Ājrrūmiyyah's Introduction To: Edited and Translated by Imām Will

‫ﺗﺮﺟﻤﺔ ﻣﱳ ﻣﻘﺪﻣﺔ اﻵﺟﺮّوﻣﻴّﺔ‬
‫ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﳒﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ‬
Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction
To
Arabic Grammar
Part One
Edited and Translated by

Imām Will
Ella Collins Institute for Religious and Social Studies

Fall 2012
Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 1

About the Author
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.”
About the Book

Ibn Ājjrūm wrote this book as an introduction to Arabic Grammar. It is to the Arabic lan-
guage what al-Juwayni’s Waraqāt is to Usūl al-Fiqh. While it will not make a person a
master of the language, it is an important station that anyone serious about studying will
pass through.
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

The Text
‫ﺑﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬
1 Complete Sentences 1
1.1 Conditions for a Complete Sentence
ِ"$َ
ْ &'(ِ) +ُ ْ,-ِ ُ .‫ُ ا‬0123َ ُ .‫ ا‬4
ُ ْ-51 '‫ َ& ا‬6ُ ‫ ُم‬8َ9'‫ا‬
“A complete sentence2 is uttered, consists of two or more words, expresses a complete

thought and honors Arabic syntax.”
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
There are two types of sentences in Arabic:
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
The author mentions 4 conditions for a complete sentence:
1- lafdh - 4-'‫ا‬- It is spoken
2- Murakkab - 023.‫ ا‬- It consists of two or more words
1This is discussed in detail in Karin C. Ryding, A Reference of Grammar of Modern Stan-

dard Arabic (George Town: Cambridge University Press, 2005) 57-73.
2 Theform kalam actually means taklim, as noted by the scholars of language. Thus, “Proper
speech” is the exact translations. I rendered it above as such for ease.
3 See the signs of nouns at 1.3
4 See the signs of verbs at 1.4

3- Mufīd - +,-.‫ ا‬- It is beneficial to the listener
4- Bi al-Wad’ - "$&'() - It conforms to the rules of Arabic syntax laid down (wada’a) by the
Arabs.
The First Condition: Spoken
Meaning: what is spoken is an Arabic word, consisting of Arabic letters.
Examples of Lafdh
,(Ahmed) +;@‫ أ‬, (tree) ٌ‫ة‬3َ َ>D

َ ,(article of preposition) EF?. ‫(ء‬H ‫ْف‬3 َ@ ,(verb) Jْ?Kِ ,(sentence) :َ5 ْ; ُ>'‫ا‬
(Hajj) L@ ,(Mecca) :9M ,(in) NK ,(that, which, who) ‫ِي‬P'ّ ‫ ا‬,(who) Rْ Mَ ,(Hind) +ْ FS6ِ ,(cow) ‫َة‬3Tَ َ)
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.
The Second Condition: Murakkab - Constructed of 2 Words or More
The second condition is that a phrase is made up of two words or more.
0'(U +V‫ز‬
“Zaid is a Student.”
0'(U
“Student”
(,X+'‫ ا‬Y;D :,)3?'‫ ا‬:K3?M
“Knowing Arabic is the sun of this world.”
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.
The Third Condition: Mufīd - complete thought

Meaning, that each sentence uttered is complete - the listener is not left waiting for the
meaning. In other words, a complete noun sentence with a subject and a predicate, and a
complete verb sentence with a verb; its subject and, if needed, its object.
Z‫\ل ا‬X‫أ‬
Allah revealed
‫آن‬3T'‫ ا‬Z‫\ل ا‬X‫أ‬
Allah revealed the Qur’an
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 Fourth Condition: Arabic Syntax
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
But, never its opposite:
a5T'‫`(ص ا‬3'‫ا‬
Drills: Please look at the following words, identify if they are kalam or not
Words%% % % Examples
The man -JH3'‫ا‬

Masjid-+>bM JV&U JH3'‫ا‬
+>bM NK JH3'‫ا‬
Tall-JV&U
J2‫أ‬
Delicious-PVP' JH3'‫ا‬
aV39'‫آن ا‬3T'‫ا‬
Food-J2‫أ‬
‫{(ن‬M‫ ر‬3zD
In-NK
‘Grammar of the Text
‫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
1.2 Components of a Complete Sentence
Eَ FSْ?َ ِ. ‫َ ( َء‬H ٌ‫ْف‬3 َ@َ‫ٌ و‬Jْ?Kِ ‫ َو‬aٌ <‫ا‬

ْ :ٌ:َ•8َ• fُ Mُ (bْ
َ qَ‫َوأ‬
Its components are three: nouns, verbs and articles of preposition 5

Explanation
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!"
1.3 Signs of Nouns
,‫َ(ء‬lS'‫ وَا‬, 1‫ َورُب‬,NِK‫ َو‬,Eَ5hَ ‫ َو‬,ْRhَ ‫ َو‬,E'ِ‫ و إ‬,ْRMِ َN6ِ ‫ ِو‬ƒْ

ِ -m
َ '‫ُوفِ ا‬3 َ@َ‫َ'ِ~ِ وا=َم ِ و‬p‫ُ&لِ ا‬d‫ِ َو َد‬RVِ&ْFS1jS'‫ وَا‬ƒْ
ِ -m
َ '(ِ) ُ‫َف‬3?ْ ُV aُ <ِ
ْ =(َK
‫ َ( ُء‬jS'‫َ( ُء وا‬lS'‫َ ا'&َا ُو وا‬N6ِ ‫ ِ َو‬aSbَ
َ T'‫ُوفُ ا‬3 َ@َ‫ و‬.ُ‫م‬8'‫ وَا‬, ُ‫َ(ف‬9'‫وا‬
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.
The First Sign: kasara ِ

In most situations if this mark is found at the end of a word, then that word is a noun. For
example
ِ aS, ِ@13'‫ِ ا‬R ٰ; ْ@13'‫ِ ا‬Z‫ ِ ا‬aSbِ

ْ )
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

The Second Sign: Tanwin ٍ ًٌ ً
When you see tanwin at the end of a word, that word is a noun. Tanwin's main function is to
identify that nouns are indefinite - a in English. Here are some examples:
Allah says
+ٍ <(@ 3D RM‫و‬
"And (I seek refuge) from the evil of any envious"
And,
+@‫‡ًا أ‬-2 f' R9V a'‫و‬

"There was never to him, any likeness"
The Prophet (as) said,

ً ‫ا‬3ْ,d
َ ْJُTَ,5ْ ٓK ‫ ِة‬3َ ِd‰‫َ ْ& َم ا‬,'‫ِ وا‬Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُV ‫َ( َن‬2 Rْ Mَ
"Who believes in Allah and the last day, should speak good!"
And,
ٍ aSِ5Sbُ
ْ M ŠJُ2 ٰE5َh :ٌ {Vِ
َ 3َK ِ aS5ْ ِ?'‫ ا‬:ُ َlS5َ َU
"Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim
Find ten examples of nouns with tanwin from the Quran.
The Third Sign: The Letters Alif and Lam (‫)ال‬

When Alif and lam are added to a words beginning, that word is a noun. The purpose of
Alif and lam is to make a noun definite - the in English. Here are some examples
‫&ب‬5ُT'‫ ا‬R‹;Œw Z‫ ا‬32P)

"Because of Allah's remembrance, the hearts are secured."
‫ة‬8o'‫;&ن ا‬,TV RVP'‫ا‬

"Those who establish the prayers."
The Prophet (as) said,

ِ‫(ت‬,Š FS'(ِ) ٌ‫ْ;(ل‬hَp‫;( ا‬X‫إ‬
"Actions are based on the intentions."
ٍ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 Fourth Sign: Articles of Preposition (harf jarr)
If a word is preceded by an article of preposition, that word is a noun. Note: usually a word
ending will change to kasara when that word is preceded my an article of preposition. Thus
+ُ ;t'‫ ا‬becomes +ِ ;t'() and ٌJ ُHٓ‫ ر‬becomes Jٍ ُHَ‫رُبّ ر‬.
The author mentions some of the most important articles of preposition, but not all of
them.
Articles of Preposition and Their Meanings
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
:َ 1 FS َ>'‫ ا‬Rُ M‡.‫ُ ا‬Jَd+ْ ُV Z‫ ا‬:;@3ِ)

By Allah's grace the believer enters Paradise.

These three meanings occur most in the Quran and Hadith.
8. Similar/like ‫ك‬
+ٍ <ََ }S2َ +ٌ ْVَ‫ز‬
Zaid is like a lion
9. Belongs, deserves, specific
‫رض‬p‫;&ات وا‬b'‫ ا‬NK (M Z

To Allah belongs everything in the heavens and the earth.
ِ +ُ ْ; َt'‫ا‬
Z
All praise is to Allah
Nِ' :ُ |- ْtِ.‫ا‬
That wallet is mine.
Try to find an example of each article of preposition from the Quran.
1.3 (a) letters of Oath

There is a special group of letters that appear exclusively before nouns. These letters cause
the singular noun’s ending to take kasra, called maksūr in Arabic. However, these letters carry
the meaning of “I swear” and, instead of an object of preposition (in the strictest terms), the
nouns that follow them are called the object of the oath (Ar. Jawab al-Qasim - abT'‫&اب ا‬H).
These letters are three: ‫ و‬,‫ ب‬,‫ت‬
The first article: ‫و‬

This letter, when used as an article of oath, does on with nouns only. 10Example are numer-
ous in the Qur’an and statements of the Prophet (sa):
3o?'‫وا‬
“By time.”
Et$‫و‬
“By the morning light.”
nj'‫وا‬
“By the fig”
10 Not pronouns

‫وك‬
َ
“By you”
ُ‫وت‬
“By I.”
The last two examples are not acceptable because the object of waw is a pronoun.
Find five examples of waw as a letter of oath in the Qur’an.
The Second article: ‫ب‬

One of the meanings of ba is oath. This letter’s objects can be nouns or a pronouns:
Z‫ ا‬ab)
“I swear by Allah.”
”)
“By you.”
ُ•)
“By me.”
aَ jS)ِ
“By you (plural).”
(َ FS)ِ
“By us.”
The Third Article: ‫ت‬

The article ta appears exclusively in front of Allah and his names.
Z(w
“By God.”
Summary
The letters of oath are three, waw, ba, and ta. One of them is associated with nouns only -
no pronouns, and that is waw; one is associated with both nouns and pronouns, and that is
ba; and one is associated with Allah and his blessed names only.
Grammatical Analysis of the Text
‫اب‬3hs‫ ا‬RM ‫ =ه‬JtM = uj-'‫ ا‬E5h NFlM :,X(,l'‫ ا'&او ا‬N6 ‫ ا'&او‬:‫و‬
:;$ fK‫ ر‬:M8h‫اء و‬+jlw=() ‫&ع‬K3M ‫أ‬+jlM ‫(م‬bq‫ أ‬: fM(bq‫أ‬
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(e :;$ f?K‫ ر‬:M8h‫اء و‬+j)=() ‫&ع‬K3M ‫أ‬+jl.‫ ا‬3ld ::•8•
.‫ه‬3d‫ آ‬NK ‫ة‬36(|'‫ ا‬:;{'‫ ا‬f?K‫ ر‬:M8h‫ و‬,‫&ع‬K3M ‫&ع‬K3.‫ل ا‬+)‫ و‬:•8• RM ‫ل‬+) :a<‫إ‬
~Œ?'‫ف ا‬3@ :‫و‬
.‫ه‬3d‫ آ‬NK ‫ة‬36(e :;$ f?K‫ ر‬:M8h‫&ع و‬K3M ‫&ع‬K3.‫ ا‬E5h ‫&ف‬Œ?.‫ وا‬a<‫ ا‬E5h ‫&ف‬Œ?M :J?K‫ا‬
~Œ?'‫ف ا‬3@ :‫و‬
.‫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
.3H ‫ف‬3@ ‫ ا=م‬:‫ل‬
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:
1. What are the signs of nouns?
2. Give an example of tanwin
3. What is the difference in meaning between tanwin and alif and lam?
4. Give five examples of words made majrur by an article of preposition.
5. What is the difference between wa, ba and ta in relation to oath?
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.

1.4 Signs of Verbs
:ِ َ 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:
1.The past tense verb, called madī (N$(M)
2.The present future tense, called mudar’i (‫{(رع‬M)
3.The imperative verb12 called amr (3M‫)أ‬.
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.
The First Sign of a Verb: (ْ *َ

The article qad carries two meaning with it when associated with a past-tense verb, affirma-
tion or that something is about to happen.
A) Affirmation
(6(2‫ ز‬RM u5K‫ أ‬+q
11 Ryding 448-451
12 Meaning a command like “Sit!”

“Successful is the person who purifies it.”
B) Something is About to Occur
ُ‫ة‬8o'‫• ا‬M(q +q
“The prayer is about to start.”
The only time qad carries this meaning if it precedes a past tense verb.
Qad and the Present Future Verb (al-Mudar’i)
Qad carries two meanings when it precedes a present future verb, also: likely or unlikely
A) Likely
RِM‡ُ .‫ُقُ ا‬+oَ

ْ V +q
The believer is likely to tell the truth
B) Unlikely
•K(F.‫ق ا‬+oV +q
The hypocrite is unlikely to tell the truth
The Second Sign of a Verb: The Letters ‫ف‬,- or ‫س‬
These two letters appear in front of a present future verb only. They carry the same mean-
ing: “Will.”
‫ْآ َن‬3Tُ '‫أ ُ ا‬3َ Tْ َV
He read the Qur’an
‫آن‬3T'‫أ ا‬3T,<
He will read the Qur’an
‫آن‬3T'‫أ ا‬3TV ‫<&ف‬
He will read the Qur’an
The Third Sign of a Verb: The Female Ta
The letter ta appears at the end of a past tense verb when the subject of the verb is a female:
:‚˜(h •'(q

‘Aiesha Said
:>V+d •'(q
Khadija said
1.5 Signs of Articles of Preposition
.Jْ?-ِ '‫ُ ا‬Jْ,ِ'‫ ِ َو=َ َد‬aS<ِ

ْ =‫ُ ا‬J,ِ'‫ َد‬fُ ?َ Mَ ُu5َ oV
ْ َ= (َM ُ‫ْف‬3 َt'‫وَا‬
“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:
ِ‫َ(ت‬M8َ?'‫ ُم ا‬+َ hَ (zُ jSMَ 8َh
“Its sign is the absence of a sign.” 13
Imam al-Harirī wrote in his famous poem:
fM8h R9w N'&q E5h YTK fM8h f' •b,' (M ‫ف‬3t'‫وا‬
“Articles of preposition have no signs .... Understand what I said and you’ll be a scholar.”
2 ‘Irab14
2.1 What is ‘Irab
ً ‫ا‬3Vِ+Tْ َw ‫( ً أ َ ْو‬S|ْ-'َ (َzْ,5َ hَ ْ•َ5 ِdَ‫ د‬Jِ Mِ ‫َفِ ا' َ?&َا‬8jِ d

ْ ِ= ِ aSِ5Sَ9'‫ ا‬3ِ ِd‫ أوَا‬3ُ ,, ِ™َw &َ 6ُ ُ‫َاب‬3hْ sِ ‫ا‬
‘Irab is a spoken or understood change at the end of a word, because of the words that affect
it.”
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.

“Arabic is the key to the Qur’an.”
2)
ِ‫آن‬3T'‫( ُح ا‬j-M :َ 1,)ِ 3َ ?َ '‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Indeed, Arabic is the key to the Quran.”
3)
‫آن‬3T'‫( َح ا‬j-M ُ‫(ل‬Fَw :ِ ,)3?'()

“With Arabic, you will reach the key to the Qur’an.”
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

4)
E<&ُ
َ M َ‫َل‬+hَ
Mosa was just
E<&. َ=8 ْHِ‫ َ( إ‬FS ْ;ُq

We stood in awe of Mosa
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.
What Causes a Word’s ‘Irab to be Assumed?

There are three reason that cause a word to be assumed, each reason having its own termi-
nology.

1) A word that ends in alif lazima like musa E<&M, Esa Ebِ
َ h and young girl, Eَ jSَK. A word that
ends with this type of alif is called manqusa. A word that is manqusa’s ‘Irab is always under-
stood.
2) A word that ends in a ya lazima and its ya is preceded by a letter with kasra. Judge N$(َ
ِ q,
caller ‫ َ(دِي‬FSMُ and oppressor Nِœ(). This type of word is called maksura and its ‘irab is under-
stood except fatha (when it is the object of a verb). Because of that, in the last example,
you find that word qadi, since it is the object, accepting fatha.
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:
Summary: Three Types of ‘Irab

1. ‘Irab due to vowels that are spoken
2. ‘Irab due to letters
3. Assumed ‘Irab - Assumed ‘Irab is due to a word being manqus, maksur or occupied with the
possessive ya.
2.2 Cases of ‘Irab

.ٌ‫َ \ْم‬Hَ‫ و‬,ƒْ
ٌ -d
َ ‫ و‬, ٌ0oَ
ْ X‫ َو‬,ٌ"ْK‫ َر‬:ٌ:?َ َ)‫ أ َ ْر‬fُ Mُ (bْqَ‫َوأ‬
“It’s components are four: raf’, nasb, jarr and jazim.15”
15 Ryding 183-184

Explanation
‘Irab is made up of the four parts mentioned above: raf - "K‫ر‬, nasb - 0oX, khafd - ƒ-d and ja-
zim - ‫\م‬H. Each of these forms the foundations of the Arabic language. By foundations, I
mean foundations of meaning and sentences. Every word that you come across that is m’urab
(accepts ‘Irab), is going to fall under one of these cases. What you need to know is their
names, their indicators and most importantly, their meanings. Let’s dedicate a little, but im-
portant time, to familiarize ourselves with these cases, their signs and some of their mean-
ings.
The First Case: Raf’

If Arabic was a house, this would be the foundation. It is identified by the following :
• The vowel sign doma ُ ٌ
• The letter ‫و‬
• The letter ~'‫أ‬
• The letter ‫ن‬
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’.
The Second Case: Nasb

If Arabic was a home, this would be the floor. It is identified by the following:
• The vowel sign fatha َ ً
• The vowel sign kasra ِ ٍ
• The letter ya
• The removal of noun from the end of a plural present future verb
As far as meaning goes, nasb is associated with object of a verb.
‫(س‬1
َ FS'‫ْ•َ ا‬Vَ‫َو َرأ‬

“And (when) you see people...”
The word nas (people) has a fatha above it. That is a sign of nasb. That is because nas is the
object of see. When a noun or verb is nasb it is called mansub.
The Third Case: Khafd/ Jarr

If Arabic were a house, then this would be the walls. It is identified by the following:
• The vowel sign kasra ِ ٍ
• The letter ya
• The vowel sign fatha َ ً
As far as meaning is concerned, this case deals with the object of prepositions and the ob-
ject the possessive noun (mudaf).
ِZ‫ِ ا‬RْV‫ْ ِد‬NKِ
In the religion of God
Fi is an article of preposition, causing a singular noun that follows it to take a sign of khafd.
In this case that sign is kasra, indicating that din is the object of preposition. The sacred
name has kasra also. This is because it is the possessive of din! When a noun is khafd it is
called makhfud.
The Fourth Case: Jazim

Meet the roof of the Arabic language! It is identified by the following:
• Sukun
• The removal of one of the three “weak” letters, alif, waw or ya
As far as meaning goes, it is usually associated with negating a present future verb, or re-
stricting it to the past.
Nouns Verbs and The Arabic Cases
2.3 Nouns and ‘Irab’s Cases
(َzْ,Kِ ‫َ \ْ َم‬H =‫ و‬,ƒْ

ُ -m
َ '‫ وا‬, ُ0o1
ْ FS'‫ وا‬,ُ"ْK3َ '‫ ا‬:”َِ 'َ‫ ذ‬Rْ Mِ ‫ ِْ• َْ<;َ ( ِء‬5SK
“Raf’, nasb, and khafd, includes nouns. Jazim does not.”
2.4 Verbs and ‘Irab’s Cases
(َ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.”

3 The Raf’ Case16
The word raf’ in Arabic means to raise something. Allah says,

‫َ (ت‬Hَ‫ َدر‬a5?'‫ُ ْ& ا‬w ‫ أ ُ ْو‬Rَ VP'‫ وا‬aْ 9ً ْ FSِM ‫ ُ&ا‬FSMَ ‫ آ‬RVِP'1 ‫ُ ا‬Z‫َ"ِ ا‬K3ْ َV
“Allah raises those who believe from you and those granted knowledge infinite levels.”
Qur’an (58:11)
The Prophet (a5<‫ و‬f,5h Z‫ ا‬E5`) said,
ُZ‫ ا‬fُ ?َ َK‫ َر‬Z َ"$‫َا‬
َ &َw Rْ Mَ “
“Who every humbles himself for to God, Allah will raise him.”
Raf’ is defined by the grammarians as

(َzْFShَ َ‫َ(ب‬X (َM ‫ َو‬:ُ 1;{'‫ا‬
َ fُ ُ jSMَ 8َh ‫ْص‬
ٌ &oْ
ُ mMَ 3ٌ ْ,,ِ ™ْ َw
“A specific change (at the end of a word) whose (main sign) is doma and what replaces it.”
3.1 Words that are Marf ’u (‫ْع‬,ُ12ْ 3

َ )
The following seven words accept raf’ (dama or one of its replacements)
1. The subject of a verb - Fa’il (4561)
ُ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.

2.The subject of a passive verb - ism alldhi lam yusama fa’ilhu - (789ُ
َ : 8ْ ;َ ‫ِي‬
ْ =;7 ‫ ا‬8ٌ -‫ا‬
ْ
?ُ @ُ 5ِ 6َ1)
ُ‫َ(ب‬lS'‫َ ا‬ujِ ُK
“The door was opened.”
When you see a tri-lettered past tense verb with this form, futiha, that form indicates the
verb is passive. Meaning, the subject his gone and the object of the actives tense takes its
place. A door cannot open itself, thus, door in the sentence above replaced the subject of an
active sentence:
َ‫َ(ب‬lS'‫ ا‬+ٌ Vَ‫َ ز‬uَjSَK
“Zaid opened the door.”
After addressing the components of verbs sentences that accept the raf’ case, we will exam-
ine the components of nouns sentences that do:
3.The Subject of a Noun Sentence - mubtada - (‫َ(َأ‬BCْDCُ3)

ِZ +ُ ;t'‫ا‬
‫ة‬36(T'‫ ا‬RM ‫ِ;ُ & َن‬5Sbُْ .‫ا‬
“The Muslim from Cairo.”
‫ة‬36(T'‫ ا‬RM ِ‫ِ;َ (ن‬5Sbُ
ْ M
“The two Muslims from Cairo.”
‫ة‬36(َT'‫ ا‬RM ‫ُ&ك‬
َ )َ‫أ‬
“Your dad (is) from Cairo.”
4.The Predicate of a Noun Sentence - khabar - (2َDCَE)

aٌ 5Š ?َ َ jSMُ ُJ ُHَ3'‫ا‬
“That man is a student.”
‫;ُ & َن‬Š5?َ َ jSMُ ُ‫َ (ل‬Hِ3'‫ا‬
“Those men are students”
ِ‫;(ن‬Š5?َ َ jSMُ ِ‫ن‬8 ُHَ3'‫ا‬
Those two men are students.”
‫;&ن‬5?jM ‫ِ;&ن‬5Sbُْ .‫ا‬
“The Muslims are students.”

‫;(ت‬5?jM ‫;(ت‬5b.‫ا‬
“Those Muslim women are students.”
a5?jM ‫أ)&ك‬
“Your dad is a student.”
5.The Predicate of the Article inna (F‫ )إِن‬-

aٌ ْ, ِ@َ‫& ٌر ر‬-َœ َZ‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Indeed, God is the forgiving, the merciful.”
‫;ُ &ن‬Š5?َ َ jSMُ َ‫َ (ل‬Hِ3'‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Indeed, the men are students.”
ٌ‫;(ت‬5?jM ِ‫ِ;َ (ت‬5Sbُْ .‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Indeed, the Muslim women are students.”
‫;&ن‬5?jM nِْ ;ِ5Sbُْ .‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Indeed, the Muslim men are students.”
aٌ 5?jM ‫ن أَ)َ(ك‬1 ِ‫إ‬
Inna is used when a speaker feels that the listener doubts what he’s saying, or to emphasis a
point.
6.The Subject of the verb Kana - was - (‫ن‬6I)

ً (Slِ'(َU +ٌ ْVَ‫َ( َن ز‬2
“Zaid is a student.”
:ً َlSِ'(َU :ٌ oْ
َ - َ@ ْ•َX(2
“Hafsa was a student.”
Notice that a female subject causes kana to take a ta at the end of it. Kana and Kanat are
both past tense verbs (you’ll learn why latter, inshallah). If Kana takes on a present future
tense, its subject takes doma (or one of its replacements):
ً (Sl'(U +ٌ ْVَ‫ ْ& ُن ز‬9ُ َV

:ً َ)(ِ َU :ٌ oْ
َ - َ@ ‫ُ& ُن‬9َw
“Hafsa is a student.”
Notice, that instead of the ta appearing at the end of the present tense verb with female
subject, a ta appears at its beginning.
3.1 The Signs of Raf’

‫&ن‬F'‫'~ وا‬p‫ وا‬,‫ وا'&او‬,ٌ: 1;{'‫ا‬
Š : ٍ‫(ت‬M8َh َ"َ)‫ْ"ِ أ َ ْر‬K3َ 5ِ'

“Raf’ is recognized by four signs: doma, waw, alif and nun.”
3.2 Doma and the Raf’ Case

ُJْ?Kِ ‫ َو‬,ِ aSِ'(b'‫ا‬
َ ِ–َX‡َ ُ .‫;" ا‬H‫ و‬,ِ3, ِbْ91jS'‫َ ;ْ "ُ ا‬H‫ و‬,ِ‫د‬3َ ْ-ُ.‫ ِ ا‬aS<=‫ا‬
ْ NK :ِ"$‫َا‬
ِ &Mَ :ِ ?َ َ)‫ أ َ ْر‬NِK ِ"ْK31 5ِ' :َ M8َh ‫& ُن‬9َ jSَK :ُ 1;{'‫ا‬
1 (1Mَ}SَK
ٌ žS,D
َ ‫ ِه‬3ِ ِdŸِ) ْJoَ
ِ jSَV aْ 'َ ‫ي‬P'‫ ُ{( ِرع ِ ا‬.‫ا‬
“Doma indicates the raf ’ case in four situations: a singular noun, a broken plural, the sound-
female plural17 and a future tense verb whose ending is unconnected.”
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”
2) A Broken Plural Noun - Jam’ al-Taksir - 3, ِbْ91jS'‫َ ;ْ "ُ ا‬H

Broken plurals are an interesting bunch. In short, a singular noun, when it experience a
change in its form or its vowels, falls under the general definition of a broken plural noun.
Here are some example of that change, wether form or vowel related:
Vowel Related Change

‫ِس‬
ٌ 3َjSْ-Mُ +<ََ ‫أ‬
A ferocious lion
:ٌ <َِ 3َjSْ-Mَ +<ُُ ‫أ‬

Ferocious lions
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

Form Related Change
ٌJْV&ِ َU ٌJ ُHَ‫ر‬
A tall man
‫&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 َ)
3) Sound Female Plural

ٌ‫ِ;َ (ت‬5Sbُ
ْ M ْ•َ ˜( َH
ُ‫ِ;َ (ت‬5Sbُْ .‫َ (˜ َ•ِ ا‬H

In both examples the word muslimat accepts doma. Thus, it is marf ’un bi doma.
4) A Disconnected Present Future Verb

The present future verb is called, f ’il al-Mudar’i (‫ُ{(رِغ‬
َ .‫ُ ا‬Jْ?Kِ ). It is easily recognized by its
form (four letters or more that start with one of the following letters ‫ أ‬,‫ ن‬,‫ي‬,‫ت‬. When f ’il
Mudar’i appears disconnected, it accepts dama.
Z() Rُ Mِ ‫أ ُ ْؤ‬
I believe in Allah
Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُX
We believe in Allah
Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُV

He believes in Allah
Z(ِ) Rُ Mِ ‡ْ ُw
Each verb in these sentences is made up of a verb with one of the four letters mentioned
above added to them. Notice that those letters carry different meanings. What is important
for us, is that this basic form of mudari is marfun bi dama!
3.3 Waw and the Raf’ Case

,‫ و@;&ك‬,‫&ك‬d‫ وأ‬,‫ أ َ)&ك‬Nِ6‫ َو‬.ِ:b
َ ْ;َm'‫( َ ِء ا‬S;<p‫ا‬
ْ NK‫ و‬,aِ'(b'‫ا‬
َ 3ِ 21 َPMُ ِ" ْ; َH NِK :nَْ ?$ْ
ِ &Mَ NِK ِ"ْK3َ 5ِ' :ً M8َh ‫ُ& ُن‬9َjSَK ‫( ا'&َا ُو‬1Mَ(SَK
. ٍ‫(ل‬M‫ وذو‬,‫&ك‬K‫و‬
“Wow indicates the raf’ case in two situations: the connected male plural18. The five special
nouns 19: your father, your brother, your paternal uncle, your mouth and the rich person.”
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.

:;{'‫ ا‬Rh :ً )(,X ‫ع )('&او‬
ٌ &K3M ‫أ‬+jlM ‫أ)&ك‬
The same applies to a verb sentence:
‫;&ن‬5b.‫(ل ا‬q
“The Muslims said.”
‫(ل أ)&ك‬q
“Your dad said.”
In both sentences we would state the grammatical position of the word - a verb’s subject -
fa’il. Then we would state its grammatical case, marf ’un. Then we would mention that the
waw replaced the vowel sign dama, bi al-waw niyabatan ‘an al-Dama!
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
‫ ُ&ن‬FSِM‡ُ .‫َ ا‬u5َ ْKَ‫ أ‬+ْ qَ

“The believers were successful.”
‫(ء أ)&ك‬H
“Your father came.”
3.4 Alif and the Raf’ Case

:ً `(َ
َ d ‫ َْ<;( ِء‬p‫ ا‬:ِ َ,Fِ ْ €Sَw NK ِ"ْK31 5ِ' :ً Mَ 8َh ‫ُ& ُن‬9َjSَK ~'p‫( ا‬M}K
“Alif indicates the raf’ case when it is used with the dual noun exclusively. 20”
20 Ryding 188-190.

Explanation
The letter ‫ ا‬represents doma in the raf’ case in one situation, when the noun is a dual noun. A
dual noun in Arabic is called muthana (E1 FSَ€SMُ ) 21. Its for is easy to learn, but, as you will learn in
the future, there are time when it changes, but its meaning stays:
Examples of the dual noun: muthana - E1 FSَ€SMُ
‫;(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
3.5 Nun and the Raf ’ Case

.:lَU(mُ .‫ ا‬:ِ َ €SّX‡َ Mُ 3ُ ,ِ;$
َ ‫َ ;ْ "ٍ أو‬H 3ُ ,ِ;$
َ ‫ أ َ ْو‬:ٍ ,ِFْ€Sَw 3ُ ,ِ;$
َ f) َJoّ
َ w‫ ُ{( ِرع ِ إذا ا‬.‫ ا‬Jِ ?ْ -ِ '‫ ا‬NK ِ"ْK3َ 5ِ' :ً M8َh ‫ُ& ُن‬9َjSَK ‫ ›& ُن‬FS'‫( ا‬1Mَ(SَK
“Nun indicates the raf’ case when the imperfect verb is connected to the dual pronoun, the
plural pronoun or the pronoun used to address a female.”
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

Explanation
Previously we addressed verbs, their signs and their types. In order to understand this sign,
we need to look at the present future verb, f ’il al-mudar’i (‫ ُ{(رِع‬.‫ُ ا‬Jْ?Kِ ). This verb is easily
identifiable because one of the following letters will be found at its beginning: ‫ أ‬,‫ ن‬,‫ ي‬,‫ت‬
these four letters َ•ْ,َXَ‫أ‬. As you can see below, these letter indicate the gender of the verb. But
what if a verb’s doer is dual or plural?
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.
1. The two men - ِ‫ن‬8َ?ْ-َV

2. They two women - ِ‫ن‬8َ?ْ-َw

3. They plural - ‫&ن‬5َ?ْ-َV
4. You plural - ‫ ْ& َن‬5ُ ?َ ْ-َw
5. You woman - nِ
َ ْ 5Sَ?ْ-َw
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.”
4 The Nasb Case22
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 Linguistic Definition of Nasb
The word nasb means “even and upright.” We say about a person who stands straight munta-
sib (0oَ
ِ jSْFSMُ ).
Nasb Defined by the Scholars of Arabic
It is defined by the grammarians as
(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.”
Some Words that Are Nasb
22 Ryding 172-182.

Nasb can be found with 14 different types of words. Below are some of the more common
words that accept nasb - they can be mansub. Remember that nasb functions with both nouns
and verbs like raf ’.
1. The object of a verb
An object can be nasb with one of the following signs: fatha, kasra, alif or ya.
‫آ َن‬3T'‫ُ ا‬Z‫ْ\َلَ ا‬Xَ‫أ‬
“Allah revealed the Qur’an.”
‫ْ•ُ أَ)َ(ك‬Vَ‫َرأ‬
“I saw your dad.”
ِ‫ِ;(ت‬5Sbُْ .‫ْ•ُ ا‬Vَ‫َرأ‬
“I saw the Muslim women.”
n
َ Fِ Mِ ‡ْ ُ .‫• ا‬V‫رأ‬
“I saw the believers.”
n5H‫• ر‬V‫رأ‬
“I saw two men.”
2.With the Present Future Verb
If a present future verb that is not connected - J?-V - and it is preceded by an article of nasb
such as Rْ 'َ .
ً ‫ا‬3,d َJَ?ْ-َV Rْ 'َ ‫ ُم‬3ِ ْ>ُ .‫ا‬
The criminal will never do any good.”
3. With One of The Five Special Verbs (J9KL;‫ل ا‬6M1‫)أ‬
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).
ً ‫ا‬3,d ‫ُ&ا‬5?َ ْ-َV Rْ 'َ ‫ُ& َن‬M3ِ ْ>ُ .‫ا‬

“The criminals will NEVER do any good.”
4. The Subject of Inna
You will recall that the predicate of inna is marfu. Well, its subject is mansub.
‫ُ& ٌر‬9D
َ ‫& ٌر‬-َœ َZ‫إن ا‬
“Indeed, Allah is forgiving, thankful.”
ٌJV&U ‫إن أ)(ك‬
“Indeed, your dad is tall.”
َZ‫ ا‬£
َ ْ ِtُV ِ‫;(ت‬5b.‫إن ا‬
“Indeed, the Muslim women love Allah.”
َZ‫& َن ا‬l ِtُV n;5b.‫إن ا‬
“Indeed, the Muslim men love Allah.”
Z‫(ن ا‬ltV ‫ن‬8H‫إن ر‬
“Indeed, the two men love Allah.”
We say about the nouns above, mansub (they are nasb) bi (with) (one of the signs of nasb)
5. The Predicate of Kana
You will recall that the subject of kana was marfu. Well, its precdicate is mansub
ً ‫&را‬9D
َ ً ‫&را‬-َœ ُZ‫(ن ا‬2
“Allah is forgiving, thankful.”
ً8V&U ‫(ن أ)&ك‬2
“Your dad was tall.”
ٍ‫ت‬8V&U ُ‫;(ت‬5b.‫• ا‬X(2
“The Muslim women were tall.”

n'&ŒM ‫;&ن‬5b.‫(ن ا‬2
“The Muslim men were tall.”
nَ
ِ ْ 5V&U ‫ن‬8H3'‫(ن ا‬2
“The two men were tall.”
The Signs of Nasb

4.2 Fatha and the Nasb Case
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:
1 . Ism mu*ad (singular noun)
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)
NM8œ‫ و‬Ejَ-'‫ا ً وا‬+ْVَ‫ْ•ُ ز‬Vَ‫َرأ‬
“I saw Zaid, the young girl and my son.”
ً ‫ْ\ا‬lSُd ُ•ْ52َ َ ‫أ‬
23 Hashiyat al-Kafrawi pg. 84

“I ate bread.”
a,Tjb.‫اط ا‬3o'‫( ا‬X+6‫ا‬
“Guide us to the Straight Path.” Qur’an 1:1
For each of these words we say, mansub bi al-fatha
:ِ َtْ jSَ-'(ِ) ٌ‫&ب‬oْ FSMَ
2. Jam’ al-Taksir (Broken Plural)

Earlier, we noted that it is a singular noun whose vowels, or form, has changed, either by an
addition, subtraction - in its form, or both.
Examples of Jam’ al-Taksir mansub bi al-fatha (Broken Plural Nasb with Fatha)
ً=(Hِ‫ْ•ُ ر‬Vَ‫َرأ‬
“I saw a group of men.”
ّ (SlُjSُ2 ُ ‫أ‬3َ qْ َ ‫أ‬
“I read books.”
‫َ( َء‬,lِ ْXَp‫&ن ا‬5َ jSTْ َV‫َو‬
“They kill the prophets.”
With each of these words we say, mansubun bi al-fatha
:ِ َtْ jSَ-'(ِ) ٌ‫&ب‬oْ FSMَ
3. An unconnected present future verb that is preceded by an article of nasb24 .
ُ‫&ل‬bُ
ُ 9'‫َ ا‬uِ5Sْ-ُV Rْ 'َ
“The lazy person will never succeed.”
‫(س‬F5'
ِ nَ
َ Š lSُjSِ'
“So you could explain to the people.”
E<&M (Fْ,'َ ِ‫ِ" إ‬H3َV Ej َ@ nِ-2ِ (َh fِ ْ,5َ hَ ‫ َح‬3َ ْlSَX Rْ 'َ
24 these will be mentioned later, inshallah.

“We will never stop worshiping the calf until Moses returns to us.”
With each of verbs above, we say f ’il mudar’i mansub bi al-fatha
:ِ tْ jSَ-'(ِ) ٌ‫&ب‬oْ
ُ FSMَ ‫ع‬
ٌ ‫ُ{( ِر‬
َ M ٌJْ?Kِ
4.3 Alif and Nasb
”'‫ 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
“I visited your dad.”
ٌJV&U ‫ن أَ)َ(ك‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Verily, your dad is tall.”
4.4 Kasra and Nasb
.a'(b'‫– ا‬X‡.‫;" ا‬H NK 0oF' :M8h ‫&ن‬9jK ‫ة‬3b9'‫( ا‬M‫وأ‬
“Kasra indicates nasb with the sound female plural.”
Explanation
When the sound female plural is nasb it takes kasra instead of dama.
ِ‫;(ت‬5b.‫ و ا‬n
َ ;ِ5Sbُْ .‫ن ا‬1 ِ‫إ‬
“Verily the muslim men and the muslim women.”
+>b.‫ ا‬NK ِ‫;(ت‬5b.‫• ا‬V‫رأ‬
“I saw the Muslim women in the mosque.”

4.5 Ya and Nasb
.";>'‫ وا‬:,F€j'‫ ا‬NK 0oF5' :M8h ‫&ن‬9jK ‫(ء‬,'‫( ا‬M‫وأ‬
“Ya indicates nasb with the dual noun and the sound male plural.”
a)The Dual Noun
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
“ I saw two men.”
Remember; when it was raf it took an alif!
ِ‫َن‬8 ُHَ3'‫َ(لَ ا‬q
“To men said.”
b) The Sound Male Plural
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
“I saw the Muslims.”
If it was ra’f it would be with a ya and its grammatical position would be different
ً ‫ا‬3,d ‫&ن‬ltV ‫;&ن‬5b.‫ا‬
“Muslims love good.”
4.6 The Removal of the Letter Nun and Nasb
.‫&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.”
Remember the five special verbs we talked about before:
‫&ن‬5?-V ,‫&ن‬5?-w ,‫ن‬8?-V ,‫ن‬8?-w ,n5?-w

You will recall that we said “When the letter nun at the end of these words is present, then
those words are considered “marf ’un bi al-nun.” However, in the nasb case two things happen
to these nouns:
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
“The hypocrites will never respect good.”
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
‫ ُ&ن‬FS'‫ْفَ ا‬P َtِ) ٌ‫&ب‬oْ FSMَ ‫ع‬

ٌ ‫ُ{( ِر‬M ٌJْ?Kِ
5 The Khafd25 Case26

5.1 The Signs of Khafd
.:tj-'‫(ء وا‬,'‫ة وا‬3b9'‫ ا‬: ‫(ت‬M8h ‫ث‬8• ƒ-m5'‫و‬
“Khafd is recognized by three signs: al-Kasra, al-Ya and al-Fatha.”
The third case of Arabic grammar is khafd (ƒ-d) case. Most contemporary scholars refer to
it as jarr (3 َH).
Khafd’s Linguistic Definition
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

The word khafd in Arabic means to lower. Allah says,
nFM‡;5' ”@(F َH ƒُ
ْ -d
ْ ‫وَا‬
“Lower yourself to the believers.”
Khafd’s Grammatical Definition
Sheikh al-Ka*awi defines it as,
n5 ُHَ‫ َْ” أو ر‬, ِdَ ‫ِ;(تٍ أو أ‬5Sbُ

ْ M ‫ أو‬+ٍ ْVَ\)ِ ُ‫رْت‬3َ Mَ :ُ& ْtَX .ِ aS<=‫ا‬
ْ NِK =ِ‫ُ& ُن إ‬9َV =‫ و‬,(zFَh َ‫َ(ب‬X (َM‫ةُ َو‬3َ bَ
ْ 9'‫ ا‬fُ ُ jSMَ 8َh ‫ْص‬
ٌ &oْ
ُ mMَ 3ٌ ,, ِ™َw
.n;5bM ‫أو‬
“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.
Words that Accept Khafd
1)The object of preposition
ِ0ْ5Tَ 5ْ ِ' ‫ُ& ُر‬X Jِ ْ,5َ '‫َةُ ا‬8`

َ
“Prayer in the night is light to the hearts.”
.aُ9w(X‫َ\ا‬d NK ‫َ{?& َن‬

َ w (M 3ْ ُ|ْX(َK ِ‫ َ(ن‬jSَX‫\َا‬d
َ َJْ,5َ '‫( َر وا‬zَ FS'‫ن ا‬1 ‫إ‬
“Indeed, the night and the day are treasure chest. So look at what you place in your chests.”
2)The Construct Phrase or Jَ16Nِ

َ ‫ إ‬27
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`
َ
The ‘Asr Prayer
27 Ryding 205-224

In the example above, the word salah is called mudaf - annexed word, and the word prayer is
called Mudaf Ilah. There is also a similar expression found in English, ballpark, gridlock,
pizza parlor and head case are a few examples.
Now you try!
ُ ‫ر‬
“The messenger of God.”
Which word is mudaf and which word is mudaf ilay.
Two Important Points
1. The Determined word - mudaf - can be maf ’u, mansub or majror depending on where it is
in a sentence:
ُ ‫ر‬
ِZ‫ن ر<&لَ ا‬1 ‫ِأ‬
ِ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.
The Purposes of Idafa
1. To Identify a Relationship
+ِ ِ >Sbَْ .‫َ( ُم ا‬Mِ‫إ‬
The Imam of the Mosque (definite)
ٍ aS5ْ hِ ُ0ِ'(َU

A Student of Knowledge (indefinite)
2. Possessive Relationship
ِZ‫ر<&ل ا‬
The Messenger of God
RŒ<&) ‫َ( ُر‬ŒMَ
Boston airport
5.2 The Signs of Khafd
.:tj-'‫(ء وا‬,'‫ة وا‬3b9'‫ ا‬: ‫(ت‬M8h ‫ث‬8• ƒ-m5'‫و‬
“Khafd is recognized by three signs: al-kasra, al-ya and al-fatha.”
5.3 Kasra and Khafd
.!"#$"‫* 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 Singular Noun
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
Female: 3ٍ ,ِl?َ ) ‫رت‬3M
“I pass by ‘Abir.”
A pronoun:%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%‫(ب‬j9'‫” ا‬,5h (F'\X
“We revealed, to you, the book.”
Understood:%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% E<&M E'‫إ‬
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).”
‫ ِة‬3َ 6ِ (َ|'‫ ِة ا‬3َ bَ

ْ 9'(ِ) ‫&ض‬-ْ
ٌ mMَ 3ْ,lِ hَ

In the second example we say, kaf (the letter kaf) mabni (fixed) ‘ala (on) al-fath (fatha) fi (in)
mahal (the case of) al-khafd (khafd) liana (because) hu (it is) damir (pronoun) mukhatab
(second person).”
ٌ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).
‫رة‬1+Tَ ُ .‫ة ا‬3b9'() ‫&ض‬-mM E<&M
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.
n.(?'‫ِ ربِ ا‬Z +ُ ;t'‫ا‬
“All praise is due to God, Lord of all creation.”
3ٍ bd N-' ‫( َن‬bXs‫ إن ا‬3ِ o?'‫وا‬
“(I swear) by time; indeed, humanity is (steeped) in loss.”
ٌ"َ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
The broken plural can be makhfud with kasra whether its ‘irab is clear (thahir) or assumed
(muqadar):
ِ‫(ل‬H3'() ‫رت‬3M
“I passed by the men.”
‫اى‬3<َْ p() ‫رت‬3M
“I passed by the prisoners of war.”
It could also be female, unlike the examples above that are male:
‫ ُ&د‬FSُz'() ‫رت‬3َM
“I passed by a group of women named Hind.”

‫َاري‬P?َ '() ‫رت‬3َM
“I passed by a girl named ‘Athari.”
Important Point: al-Munsarif
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
“Don’t accept taniwn or kasra.”
The Sound Female Plural
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
“I passed by a group of Muslim women.”
5.4 Ya and Khafd
.";>'‫ 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:
ِ”,ْ)ِ َ }S)ِ ُ‫رت‬3َM

“I passed by your father.”
nَْ X3ْ Tَ '‫ ذي ا‬Rْ hَ ”َX&ُ5َ‹Sbَ

ْ V
“They ask you about Dhil al-Qarnayn.”
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!

The Dual Noun
The dual noun is makhfud with ya, representing kasra
ِnَْ X3ْ Tَ '‫ ذ ِْي ا‬Rْ hَ

“About the two horned one.”
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.
5.5 Fatha and Khafd

.‫ف‬3oFV = ‫ي‬P'‫ ا‬a<=‫ ا‬NK ƒ-m5' :M8h ‫&ن‬9jK :tj-'‫( ا‬M‫وأ‬
“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:
1. Related to the form of the word

2. Related to the meaning of the word
When both of these reasons collide into a word, that word no longer takes sarf. An example
is the name Ibrahim:
a,63)¨) ‫رت‬3M

“I passed by Abraham.”
The word Abraham contains two of the reason mentioned above that prevent it from taking
sarf:
1. It is a foreign word - this is related to its form.

2. It is a proper noun- this is related to its meaning
Another example is the name Ahmad:

+َ ;@}) ‫رت‬3M
“I passed by Ahmad.”
Like the example before it, this word contains two reasons that prevent it from sarf:
1. Its form is that of the first person present verb - ُJَ?ْKَ‫أ‬

2. It is a proper noun - the name of a person
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.
28 This must be explained by the teacher

Examples with a Proper Noun:
1. A verb form with a proper noun

+َ ْV\ِ َV Eَ5hَ ُ• ْ;15<
َ
“I greeted Yazid.”
2. The female ta with a proper noun
:َ ‚َِ ˜(َh 3,œ ‫َ( ٍء‬-‚) َ ُ•ْ,H
ِ
“I came with Shifaa, not ‘Aiesha!”
3. A foreign word as a proper noun (many of the names of earlier prophets)
E<&ُ َ M‫ َو‬aَ ْ,6ِ 3َ ْ)ِ‫ُ ~ِ إ‬t`
ُ NِK
4. A compound word
َ‫&ْت‬Mَ 3َ {
َ َ@ E'‫تُ إ‬3َK(<
5. The Addition of Ali and Nun
fFh Z‫ ا‬N$‫ ْ;َ ( َن ر‬€Shُ Rْ hَ
Examples with a Wasf (Adjective)29
1. An Adjective with a form that is like a verb

َJ{ْ
َ Kَ‫ أ‬Eَ5hَ ُ• ْ;َ5<
َ
“I greeted the best.”
2. An adjective with the addition of alif and nun
‫ا َن‬3ْ9< َ E5َh •;15< َ
“I greeted the drunkard.”
One More!
There is one more type or word that refuses sarf and it is called sigha muntha al-jum’u
(‫ ا'>َ ;&ع‬EَzَjSْFSُ.‫ ا‬:™,`)
Sigha muntaha al-jumu’u simply means a broken plural jam’ al-taksir such as ‫(ل‬d‫ر‬. What
makes this broken plural different is that after its break there are an additional two or three
letters:
+َ H
ِ (bَ
َ M NK
“In a mosque.”
َ ,ِ)(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

6 The Jazim Case 30
6.1 The Signs of Jazim

‫ف‬Pt'‫&ن وا‬9b'‫ ا‬: ‫(ن‬jM8h ‫>\م‬5'‫و‬
“The jazim case has two signs: sukun and the removal of the letter nun.”
6.2 Sukun and jazim

.3d‰‫ ا‬u,to'‫{(رع ا‬.‫ ا‬J?-'‫ ا‬NK ‫>\م‬5' :M8h ‫&ن‬9,K ‫&ن‬9b'‫( ا‬M}K
“Sukun indicates jazim with the imperfect verb whose ending is strong.”
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
6.3 The Omission of the Weak letters and Nun
.‫&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
31 Meaning it ends with either alif, waw or ya.

‫ أ َ)(ه‬+ُ َ; ْ@َ ‫ُ& أ‬h+ْ َV
“Ahmed calls his dad.”
If we add an article of jazim to the front of the verb, watch what happens,
‫ 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
The Omission of Nun with the Five Special Nouns

Remember in the nasb case how the sign of one of the five nouns was the omission of the
letter nun at its end:
‫&ا‬lُ jSْ9َV Rْ 'َ
“He will never write.”
Well the same thing happens in the jazim case. Except there are two differences:
1. The verb is preceded by an article of jazim.

2. The meaning is different - it switches it to the past.
‫&ا‬lj9V a' = ‫&ن‬lj9V

‫&ا‬lj9w J2 = ‫&ن‬lj9w
(lj9V a' = ‫(ن‬lj9V
(lj9w a' = ‫(ن‬lj9w
Nlj9w a' = nlj9w
Your turn:
Take the five nouns, place the article of jazim in front of them and see what you come up
with!
7 Types of Changes (Ar. ‘Irab)
7.1 Two Type of Changes

‫وف‬3t'() ‫ب‬3?V abq‫(ت و‬23t'() ‫ب‬3?V abq : ‫;(ن‬bq ‫)(ت‬3?.‫ا‬
“The changes (‘irabs) are two types, a change in the vowel markings. A change in a words let-
ters.”
Explanation

Look at the following sentences,
+ٌ ْVَ‫َ ( َء ز‬H
“Zaid came.”
‫ُ&ك‬
َ )َ‫َ ( َء أ‬H
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)
ِ‫َ(ت‬23َ َt'() ‫اب‬3h‫إ‬

What that means is that any word (that is ‘irab eligible); and it experiences a change in the
vowels َ ِ or ُ , whether its with alif and lam or tanwin, will fall under this category.
The second is called “Irab (grammatical change) bi (with) al-ahroof (letters)
ِ‫ُوف‬3 ْ@َ p(ِ) ‫اب‬3ْh‫إ‬

What this means is that any word (that is ‘irab eligible); and it experiences a change in one
of three letters - the weak letters - ‫ ا‬,‫ و‬,‫ ي‬then it falls under this category. Words that are
‘irab eligible are are called m’urab. The plural form of m’urab is the title of this chapter, mu-
rabaat.
7.2 Changes in Word’s Vowel Markings
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

made jazim with fatha, and the imperfect verb whose ending is weak is made jazim by the
removal of the letter nun from its ending.”
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.
The Singular Noun (al-Munsarif)

What he states above holds true for any singular noun that is munsarif
+ٌ ْVَ‫ ز‬ED(َ
َ M
“Zaid Walked.”
fِ ْ,)ِ َ ‫•ِ أ‬,ِ) Rْ Mِ ED(M ‫ًا‬+ْVَ‫ن ز‬1 َ ‫إ‬

“Undoubtedly, Zaid walked form his father’s home.”
+ٍ Vَ‫"َ ز‬Mَ ُ• ْ;159َ َw

“I spoke to Zaid.”
In these examples, each singular noun takes doman, fatha and kasra.
The Broken Plural (al-Munsarif)

ُ‫(ل‬d3'‫ ا‬ED(M
“The men walked.”
aْ zِ wِ &ُ,ُ) RM &D(M َ‫(ل‬H3'‫إن ا‬

“Indeed, the men walked form their homes.”
ِ‫(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.
The Female Plural

This principle holds true for the sound female plural - it take doma in the raf case,
ُ‫;(ت‬5b.‫َ (˜ َ•ِ ا‬H

“The Muslim women came.”
and the khafd case with kasra,

ِ‫;(ت‬5b.‫ ا‬E5َh ُ• ْ;15<
َ

But the sound female plural does not accept fatha in the nasb case,
ِ‫ِ;َ (ت‬5Sbُْ .‫ْ•ُ ا‬Vَ‫َرأ‬
I saw the Muslim women.”
Instead of fatha, when the sound female plural is nasb, it take kasra.
The Unconnected Present Future Verb

This verb does except doma in the raf case and nasb in the khafd case and sukun in the ja-
zim case. But there is one exception. If it ends with one of the three weak letters: ‫ ا‬,‫ و‬, ‫ي‬
then it will not accept sukun in the jazim case, but the omission (hadh) of that weak letter.
:ُ َ; ِ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.
7.3 Changes Related to Letters in Words
: 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).”
7.4 The Dual Noun and The Changing of its Letters
.‫(ء‬,'() ƒ-mw‫ و‬0oFw‫'~ و‬p() "K3jK :,F€j'‫( ا‬M}K

“The dual noun is made raf with the letter alif and nasb and khafd with the letter ya.”
7.5 The Sound Male Plural and the Changing of its Letters
.‫(ء‬,'() ƒ-mV‫ و‬0oFV‫" )('&او و‬K3,K a'(b'‫ ا‬32P.‫;" ا‬H (M‫وأ‬

“The sound male plural is made raf’ with the letter waw and nasb and khafd with the letter ya.
7.6 The Five Special Nouns and the Changing of their Letters
‫(ء‬,'() ƒ-mw‫'~ و‬p() 0oFw‫" )('&او و‬K3jK :b;m'‫<;(ء ا‬p‫( ا‬M‫وأ‬

“The five special nouns are made raf with the letter waw, nasb with the letter alif and khafd
with the letter ya.”

7.7 The Five Special Verbs and the Changing of their Letters
.(zKPt) ‫>\م‬w‫&ن و‬F'() "K3jK :b;m'‫?(ل ا‬Kp‫( ا‬M‫وأ‬

“The five special verbs are made raf with the presence of the letter nun at their ends, and
nasb and khafd with its removal.”
Explanation
The rules stated by the author above hold true. For further referencing, see the relevant
chapters above.
8 Inclinable Words (al-Bina)

8.1 Introduction and Definition
The opposite of ‘irab is bina. A word that takes ‘irab is called m’urab (‫َب‬3?ْ Mُ ), and word that
does not is called mabni (ّْNFِ ْlSMَ ). The word bina means to erect a structure - to fix something
in place. In Arabic grammar it means, “A word whose ending does not change, regardless of
the words that surround it, or its place in a sentence.” An example of this is the word ‫‡=ء‬6
(Eng. they). Regardless of where it appears in a sentence, its ending does not change:
3َ ْ,m
َ '‫›& َن ا‬lS ِtَV ‫ ُ‡=َ ِء‬6َ
“They love good.”
3,m'‫›&ن ا‬lS ِtَV ‫‡ُ= ِء‬6َ ‫ن‬1 ِ‫إ‬

“Indeed, they love good.”
3,m'‫&ن ا‬ltV ‫‡=ء‬z) ‫رت‬3M

“I passed by those who 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).
8.2 An Inclinable Word’s Grammatical Analysis

If an inclinable word is a noun, even if its ending is fixed, it’s ‘irab exists. Therefore, in the
case of ‫‡=ء‬6 above, we would use the following:
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.
ُ ‫أ‬+َ َ jSْlSMَ fُ َXَ ِp ِ"ْK31 '‫َ (لِ ا‬tَM NَK 3bَ

ْ 9'‫ ا‬Eَ5hَ ¦NFِ ْlSMَ ‫‡ُ= ِء‬6َ

2. Ha ula (they) mabniyun (fixed) ‘ala (on) al-kasr (the vowel sign kasra) fi (in) mahal (the
state of) nasb (nasb case) linahu (because it is) ism (the subject of) inna (indeed).’
‫ إن‬a<‫ ا‬fXp 0oF'‫(ل ا‬tM NK 3b9'‫ ا‬E5h NFlM ‫&=ء‬6
3. You try!
8.3 Common Fixed Nouns

Who or whom - RM
How many or much- a2
Those, he or they - ‫ي‬P'‫ا‬
Allah of these words are fixed, but they all except a grammatical case.
8.4 Second Important Point

Just because a word is fixed does not mean it has to take a grammar case. Articles of prepo-
sition are fixed, but they do not take raf, nasb, khafd or jazim. For example,
Z‫ ا‬RV‫ د‬NK ‫&ن‬5d+V

“The enter into God’s faith.”
The word fi (in) in this sentence, it’s analysis would look like this:32
Fi (in) harf (article) al-jarr (of preposition) mabni (fixed) ‘ala (on) al-kasr (kasrah) la (no) ma-
hala (condition) laha (for it) min (from) al-‘Irab (grammatical cases).
‫اب‬3hs‫ ا‬RM (z' ‫(ل‬tM = 3b9'‫ ا‬E5h EFlM 3>'‫ف ا‬3@ NK
The same applies to the other articles of preposition mentioned in the text earlier. They are
fixed on certain vowel markings, but they have not place in the grammatical analysis. There
are other article that are fixed, but do take ‘irab. Inshallah, in Arabic 2.0 you will learn about
those articles.
Practice Exam
The following is a practice exam administered to students. Try your best!
1. What is kalam and what are its conditions?
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.

3. What is ‘Irab?
4. What is its opposite?
5. What are the types of ‘Irab?
6. What is meant by ‘Irab with vowels with examples?
7. What is the ‘Irab of Zaid in this phrase?
Iٌ ْKَ‫ ِء ز‬# َ,
8. Please make ‘Irab of each word in this sentence.
ٌPِ"#َQ Iٌ ْKَ‫ز‬
ٍ‫ت‬# َ+ِCT$
ْ ُ+ِV ُ‫رْت‬/َ =َ
“A passed by a group of Muslim women.”
‫ك‬#َ
َ Vَ‫ُ أ‬ZْKَ‫َرأ‬
“I saw your father.”
ِ[َْ C ُ,َ‫بُ ر‬#َ 4Tِ]

“The book of two men.”

9. What are the five verbs. How does their ‘irab work in three cases: raf, nasb
and jazim?
10. What is munsarif ?
11. What is not munsarif and why?
12. Provide the ‘irab for the five nouns in the raf, nasb and khafd cases (with
examples)
13. What is wrong with this ‘Irab?
‫ك‬#Vَ ‫ َء أ‬# َ,
The word Abaak is meant be the subject of the verb came.
Iٌ ْKَ‫بَ ز‬#َ 4Tِ]

“Zaid’s book.”
ِ^$2ِD ‫ أ َ ٌم‬9ِ` !ٌ َK/ْ =َ
“Maryam is Esa’s mother.”
14. What is the difference between ‘irab with letters and ‘irab with vowel signs.
Give some examples.

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‫ﺗﺮﺟﻤﺔ ﻣﱳ ﻣﻘﺪﻣﺔ اﻵﺟﺮّوﻣﻴّﺔ‬

Edited and Translated by

Ella Collins Institute for Religious and Social Studies

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 1

About the Book

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 2

‫ﺑﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬

1.1 Conditions for a Complete Sentence

“A complete sentence2 is uttered, consists of two or more words, expresses a complete

There are two types of sentences in Arabic:

The author mentions 4 conditions for a complete sentence:

1- lafdh - 4-'‫ا‬- It is spoken

2- Murakkab - 023.‫ ا‬- It consists of two or more words

1This is discussed in detail in Karin C. Ryding, A Reference of Grammar of Modern Stan-

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 3

The First Condition: Spoken

Meaning: what is spoken is an Arabic word, consisting of Arabic letters.

,(Ahmed) +;@‫ أ‬, (tree) ٌ‫ة‬3َ َ>D

The Second Condition: Murakkab - Constructed of 2 Words or More

The second condition is that a phrase is made up of two words or more.

(,X+'‫ ا‬Y;D :,)3?'‫ ا‬:K3?M

“Knowing Arabic is the sun of this world.”

The Third Condition: Mufīd - complete thought

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 4

‫آن‬3T'‫ ا‬Z‫\ل ا‬X‫أ‬

Allah revealed the Qur’an

The Fourth Condition: Arabic Syntax

But, never its opposite:

The man -JH3'‫ا‬

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 5

‘Grammar of the Text

1.2 Components of a Complete Sentence

Eَ FSْ?َ ِ. ‫َ ( َء‬H ٌ‫ْف‬3 َ@َ‫ٌ و‬Jْ?Kِ ‫ َو‬aٌ <‫ا‬

Its components are three: nouns, verbs and articles of preposition 5

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 6

1.3 Signs of Nouns

,‫َ(ء‬lS'‫ وَا‬, 1‫ َورُب‬,NِK‫ َو‬,Eَ5hَ ‫ َو‬,ْRhَ ‫ َو‬,E'ِ‫ و إ‬,ْRMِ َN6ِ ‫ ِو‬ƒْ

The First Sign: kasara ِ

ِ aS, ِ@13'‫ِ ا‬R ٰ; ْ@13'‫ِ ا‬Z‫ ِ ا‬aSbِ

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 7

+@‫‡ًا أ‬-2 f' R9V a'‫و‬

The Prophet (as) said,

Find ten examples of nouns with tanwin from the Quran.

The Third Sign: The Letters Alif and Lam (‫)ال‬

‫&ب‬5ُT'‫ ا‬R‹;Œw Z‫ ا‬32P)

‫ة‬8o'‫;&ن ا‬,TV RVP'‫ا‬

The Prophet (as) said,

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 8

Articles of Preposition and Their Meanings

:َ 1 FS َ>'‫ ا‬Rُ M‡.‫ُ ا‬Jَd+ْ ُV Z‫ ا‬:;@3ِ)

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 9

9. Belongs, deserves, specific

‫رض‬p‫;&ات وا‬b'‫ ا‬NK (M Z

Try to find an example of each article of preposition from the Quran.

1.3 (a) letters of Oath

The first article: ‫و‬

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 10

Find five examples of waw as a letter of oath in the Qur’an.

The Second article: ‫ب‬

The Third Article: ‫ت‬

Grammatical Analysis of the Text

:;$ fK‫ ر‬:M8h‫اء و‬+jlw=() ‫&ع‬K3M ‫أ‬+jlM ‫(م‬bq‫ أ‬: fM(bq‫أ‬

Ājrrūmiyyah’s Introduction to Arabic Grammar# 11