
well as the predicate in a noun sentence.
ِZ +ُ ;t'ا
“All praise is due to God.”
ِZ ا3ُ oَ
ْ X ( َءH إذا
“When Allah’s help comes.”
In both of the examples the word hamd and nasr are in the raf’ case. When a noun or verb is
raf ’ (wether apparent or assumed) it is called marfou’.
(س1
َ FS'ْ•َ اVََو َرأ
(َz,ِK ƒْ
َ -d
َ = و,ُ وا'>َ \ْم, ُ0oŠ
ْ FS' وا,ُ"ْK3َ ' ا:”َِ 'َ ذRْ Mِ ِْ?َ(لK•ِْ 5SَK
“Raf’, nasb and jazim include verbs. Khafd does not.”
ُZَ(لَ اq
“Allah said.”
ن8H3'(ل اq
“The two men said.”
&نFِM‡.(ل اq
“The believers said.”
(ل أَ)ُ&ْكq
“Your dad said.”
16Ryding 169-171.
Explanation:
The vowel sign doma indicates a word is marfu (&عK3M) in four situations:
1) A Singular noun
ِZ +ُ ْ; َt'ا
All praise is due to God
The word al-Hamd is the subject of a noun sentence, called mubtada (ُ أ+َ َ jSْlSMُ ). It is marfu be-
cause of dama. When analyzing this in Arabic we say:
:;{'() &عK3M +;t'ا
“al-hamdu marfu’n bi al-dama”
If you look at these two words, the have the same form, but their vowels changed. That
change from the fatha to the dama, changes the meaning from singular to plural. What is
important is that it both sentences the word lion is marfou’ with dama.
17 Ryding 132-140
&ن5V&U ٌ(لHِر
Tall men
The words rijal is an example of a change in a singular noun’s form to make it a plural. In
fact, the word rijal not only experienced a change in form, but in a vowel as well. What is
important here is that both words are marf ’u bi doma.
Your Turn
Look at these words and tell me what type of change is taking place. Is it a change in form, a
change in vowels or a change in both?
ٌ0ُ jSُ2 ٌ(بjِ2
>َ ( ٌرDَْ أ ٌة3َ َ>D
َ
: َ;ِ˜َأ َ( ٌمMِإ
3ٌ Tَ َ) َة3Tَ َ)
Z() Rُ Mِ أ ُ ْؤ
I believe in Allah
Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُX
We believe in Allah
Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُV
Explanation
The letter واوreplaces the vowel ُ (doma) in two situations: with a sound male plural -called
jam (plural) Mudhakar (male) salim (sound) - Sound male plural - aُ ِ'(b'ا
َ 3ِ 2َ 1Pُ.َ ;ْ "ُ اH, and one of
the five special nouns (These nouns are special because their ‘Irab is with a letter, not a
vowel): أ)&ك,&ْكd
ُ َ أ,&ك
َ ُ; َ@ ,ُ&كK , ٍ(لMذُو.
The sound male plural takes on the following form &ن5?-M - maf ’alu when it is marf ’u. For that
reason, you see a waw at its end. That way represents dama! This replacement is called niy-
aba. So, for example, the sentence
ُ& َنlSِ'(َU ِ;ُ & َن5Sbُْ .ا
“The Muslims are students.”
Al-Muslimun mubtada (is the subject of a noun sentence) marfun (in the raf’ case) bi waw (with
waw) niyabataan (representing) dama.
:;{' اRh :)(,X &ع )('&اوK3M أ+jlM ;&ن5b.ا
The fives special nouns, when they are marf ’u, take a waw that represents dama. So, for ex-
ample, we say about the sentence:
ٌ0ِ'(َU أَ)ُ& َْك
“Your dad is a student.”
“Waw is mubtada (subject of a noun sentence) marf ’u (in the raf case) bi waw (with the letter
waw) niyabatan (representing) dama (the vowel sound dama).
18 Ryding 190-191.
19 Ryding 92.
Your turn!
Look at the following sentences. Identify whether a word is marfu with doma or waw. If it is
with doma, it is easy because you say the word is marf ’un bi al-doma. If it is represented by
waw, you write, marfu’n (raf) bi waw (with waw), niyabatan (representing) al-dama (the vowel
sign dama).
ِZَ<&لُ ا
ُ َ(لَ رq
“The Messenger of God said.”
ِZ +ُ ;t'ا
“All praise is due to God.”
(ء أ)&كH
“Your father came.”
20 Ryding 188-190.
;(ن5b.(ء اH
“The two Muslims came.”
;(ت5b.(˜• اH
“The two Muslim women came.”
;(ن5bM ن8H3'ا
“The two men are muslim.”
;(ن5h ِ(نM8َُ œ
“The two boys are scholars.”
Take the following nouns and verbs and place a dual noun that is mar’fu and dual to complete
the sentence:
Prayed E15`
َ
Handsome ن8,;H
Ate َJَ2َأ
21Sheikh ‘Abdu)ah al-‘Ashmawi mentioned a few conditions for the dual noun: “That it is M’u-
rab, that it is singular; that it is indefinite, that it is not a compound word; that it is not a
singular label used to describe (muwafiq al-lafdh) two things - bakaran meaning Abu Bakr and
‘Umar (God be pleased with them both); that it is not a dual pronunciation used to describe
one thing (muwafiq al-m’ana) - ‘Umurani meaning ‘Umar and ‘Amru.” Hashyia al-‘Ishmawi pg.
44-45
I-أ
ْآ َن3Tُ 'أ َْ<;َ "ُ ا
“I listen to Qur’an.”
We -ن
آ َن3T';َ "ُ اbَ
ْ X
“We listen to Qur’an.”
He, or they ي ـ
ْآ َن3Tُ ';َ "ُ اbَ
ْ V
“He listens to al-Qur’an.”
You - ت
ْآ َن3Tُ ';َ "ُ اbَ
ْ w
“You (male) listen to Qur’an.”
For that reason, if we wan’t to show a verb is dual or plural we add, if it is the raf’ case an alif
and noun to a dual verb ِ;َ (نbَ
ْ V - “They two (males) listen,” or, if it is a female a ta and an alif
and a noun ِ;َ ?(نbَ
ْ w - “You two women listen,” or a wow and a noun if it is plural, ;َ ?ُ& َنbَ
ْ V-
“They (men) listen,” or at ta a waw and a nun if it is plural second person “َ;َ ?ُ&نbَ
ْ w” a ya and a
nun if we are addressing a women, n
َ ِ? َ;bَ
ْ w “You (woman) listen.”
The total number of verbs mentioned here are five and were given a special name, Af ’al
(verbs) al-Khamsa (five) - :b;m'?(ل اKأ.
In each example above you will notice a nun at the end of each verb. If you find a verb with
this form and the nun is there, you say it is fil al-mudar’i marf ’u bi nu! &نF'() ع
ٌ &Kْ3Mَ ِ ُ{( ِرع.ُ اJْ?Kِ
Your Turn:
@&ن3-V RVP' ا£
1 btw =
“Those who rejoice should not assume.”
az)&5q NK Y,' (M az6&K}) &'&نTV
“They speak with their mouths, what is not in their hearts.”
39F. اRh &نzFVوف و3?.() ون3M}V
“They invite to the good and forbid the evil.”
Explanation
It is time to learn about the second of four cases that make up the foundations of the Arabic
language. This case is called nasb and a word that is in the nasb case is called mansub. The nasb
case deals primarily with the objects of verbs, the subject of inna and the predicate of kana.
The word nasb means “even and upright.” We say about a person who stands straight munta-
sib (0oَ
ِ jSْFSMُ ).
(zْ FShَ ََ(بX (َM َو:ُ َtْ jSَ-' اfُ jSMَ 8َh &ص
ٌ oْ
ُ mMَ 3ٌ ,,™w
“A specific change (at the end of a word) whose main sign is fatah and what represents it.”
22 Ryding 172-182.
An object can be nasb with one of the following signs: fatha, kasra, alif or ya.
ْ•ُ أَ)َ(كVََرأ
n
َ Fِ Mِ ‡ْ ُ .• اVرأ
n5H• رVرأ
If a present future verb that is not connected - J?-V - and it is preceded by an article of nasb
such as Rْ 'َ .
When the letter نin one of the five verbs (Ar. Af ’al al-Khamsa) is removed because the verb
is preceded by an article of nasb such as Rْ 'َ , that verb is mansub (nasb) bi (with) hadthf (re-
moval) al-nun (the letter nun).
You will recall that the predicate of inna is marfu. Well, its subject is mansub.
ُ& ٌر9D
َ & ٌر-َœ َZإن ا
َZ ا£
َ ْ ِtُV ِ;(ت5b.إن ا
We say about the nouns above, mansub (they are nasb) bi (with) (one of the signs of nasb)
You will recall that the subject of kana was marfu. Well, its precdicate is mansub
ً &را9D
َ ً &را-َœ ُZ(ن ا2
nَ
ِ ْ 5V&U ن8H3'(ن ا2
f,5h Jd{(رع إذا د. اJ?-' وا3,b9j';" اHد و3-. اa<= اNK : "$&اM :•8• NK 0oF5' :M8h &ن9jK :tj-'( اM}K.
ž,D ه3dŸ) JojV a' و0`(X
“Fatha indicates nasb in three situations: a singular noun, the broken plural and the imperfect
verb, if it its ending is unconnected and it is preceded by an article of nasb.”
Explanation
Just like the raf ’ case, the nasb case has certain signs that identify it. The first sign is fatha
and it is found when it indicates nasb, on three types of words. This should be easy for you
because those same words were mentioned in the previous chapter:
Sheikh al-Ka*awawi defines it as “A noun that is not dual, plural, or derived from them, or is
not from one of the five special nouns.” 23
Examples of Ism Mufrad mansub bi al-fatha (Singular noun nasb with fatha)
Examples of Jam’ al-Taksir mansub bi al-fatha (Broken Plural Nasb with Fatha)
ً=(Hِْ•ُ رVََرأ
“I read books.”
ُ&لbُ
ُ 9'َ اuِ5Sْ-ُV Rْ 'َ
(سF5'
ِ nَ
َ Š lSُjSِ'
E<&M (Fْ,'َ ِِ" إH3َV Ej َ@ nِ-2ِ (َh fِ ْ,5َ hَ َح3َ ْlSَX Rْ 'َ
:ِ tْ jSَ-'(ِ) ٌ&بoْ
ُ FSMَ ع
ٌ ُ{( ِر
َ M ٌJْ?Kِ
”' ذflD( أM(ك وd• أ)(ك وأV رأ: &tX :b;m'<;(ء اp اNK 0oF5' :M8h &ن9jK ~'p( اMوأ
“Alif indicates nasb when it is with one of the five special nouns: your father, your brother
and the others.”
Explanation
When one of five special nouns is in the nasb case, it takes alif instead of waw; like it did in
the raf’ case: أ)(ك,(كdَ أ,( َكS; َ@ ,َ(كK , ٍَ(لMذَا
َ(ك
َ )َزُرْتُ أ
Explanation
When the sound female plural is nasb it takes kasra instead of dama.
ِ;(ت5b. و اn
َ ;ِ5Sbُْ .ن ا1 ِإ
“Ya indicates nasb with the dual noun and the sound male plural.”
The dual noun takes a ya when it is mansub just like it took an alif when it was marf ’u.
nَ
ِ ْ 5 ُHَ3'ْ•ُ اVََرأ
The sound male plural takes a ya when it is mansub, just like it takes a waw when it is marf ’u.
n;5b.• اVرأ
If it was ra’f it would be with a ya and its grammatical position would be different
.&نF'&ت اl€) (z?K رNj' ا:b;m'?(ل اKp اNK 0oF5' :M8h &ن9,K &نF'ف اP@ (Mوأ
“The removal of the letter nun indicates nasb with the five verbs whose raf’ case is estab-
lished with the presence of the letter nun.”
1) An article of nasb is placed before them. There are different articles of nasb that we will
learn later. Here are some of the most important:
Never - Rْ 'َ -
ً ا3ْ,d
َ ُ&اM3ِ َ jS ْtَV R' &نTK(F.ا
So that - ِ ل-
ً ا3,d (سF'ا
َ ِ;ُ &ا5Sَ?ُ,' آ َن3T';(ء ا5?'َس ا
َ َدر
The Ulema learned the Qur’an so they could teach people good.”
2) The nun at the end of the verb is omitted. This is called hadhf (ْفP َ@)
So, in the examples above, you see both differences play out - the verbs are preceded by an
article of nasb, the nun is removed from both verbs. For that reason we say about those two
verbs: f ’il mudar’i mansubu bi hadhf nun
The third case of Arabic grammar is khafd (ƒ-d) case. Most contemporary scholars refer to
it as jarr (3 َH).
25Sheikh Abu Mustapha told me that khafd was a term popularized the Kufi school, which Ibn
Ajrrum adhered to. The more popular term today is jarr, coined by the Basri school and en-
joys wide acceptance today.
26 Ryding 171-172
nFM‡;5' ”@(F َH ƒُ
ْ -d
ْ وَا
“A specific change at the end of a word (whose base is) kasra or what represents it. It occurs
with nouns only. For example, I passed by zaid, a group of Muslim women, your father, two
me or a group of Muslims.
“Indeed, the night and the day are treasure chest. So look at what you place in your chests.”
The construct phrase refers to two nouns that are linked together. The first is called mudaf -
{(فM and the second is called mudaf ilah f,'{(ف إM. Even if you don’t speak Arabic, you
probably use this construction daily without knowing it. For that reason, it is going to be
easy for you to master.
3ِ oَ
ْ ?'َةُ ا8`
َ
27 Ryding 205-224
ِZَ<&لُ ا
ُ ر
1. The Determined word - mudaf - can be maf ’u, mansub or majror depending on where it is
in a sentence:
ِZَ<&لُ ا
ُ ر
ِZَ<&لِ ا
ُ 3)ِ
In the examples above, the word rasul is marfu’ in the first example, mansub in the second
and majrur in the third.
2. The Determiner is Always khafd - see the name of our Lord in the examples above in each
example it does not change - it has kasra all the time.
1. To Identify a Relationship
ٍ aS5ْ hِ ُ0ِ'(َU
2. Possessive Relationship
ِZر<&ل ا
Boston airport
.!"#$"* ا)('& ا+,ف و/01) ا/2$34"* ا+,ف و/01)د ا/6)! ا78 ا9: : *; ?@?> =<ا9: A6BC" >=@D <ن34: ة/$3" ا#=G:
“Kasra indicates khafd with three signs: the singular noun that accepts tanwin, the broken
plural that accepts tanwin and the sound female plural.”
The sheikh identified the three words that, when they have a kasra at their ending, are
makhfud. The first was the singular noun. A singular noun can be makhud even if it is
“I pass by ‘Abir.”
To Moses
In the first example we say, “‘Abir, makhfud (in the khafd case) bi (with) al-kasra (with the
vowel sign kasra) al-thahir (that is clear).”
ٌ0َU(َmMُ 3ٌ ْ,;ِ $
َ fُ 1Xَ ِp ƒْ
ِ -m
َ '(لِ اtَM NK َuْjSَ-' اE5َh ¦NFِ ْlSMَ (ف2
In the third example we say, Musa (Moses), makhfudun (khafd case) bi (with) al-kasra (the
vowel sign kasra) al-muqadara (that is assumed).
Your Turn
1) Look at the following words. Identify if they are in the khafd case, if their ‘irab is clear or
assumed or if they are fixed, mabni.
ٌ"َŒْ)َ َ& أzُ َK ِZ ا3ِ 2ْ Pِ )ِ fِ ,ِK ُ أ+َ ْlSُV َ= ٍ ذِي )(ل3ٍ Mْ َ ُ أJُ2
“Every important (religious) affair that does not commence with God’s remembrance is cut
off (of blessings).” Hadith
2) Construct your own sentence with a singular noun that is makhfud bi kasrah.
The broken plural can be makhfud with kasra whether its ‘irab is clear (thahir) or assumed
(muqadar):
ِ(لH3'() رت3M
It could also be female, unlike the examples above that are male:
ُ&دFSُz'() رت3َM
For the singular noun and the broken plural the author mentioned a condition that he did
not mention in the raf and nas case; that both words should be ِف3oَْ FSMُ (munsarif). What that
means is that these words accept taniwn and kasra. Because, as you will soon see, there are
certain singular nouns and broken plurals that don’t. They are called
ٍِف3oْ
َ FSMُ 3ُ ْ,œَ
The sound female plura (jam’ muanath al-salami) accepts kasra if it is in the khafd case. He
did not mention that these must be munsarif, because it always accepts tanwin (if it is in-
definite) and kasra.
ٍِ;(ت5Sb
ْ ُ;ِ) ُرْت3َ Mَ
.";>' وا:,F€j' اNK و:b;m'<;(ء اp اNK : "$&اM :•8• NK ƒ-m5' :M8h &ن9jK (ء,'( اMوأ
“Ya indicates khafd with three signs: the five special nouns, the dual noun and the sound
male plural.”
The Five Special Nouns
The five special nouns take the letter ya instead of kasra when they are in the khafd case:
For each of the examples above we say “Makhfud (the khafd case) bi (with) ya (the letter ya)
niyabathan (representing) kasra (the vowel kasra) liana (because) hu (it) ism (noun) min
(from) asma (nouns) khamsa (five).”
:b;m' أ<;( اRM a< اfXp :;{' اRh :)(,X (ء,'() &ض-mM
Your Turn: Provide a few of the five nouns in the khafd case!
n5H3) رت3M
“I passed by two men.”
For each of the words above we say, “Makhfud bi al-ya, niyabatan ‘an al-kasra liana muthana.”
EF€M fXp :;{' اRh :)(,X (ء,'() &ض-mM
Your Turn: Give me some examples of a dual noun in the khafd case.
“Fatha indicates khafd with a noun that does not accept tanwin.”
Explanation
The last sign of the khafd case is a noun that is not munsarif. You will recall this word. We
mentioned it under section 5.3. Munsarif is a word that accepts tanwin if the word is indefi-
nite and kasra if it is in the khafd case. An example of a word that is munsarif is house ( ٌ•ْ,َ)).
Thus, we can say ٍ•,l) رت3M or ِ•ْ,َlS'رت ا3M. But, if we take the name ا َء3; ُ@, we notice a differ-
ence:
َا َء3 ْ; ُtِ) رت3M
“I pasted by Humra.”
When this happens. When a word does not accept kasra and tanwin, it is called ghayr muns-
rif (ف3oFM 3,œ). The more common term for it is ism aldhi lan yansarif (ِف3oْ
َ FSَV = يP' اa<)ا
Why
There are two reason why a word is not munsarif:
When both of these reasons collide into a word, that word no longer takes sarf. An example
is the name Ibrahim:
a,63)¨) رت3M
A Words Form
There are number of forms that, when combined with one of two meanings that will be
mentioned soon, inshallah, prevent a word from taking sarf:
1. The form of a verb like the word +; ْ@َ أabove or 39‚َ ْ V. This is called wazin (measure) f ’il
(verb).
2. A word that ends in ةthe female ta like :ُ ‚ِ َ ˜(َh. This is called t’anith.
3. A foreign word like aْ,6ِ 3َ ْ)ِإ. This is called ‘ujam.
4. A compound word like &ْتMَ 3َ { َ َ@. This is called tarkib.
5. The addition of ali and nun to the end of a word like ْ;َ (ن€Sُh ofَان39ْ <. َ This is called ziyad alif
wa nun.
There are two more that I did not mention. You can read about them in other sources, or
wait to learn about them when we study morphology, inshallah. Thus, the total number of
form related causes are seven. A poet wrote:
8 ُ;َ2 +ْ qَ ُ~`َ
ْ &'(َK :ً َ; ْ>ُh ْ َو ِز ْد0Š2 َر:ٍ َK3ِ ?ْ َ;ِ) ً=+ْ hَ ;َ "ْ َو ِز ْنHا
“The form ajma, the (verb) form if a proper noun...A compound word, a foreign (word) a de-
scription complete (what prevents sarf).”
Meaning
By meaning the author intended one of two things:
1. A proper noun - called ‘alam, mu’araf or al-‘alamiya
2. An adjective - called wasf
When one of these two meanings is met with one of the forms above, the noun “loses” it
pure nouness 28. Thus, it no longer takes kasra or tanwin.
َ ,ِ)(o
u َ َ;ِ)
“With lamps.”
n
َ U(,D و+h
“The enemy of devils.”
Just remember that this form, sigha muntaha al-jumu’u looks like one of these:
Jh(-M
J,h(-M
29Meaning that the word is describe with a word whose meaning is not definite, but ambig-
ious
Explanation:
Sukun indicates a verb is in the jazim case if that verb is preceded by an article of jazim like
lam, and does not end with a waw, ya or alif.
ْس
َ ر+1 'ٌ ا0ْ,zَ `
ُ ْ" َ;bَ
ْ V aَ'
“Suhaib did not listen to the lesson.”
The word yasm’a in this examples is majzum (in the jazim case) bi (with) sukun because it is
a imperfect verb that does not end with ali, waw or ya; and it is preceded by the article lam.
Your Turn:
Apply the Jazim case to the following verbs using the article lam.
Eating Jُ2ْ}SَV
Remembers 3ُ2ْPَV
Remember for each word you are going to say, majzum bi sukun!
ُِ&ن9b'(ِ
َ ) َ>ْ \ُو ٌمM
.&نF'(ت اl€) (z?K رNj' ا:b;m'?(ل اKp اNK و3d‰ اJj?.{(رع ا. اJ?-' اNK >\م5' :M8h &ن9,K فPt'( اMوأ
The omission of the letter nun indicates jazim with the imperfect verb whose ending is
weak31, and with the five special verbs made raf’ by the presence of nun.”
Explanation
If the imperfect verb ends with one of the following “weak” letters - :5?'وف ا3@- and that verb
is preceded by an article of jazim like lam, then the weak letter is omitted.
30
أَ)َ(ه+ُ ; ْ@َ ع أ
ُ +ْ َV aْ 'َ
“Ahmed never calls on his dad.”
Your Turn
Take the following verbs, add lam to them and change them according to their case, explain-
ing why.
Throwing NِM3ْ َV
Strives Eَ?bَ
ْ V
In each example you are going to say, majzum (in the jazim case) bi (with) hadth (omission)
فPt'() >\ومM
Explanation
ُ&ك
َ )ََ ( َء أH
“Your father came.”
If you look carefully, you will notice a subtle difference in the words Zaid and your father.
While both are subjects of a noun sentence and marf ’u, the signs of their ‘irab are different.
“Zaid” is marfun (in the raf case) bi (because of) doma (the vowel doma) - :;{'() &عK3M -, while
“your father” is marfu’un (in the raf case) bi (because of) al-waw (the letter waw) niyabtan
(representing) ‘an al-doma (the vowel mark doma) - :;{' اRh :)(X &ع )('&اوK3M. Thus, “Zaid’s”
‘irab is based on a vowel mark, and “your father’s) is based on a an actual letter.
The first type of ‘irab is called “irab (grammatical change) bi (with) al-harakat (vowel marks)
In this section, the author breaks down four words whose vowels change (bi al-harakat), il-
lustrating how these two principles function within the Arabic language and their excep-
tions. Mastering this will save a student time because it serves as a site map of the language.
JojV a' يP'{(رع ا. اJ?-' واa'(b'– اX‡.;" اH و3,b9j';" اHد و3-. اa<= ا: (ء,D أ:?)(ت أر23t'() ب3?V يP'(K
";H : (ء,D أ:•8• ”' ذRh ج3d&ن و9b'() >\مwة و3b9'() ƒ-mw و:tj-'() 0oFw و:;{'() "K3w (z52و. ءND ه3dŸ)
.ه3dف آPt) >\مV 3d‰ اJj?.{(رع ا. اJ?-' وا:tj-'() ƒ-mV ف3oFV = يP' اa<=ة وا3b9'() 0oFV a'(b'– اX‡.ا
“Word whose vowels change are four, the singular noun, the broken plural, the sound female
plural and the imperfect tense whose ending is not connected to anything. All of these are
made raf’ with doma, nasb with fatha, khafd with kasra and jazim with sukun with three excep-
tions: the sound female plural is made nasb with kasra; nouns that do not accept tanwin are
Explanation
The author (Allah have mercy on his soul) mentions that the ‘irab of four types of words is
based on a change in vowel signs, noting that each will carry doma in the raf case, fatha in
the nasb, kasra with the khafd and sukun in the jazim case.
+ٌ ْVَ زED(َ
َ M
“Zaid Walked.”
ِ(لd3'() ُرت3َM
I passed by the men.”
There is are two exceptions to this, the broken plural that has two letters after its break,
Jh(?-M and J,h(-M. Both do not accept tanwin, and both do not accept kasra in the khafd
case, but fatha because they are not munsarif.
:ُ َ; ِU(َK Eَ?bَ
ْ w
“Fatima strives.”
:ُ ; ِU(K َ"bَ
ْ w aْ 'َ
“Fatima did not strive.”
In the second example, Fatima is not jazim with sukun, but with the omission of the alif la-
zima at the end of the verb.
: N6و، :b;m'?(ل اKp وا، :b;m'<;(ء اp وا، a'(b' ا32P.;" اH و، :,F€j' ا: &اعX أ:?)وف أر3t'() ب3?V يP'وا
.N5?-w و، &ن5?-w و، &ن5?-V و، ن8?-w و، ن8?-V
“Words forms who change with their letters are four: the dual noun, the sound male plural,
the five special nouns and the five special verbs. The five special verbs are those two males,
you two males, they, you (plural) and you (female).”
7.5 The Sound Male Plural and the Changing of its Letters
7.6 The Five Special Nouns and the Changing of their Letters
Explanation
The rules stated by the author above hold true. For further referencing, see the relevant
chapters above.
3َ ْ,m
َ '›& َن اlS ِtَV ُ‡=َ ِء6َ
“They love good.”
The word ‡=ء6 is a noun. But in each sentence above it is in a different grammatical case. In
the first sentence it is the subject of a noun sentence (mubtada), but its ending is kasra; in
the second sentence it is the subject of the particle inna, and its ending is kasra; in the third
it is the object of a preposition and its ending is in kasra. Thus, regardless of where it is in a
sentence, and what particle may influence its ‘irab, it’s ending is fixed. That fixture is called
bina ((ءF)) and the words are called mabni (NFlM).
1. ha ula (they) mabniyun (fixed) ‘ala (on) al-Kasar (the vowel kasrah) fi (in) mahal (the state
0f) raf ’ (rafu case) lianhu (because it is) mubtada (the subject of a noun sentence.
3. You try!
Practice Exam
The following is a practice exam administered to students. Try your best!
2. What are the three parts of kalam and their signs. Please answer with ex-
amples for each.
32 A
case could be made for a much more complicated ‘irab here. I have left it out since this
book is for beginners.
Iٌ ْKَ ِء ز# َ,
ٌPِ"#َQ Iٌ ْKَز
“Zaid is a student.”
ٍت# َ+ِCT$
ْ ُ+ِV ُرْت/َ =َ
“A passed by a group of Muslim women.”
ك#َ
َ Vَُ أZْKََرأ
“I saw your father.”
12. Provide the ‘irab for the five nouns in the raf, nasb and khafd cases (with
examples)
ك#Vَ َء أ# َ,
“Your father came.”
The word Abaak is meant be the subject of the verb came.
14. What is the difference between ‘irab with letters and ‘irab with vowel signs.
Give some examples.