The Aajurroomiyyah Blog

Back to Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (A)

2012-01-15T14:02:00.009-07:00

In our last post, I introduced the six types of definite nouns. In this post I’m going to elucidate further by explaining each category, Allah willing. I mentioned the first type which was the pronoun. The pronoun in Arabic is called الضّمِير. The root of this word means to be hidden or separate, the plural form is الضَّمَائِرُ. Another technical term used by the scholars of Arabic grammar is مُضْمَر, which means the same thing.

The pronoun is complex so we will start with the basics. At first it may seem overwhelming but after hard work and diligence this issue will become easy with the help of Allah Most High.

I will be basing this post on two texts to explain this area of definite nouns as I found the benefit within them very pertinent to the beginning student of Arabic. The first is المُغْنِي فِي عِلْمِ النَّحْوِ al-Mughnee fee ‘Ilm an-Nahwi by al-‘Allaamah Aboo al-Makaarim Fakhr-ud-Deen al-Jaarabardee, may Allah have mercy upon him, (died in 664 A.H. / 1346 C.E.), from the major scholars of at-Tabreez. The second is مُتَمِّمَةُ الآجُرُّومِيَّةِ فِي عِلْمِ العَرَبِيَّةِ Mutammimah al-Aajurroomiyyah fee ‘Ilm al-‘Arabiyyah by al-‘Allaamah Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad al-Hattaab, may Allah have mercy upon him, (died in 945 A.H.) from the major scholars of Yemen. I have covered his bio briefly in this post.

I will start with al-Jaarabardee’s explanation as it is brief and to the point. He states under the section الضَّمَائِرُ وَ أقْسَامُهَا (the Arabic Pronoun and its categories) that the pronoun is reserved for one addressing himself such as saying أنَا (I or me), or when one is being addressed such as saying أنْتَ (You) or to one who is not present by addressing that person as هُوَ (him). It is used to address the one needing to be spoken of whether that is in the form of speaking to others or the one speaking or the one being spoken about.

He mentions that the pronoun consists of two examples the مُتَّصِلٌ Muttasil and the مُنْفَصِلٌ Munfasil. Before we go further, I want to give just a little bit of linguistic background on these two words. In my short time seeking knowledge with some of the scholars I noticed in their lessons that whenever they teach a subject to their students they always give the linguistic background of the topic. For example in the classes of Shaykh Fawzaan, may Allah protect him from every harm and evil, he would give us an explanation of words covered in the text or concerning the topic. I remember once in our class on Mukhtasar Zaad al-Ma’aad he went into the linguistic meaning of the word ‘Aqeeqah so that we could understand it when he was explaining the text. I found this to be very beneficial and helped to understand the word anytime I happened upon it in Ahaadeeth or when used by the scholars in their books. Therefore if you understand the linguistic background of a word then you will understand the function of it grammatically, and Allah knows best, that is just my advice to you and I hope it will benefit.

The word Muttasil is from the root وصل Wasal, without getting too much into the science of Sarf (verb conjugation) the base of this word is such that the Waa is dropped and a Taa takes place of it and connects to the second Taa. It means something that is connected hence here the pronoun that has to be connected to a noun or verb in order to make sense.

The word Munfasil is from the root فصل Fasal which means to leave or separate. It also can mean to stand alone. Here it is referring to the personal pronouns that are independent and do not need to be connected to a verb or noun to make sense.

Al-Imaaam al-Jaarabadee then goes on to cite examples of the Muttasil occurring between the noun and the verbs. Examples of the Muttasil include:

أَخُوكَ
Your brother.

مَرَّ بِكَ
I passed you by.

ضَرَبَكَ
He hit you.

أفْعَلُ
I do.

The examples of the Munfasil are words such as:

هُوَ
He

هِيَ
She

أنْتَ
You

And إِيَّاكَ which means “You” (masculine) used when we address Allah five times a day saying in al-Faatihah:

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
{And You alone we worship, and You alone we seek assistance from.}

It is important to note here that there are twelve personal pronouns in Arabic that must be memorized. You cannot grasp Arabic until you know them. The chart below gives you all twelve along with whether they are 1st person, 2nd, or 3rd and the English translation of each word.

The second chart covers the attached personal pronouns. They are the same as the personal pronouns only they connect to verbs and nouns while the personal stand on their own. Reference this post for a good video covering the pronouns.

In the next post, Allah willing, I will cover the B side of the pronouns using the text of al-Imaam al-Hattaab, may Allah have mercy on him.

Back to Basics: The Types of Definite Nouns Part 2

2012-01-14T11:39:00.004-07:00

In our last post we introduced the definite and indefinite articles. In this post I want to cover the six categories of al-Ma’rifah (the definite nouns). They are the following:

One: The pronoun also known in Arabic as الضّمِير. Examples of the pronoun are words such as هُوَ هِيَ أنْتَ أنَا.

Two: The proper noun known as العَلَمُ. Examples of the proper noun include مُحَمَّدٌ القَاهِرَةُ فَاطِمَة.

Three: The demonstrative pronoun known as إسْمُ الإشَارَةِ. Examples are هَذَا تِلْكَ أُولاَئِكَ.

Four: The relative pronoun known as الإسْمُ المَوْصُولُ. Examples of these are الَّذِي الَّتِي الَّذِيْنَ.

Five: The noun that has the definite article connected to it المُعَرّفُ بِأَلْ. This one we covered in the last post so refer to it if needed.

Six: The possessive noun or the noun connected to a definite noun known as المُضَافُ إلَى مَعْرِفَة. Examples of these include كِتَابُ اللّهِ بَابُ البَيْتِ نُورُ الدِّيْنِ.

There is a seventh known as the vocative المُنَادَى, but we will focus on that one in a separate post Allah willing, as it is tied into another aspect of Arabic grammar and I don’t want to cause confusion.

I will go in detail for each type one by one since it is essential to properly understand the Arabic in the Quran and in the Ahaadeeth. In the next post we will cover the first type; the Arabic pronoun, Allah willing. In the meantime you can review the chart below as reference.

How to use the Hans Wehr Dictionary: You Tube Video

2012-01-02T20:10:00.003-07:00

I found this interesting video on You Tube. Thought I would post it here as a resource for all of us.

From the Peculiarities of Arabic Grammar in the Quran 1

2011-12-30T11:14:00.003-07:00

In this post I hope to shed some light in laymen’s terms concerning the peculiar rules of Arabic grammar found within the Quran. I mean by this not that the Quran is peculiar but rather peculiar to the one not firmly grounded in the detailed and intricate matters of Allah’s Book.

This will not be as continuous as the Back to Basic series, but I will try to add at least one or two small points when I can, with the permission of Allah.

Today I want to focus on verse 51 found in Soorat-ul-Baqarah where Allah Most High says:

وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

{And (remember) when We appointed for Moses forty nights, and (in his absence) you took the calf (for worship), and you were polytheists and wrong-doers.}

The focus here is on the word أرْبَعُوْن (forty). Beginning students of Arabic usually ask why the word for forty is written as أَرْبَعِينَ and not أرْبَعُوْن?

The response is simple. The word أَرْبَعِينَ is in the Mansoob state because it is connected to the name of Prophet Musaa, peace be upon him, which is also Mansoob. The name of Prophet Musaa, peace be upon him, is first Maf’ool bihi (the noun that the action is being done to). What throws the beginning student off is the silent Yaa written at the end of the name of the Prophet Musaa. The state of Prophet Musaa’s Nasb is indicated by an unwritten Fathah over it.

The word أَرْبَعِينَ is the second Maf’ool bihi (the noun that the action is being done to) which is also Mansoob. The sign that indicates its Nasb is the original Waaw which is written as Yaa since that is the rule for the sound broken plural. We covered some of that here in this post.

If it was not written this way then the meaning would have negatively implied that Allah did not appoint Prophet Musaa, peace be upon him, to seclude himself for those forty nights and receive the divine law sent to him, and Allah knows best.

Back to Basics: The Definite and Indefinite Article Part 1

2011-12-11T14:34:00.003-07:00

In a previous post, we covered the basics of the noun. We went into the singular, the dual, and the plural as well as providing study charts to aid in understanding the differences. With the assistance of Allah, we will now focus on the definite and indefinite article.

In Arabic the noun is either indefinite or definite. The indefinite noun is called الإسْمُ النَّكِرَة. The state of being indefinite is called نَكِرَة. It refers to something general, not specific. For example we can say رَجُلٌ (a man), بَائِعٌ (a seller), شَجَرَة (a tree). It can be masculine or feminine, singular, dual or plural. The equivalent in English is the words “a” or “an”.

Generally, indefinite nouns are recognized by the Tanween written on the last letter. Tanween can be translated as “Nunation”. It is an unwritten and unvowelled Noon at the end of a noun. Instead of writing the word for man as رَجُلُنْ it is written as رَجُلٌ .

The definite nouns is called الإسْمُ المَعْرِفَةُ. The state of being definite is called الْمَعْرِفَةُ. It refers to something specific. The noun is made definite by adding the definite article اَلْ to it. This is known as أَدَاةُ التَّعْرِيْفِ. The definite noun loses the Tanween. You cannot combine the definite article and Tanween together.

Allah willing, in the next post we will break down the six categories of al-Ma’rifah and cover each category in detail.

Back to Basics: The Broken Plural Part 2

2011-11-19T10:18:00.004-07:00

Of all the aspects of the Arabic language, the most difficult for beginners to master is the "broken plural" جمع التكسير. The scholars of the Arabic language (such as al-Anbaaree in his Asraar al-Lughatil-‘Arabiyyah) said that the Arabs called it this because the forms resemble shattered vessels.

There are four types of examples to utilize in recognizing the broken plural but these are not definite:

The first are plurals that add an extra letter to the singular such as رَجُلٌ ـ رِجَال and دِرْهَم ـ دِرَاهِم.

The second are plurals that remove a letter from the singular and have fewer letters than it, such as the words كِتَابٌ ـ كُتُب and إزَار ـ أُزُر.

The third are plurals that have three letters but the vowel sign changes from the singular, such as the words أسَدٌ ـ أُسُد and وَثَنٌ ـ وُثُن.

The fourth are plurals that can be both singular and plural while still having the same letter structure and vowel signs. For example the word فُلْك can be either singular or plural depending on the context. In the Quran Allah Most High says:

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ

{And a sign for them is that We bore their children in the boat [of Noah].} (Yaa-Seen 36:41)

The word here is singular. But in the following verses the Most High uses the same word as plural in the verses:

هُوَ الَّذِي يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ حَتَّى إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ

{He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships and they sail with them with a favorable wind...}(Yunus 10:22)

And:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ

{In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind…} (al-Baqarah 2:164)

Keep in mind that the broken plural has many patterns and forms that have to be memorized individually as there is no set rule for the singular to be converted into the plural. The following table shows the most common.

Back to Basics: Plural nouns in Arabic Part 1

2011-10-15T18:50:00.003-06:00

In our last post we mentioned the Singular and Dual forms of the noun in addition to preparing you for the Plural. The plural is divided into مُصَحَّح sound and مُكَسَّر broken. Let us look at the sound plural first.

The sound plural has two categories; the sound masculine plural and the sound feminine plural. The sound masculine plural جَمْعُ المُذَكِّر السَّالِمِ consists of three or more male objects that are easily identified by the addition of the Waaw and Noon at the end ون. This suffix means the noun is in the Raf’ state while adding Yaa and Noon at the end indicate the Nasb and Jarr state ين. Those will be mentioned in more detail when we get to the verbs, Allah willing.

As an example you have the following masculine singular nouns along with the plural form in both Raf’, and Nasb and Jarr states:

مُسْلِمٌ - مُسْلِمُونَ - مُسْلِمِيْنَ
مُحَمَّدٌ - مُحَمَّدُونَ - مُحَمَّدِيْنَ
ذَاهِبٌ - ذَاهِبُونَ - ذَاهِبِيْنَ
مُسَافِرٌ - مُسَافِرُونَ - مُسَافِريْنَ

There are two categories of the sound masculine plural:

One – Masculine names of living beings أسماءُ الذّكورِ العُقلاءِ which are mostly personal names like:

أحمد- أحمدون –أحمدين

Two – Masculine adjectives of living beings صفاتُ الذّكورِ العُقلاءِ many like:

مُصْلِحٌ - مُصْلِحُونَ - مُصْلِحِيْنَ

Note: There are some plurals that look and act like the sound masculine plural but they are from neither category above;

أهلون- أرضون- بنون- سنون- مئون- ذوو- أولو

This also includes the numbers that connect with verbs such as:

عشرون- ثلاثون-أربعون....تسعون

The sound feminine plural جَمْعُ المُؤَنِّثِ السَّالِم consists of three of more female objects that are identified by adding Alif and Taa to the end ات. The Dhammah sign means the feminine plural is in Raf’ اتٌ while a Kasrah indicates both Nasb and Jarr اتٍ.

Here are examples of the sound feminine plural along with the singular forms:

مُسْلِمَة - مُسْلِمَاتٌ - مُسْلِمَاتٍ
فَاطِمَة - فَاطِمَاتٌ - فَاطِمَاتٍ
ذَاهِبَة - ذَاهِبَاتٌ - ذَاهِبَاتٍ
مُسَافِرَة - مُسَافِرَاتٌ - مُسَافِرَاتٍ

There are eight categories of the sound feminine plural:

One – Female masculine names اسمُ العلمِ المؤنَّثِ like:

فاطمةُ- فاطمات

Two – Nouns that end in Taa Marbootah الاسمُ المختومُ بتاءٍ مربوطةٍ زائدةٍ للتّأنيثِ like:

شاعرةٌ- شاعرات، طلحة- طلحات

Three – Male adjectives that describe inanimate plurals صفةُ المذكَّرِ غيرِ العاقلِ like:

شاهقٌ- شاهقات

Four – Verbal nouns that are based on more than three letter root words المصدرُ فوقَ الثُّلاثيِّ like:

انتصارٌ- انتصارات

Five – Inanimate masculine nouns that describe smallness تصغيرُ المذكَّرِ غيرِ العاقلِ like:

كُتيِّب- كُتيِّبات

Six – Foreign words الاسمُ الأعجميُّ or nouns based on five letter roots الخماسيُّ الَّذي لا يُعرفُ له جمعٌ آخر like:

تلفاز- تلفازات،برَّاد- برَّادات

Seven – Nouns that end in the feminine Alif Maqsoorah الاسمُ المختومِ بألفٍ مقصورةٍ للتأنيثِ like:

مستشفى - مستشفيات

Eight – Nouns that begin with the Arabic word for son or possessor when the noun is an inanimate object like:

ابن آوى-بنات آوى،ذو القِعدة- ذوات القِعدة

Note: There are also some plurals that look and act like the sound feminine plural but they are from neither category above like the word أولاتِ which means صاحبات female companions/ owners/possessors, etc.

We find it used in the Quran where Allah Most High says in Soorat-Talaaq verse 5:

وَأُوْلاتُ الأَحْمَالِ
{Those women who are pregnant.}

And in the sentence:

أحترمُ المعلِّماتِ أولاتِ الفضلِ في تربيةِ أجيالِنا
“I respect female teachers who possess benefit and know how in educating our generations.”

In the next post we will finalize the broken plural, Allah willing.

Back to Basics: Singular, Dual, and Plural nouns in Arabic

2011-10-09T11:37:00.002-06:00

In the last post we briefly touched upon the three categories of speech; the noun, verb, and particle along with some examples of each. Now we are going to begin the long journey of going into the noun. It will take several posts to cover this and to be honest with you I may not do it justice but I ask my reward to be with Allah. May He also grant our scholars a high place in paradise for the treasures they left us to benefit from. With that said let us begin, Allah willing.

The noun is divided into three categories; singular مفرد, dual مثنى, and plural جمع.

One: The singular noun refers to one object and it can be a person طالب, a place القاهرة, a thing كتاب, a name of a man أحمد or a woman عائشة, or it can be a man رجل or a woman إمرأة.

In Arabic there is what is called the الإسم الصحيح “authentic noun” which is a noun wherein all of its letters are not from the weak letters; Alif, Waaw, and Yaa. Examples are words such as pen قلم, wall حائط, and the name Ahmad أحمد. So if you see the vowel sign on the end of the last letter, you know it is an “authentic noun”.

In the realm of the science of an-Nahw, we know the “authentic noun” is in the state of Raf’ by the Dhammah sign on the last letter. We know the “authentic noun” is in the state of Nasb by the Fathah sign on the last letter. We also know that the “authentic noun” is in the state of Jarr by the Kasrah sign on the last letter. Later, Allah willing, we are going to cover why a noun will never be in the state of Jazm or take the Sukoon over it. If you already know why then you’re at a very excellent level in Arabic.

Two: The dual consists of two things, it can be two people, masculine or feminine, or two places, or two non-living objects. You will know it is dual (fancy way of saying two things) by the Alif and Noon attached to the noun.

So as an example the word for man in Arabic is رَجُلٌ. To make it “two men” just add the Alif and Noon and you get رَجُلاَنِ! This is in the state of Raf’ but in the state of Nasb and Jarr the Alif is dropped and a Yaa is attached to the Noon like this رَجُلَيْنِ.

That was for the masculine, for the feminine as in the word woman إمْرَأة you would add the Alif and Noon as we did in the last example, which would mean two women إمْرَأَتَانِ. This is in the state of Raf’ but in the states of Nasb and Jarr the Alif is dropped and a Yaa is attached to the Noon similar to the masculine إمْرَأَتَيْنِ.

Here are some examples:

كِتَابٌ - كِتَابَانِ
مُسْلِمٌ - مُسْلِمَانِ
مُسْلِمَة - مُسْلِمَتَانِ
طَالِبٌ - طَالِبَانِ
طَالِبَة - طَالِبَتَانِ

In the next post we are going to take a look at the plural separately since it has a little more detail to it. In the meantime keep in mind that the plural is more than two objects, persons, places, etc. The chart below will outline what we have covered so far, Allah willing.

Back to Basics

2011-09-29T12:53:00.006-06:00

Now that I have more time to dedicate to this blog, we will be going back to the basics and covering the detailed fundamentals of the language through charts and examples using the text of al-Aajurroomiyyah as our blue print with Allah's assistance.

In a previous post I covered the meaning of an-Nahw and translated the explanation of it by the late grammarian scholar, ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him. If you wish you can refer back to these two posts as it is the basis of which one should be familiar with and will help you understand the chart below a little better.

In another previous post, I also translated Shaykh Muhammad’s explanation concerning the Four Quyood of al-Kalaam along with a study chart, so that is available for whoever wants to refer to it.

With those two issues referenced let us now focus on the issue concerning the statement of Imam as-Sanhaajee, may Allah enlighten his grave, where he said in his text:

وَ أقْسَامُهُ ثَلاَثَة : إسْمٌ وَ فِعْلٌ وَ حَرْفٌ

(And it’s categories (of al-Kalaam) are three; Noun, Verb, and Particle.)

The scholars of Arabic have clarified that al-Kalaam refers to the collection of words in speech, such as the saying of al-Imam Ibn Hishaam, may Allah have mercy upon him, in his Qatr-un-Nadaa:

وَ الكَلاَمُ لَفْظٌ مُفِيدٌ وَ أقَلُّ ائْتِلاَفِهِ مِنْ إسْمَيْنِ كَـ زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ أوْ فِعْلٌ وَ اسْمٌ كَـ قَامَ زَيْدٌ

(And al-Kalaam is pronounced and beneficial speech. The least amount of words that it can consist of is two nouns such as in the sentence, “Zayd is standing” or a verb and a noun like in the sentence, “Zayd stood”.)

But when the Imam says that speech consists of three categories, then he is referring to al-Kalimah when he speaks of each category; a noun, a verb, a particle.

al-Imam Ibn Hishaam clarifies this in both Qatr-un-Nadaa and in Shudhoor adh-Dhahab where he states:

الكَلِمَةُ قَوْلٌ مُفْرَدٌ وَ هِيَ إسْمٌ وَ فِعْلٌ وَ حَرْفٌ

(al-Kalimah is a single word consisting of a noun, verb, and particle.)

So the Arabic word is built upon these three categories. After you understand that, then let’s try to understand the following.

We will start with the noun, which can be a person إنسان, an animalحيوان , a plant نبات, an inanimate object جماد, a place مكان, time زمان, a description صفة, or a meaning معنى.

An example of a person would be names such as:

Ahmad أحمد, Muhammad محمد, Faatimah فاطمة, Zaynab زينب, man رجل, woman امرأة, etc.

An example of an animal would be:

Rabbit أرنب, donkey حمار, horse حصان, etc.

An example of a plant would be:

Flower زهرة, apple تفاحة, orange برتقال, etc.

An example of an inanimate object would be:

Wall حائط, chair كرسي, book كتاب, pen قلم, etc.

An example of place would be:

Cairo القاهرة, Jordan الأردن, Lebanon لبنان, etc.

An example of time would be:

Morning الصباح, evening المساء, today اليوم, tomorrow غدًا, etc.

An example of a description would be:

Intelligent ذكي, stupid غبي, hard working مجتهد, lazy كسلان, writer كاتب, reader قارئ, etc.

An example of meaning would be:

Love الحب, freedom الحرية, faith الإيمان, knowledge العلم, understanding الفهم, etc.

The second is the verb which indicates an action that has occurred at a specific time. That could be in the past, the present, or an action that will occur in the future.

An example of the past tense is the following:

سَمِعَ ـ كَتَبَ ـ دَرَسَ

Study, write, hear

An example of the present is the following:

يَسْمَعُ ـ يَكْتُبُ ـ يَدْرُسُ

Studying, writing, hearing

An example of the future is the following:

سَيَسْمَعُ ـ سَيَكْتُبُ ـ سَيَدْرُسُ

He will study, he will write, he will listen

An example of a command is the following:

إسْمَعْ ـ أُكْتُبْ ـ أُدْرُسْ

Study! Write! Listen!

The third is the particle which is never left by itself, it is always connected to either a noun or a verb. The meaning of the particle is made clear once it is connected to the nouns and verbs to produce speech.

The particle can be one letter such as the Baa بِــ and the Kaaf كَـــ (we will go into more detail in other posts, Allah willing), or it can be two or more letters such as the words:

عَلَى ـ فِي ـ مِنْ

From, in, upon

So the noun, the verb, and the particle all have their own distinct signs that make them distinguishable from one another. In upcoming posts, Allah willing, we will be going more into detail about the nouns as it plays a prime significance within the language, then after that we will move onto the verb, and then the particle.

al-Mamnoo' min as-Sarf Flow Chart

2011-09-17T18:40:00.005-06:00

Two posts ago, we covered al-Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf, and I said that I was working on a flow chart to reinforce the material covered. I have been receiving a lot of complaints about e-snips from many brothers and sisters who cannot download the files there so I decided to find another site to upload my content. For right now you can use the JPEGS until I find a better site and upload all of the older material. May Allah make it easy for me. I hope this will still benefit all.

A Short Biography of al-Hataab and His Methodology in Writing al-Mutammimah

2011-09-10T21:46:00.000-06:00

His name is Muhammad bin Abdur-Rahmaan ar-Ra’eenee known as al-Hattaab, a scholar of Maalikee Islamic law, from the scholars of at-Tasawwuf, originally from Morocco. He was born in Makkah in the year 902 A.H.

He wrote many books; from them is Muwaahib al-Jaleel fee Mukhtasar Khaleel in Maalikee Islamic law, and Qurrat-ul-Ayn bi-Sharh Waraqaat Imaam al-Haramayn in Usool-ul-Fiqh, and Mutammimat-ul-Aajurroomiyyah in an-Nahw.

He died in west Tripoli in the year 954 A.H. You can reference al-A’alaam (8/57) and Shajarat-un-Noor az-Zakiyyah (1/389) for his full biography.

Mutammimat-ul-Aajurroomiyyah was a treatise that al-Hattab wrote concerning the grammatical issues contained within the text of al-Aajurroomiyyah. He added several more important sections and chapters while still preserving the original text. Sometimes he added issues that were not covered in the original such as adding the sections of al-Ishtighaal, at-Ta’ajjub, al-‘Adad, and al-Waqf. Just as he added chapters and issues such as al-Binaa, al-Huroof al-Mushabbahah bi “Laysa”, and al-Af’aal al-Muqaarabah. And sometimes he rearranged sections as he did with at-Tawaabi where he placed it after the Marfoo’aat, Mansoobaat, and Majrooraat following the methodology of the scholars of the past who did it this way in their books and also as a way to make it easier for the beginner and Allah knows best.

A Question about the Un-Nunated Noun

2011-09-10T20:09:00.003-06:00

Question: In the text of al-Aajurroomiyyah, the author mentions the noun that is Laa Yansarif and takes al-Khafdh by placing a Fathah vowel over the last letter of the Arabic noun. What is he referring to?

Answer: The author, may Allah have mercy upon him, is referring to what is known in an-Nahw terminology as al-Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf المَمْنُوعُ مِنَ الصَّرْفِ or what has been translated by more knowledgeable people than myself as the “Un-Nunated Noun”. This noun is a category found in the section of al-Mu’rabaat المُعْرَبَات. It belongs to the first category of nouns and verbs that are declined by the four Arabic vowel signs; Fathah, Kasrah, Dhammah, and Sukoon, as opposed to the second category which are declined by the three Arabic vowel signs represented by the Arabic letters; Alif, Waw, and Yaa.

An easy way to remember the meaning is to think of the word المَمْنُوعُ as something that is prohibited. The word مِنَ should be familiar to everyone as we have covered its explanation in previous posts. The word الصَّرْفِ has many meanings but here I would say it means to go about or move freely. Literally translated we could say, ‘the prohibition of movement”. Of course other suggestions are always welcomed on this blog.

The author, may Allah have mercy upon him, explains that there are four types of words that are declined by way of the Arabic vowel signs. They are:

1 -The singular noun الإسم المفرد
2 -The broken plural جمع التكسير
3 -The sound feminine plural جمع المؤنث السالم
4 -The present tense verb that does not have any particles attached to it الفعل المضارع الذي لم يتصل بآخره شيئ

The area of focus here is with the first type which the author calls al-Ism al-Mufrad الإسم المفرد. Allah willing, maybe in a future post, I can go into detail about the singular noun and what the scholars of the Arabic language wrote regarding it as the subject itself is vast and would take up a lot of time.

At any rate, the author says that all four of these types of words are made nominative (being in the state of ar-Raf’), by placing a Dhammah sign on the last letter of the Arabic word, made into the accusative (being in the state of an-Nasb) by placing a Fathah sign on the last letter of the Arabic word, made into the genitive (being in the state of al-Khafdh or al-Jarr depending on the school of grammar you follow) by placing a Kasrah sign on the last letter of the Arabic word, and finally by placing a Sukoon sign on the last letter of the Arabic word, it enters into the state of al-Jazm.

He then mentions that there is an exception to this rule. The exception here is that three of these words have different rules that apply to them. Since our focus is with the singular noun we will only comment on what the author says about it. He says that the singular noun that is non-nunated, meaning that it does not have a Tanween over it, becomes genitive (being in the state of al-Khafdh or al-Jarr depending on the school of grammar you follow, I know I already said it before!) by placing a Fathah sign on the last letter of the Arabic word as opposed to placing a Kasrah like all the other words.

The Yemeni scholar of an-Nahw, Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad bin Muhammad ar-Ra’eenee al-Maalikee, better known as al-Hattaab (died in 954 A.H.) beautifully summed this up in his Mutammimah, by saying, “There are three categories of nouns that are excluded from this rule, the noun that does not decline, whether it is singular or a broken plural. It therefore is rendered into the state of al-Khafdh by the Fathah sign, as long as it is not made possessive by another noun or if the definite article is added to it.”

This now brings us to another question that is about to open up a whole new can of whoop butt…how do we know the difference between a nunated noun and a un-nunated noun? The scholars went into great lengths about this, but since this is just a rinky-dink blog run by a non-Arab Mexican-American Muslim, I will attempt to briefly break down for you just a portion of what they left for us to benefit from, may Allah have mercy upon them and grant them the highest place in paradise.

The scholars of the Arabic language tell us that when it comes to the singular noun, it consists of two categories:

The first is the nunated noun الإسم المعرب المنصرف which has the Tanween and Kasrah written above it, and can be in the state of ar-Raf’ الرفع indicated by the Dhammah sign, or can be in the state of an-Nasb النصب indicated by the Fathah sign, or can be in the state of al-Jarr الجر or al-Khafdh الخفض indicated by the Kasrah sign. Some quick examples include the following singular nouns:

ولدٌ -boy
كتابٌ-book
محمدٌ –Muhammad (a male Muslim name)
مسجدٌ –mosque

The second is the un-nunated noun الأسم المعرب الممنوع من الصرف which does not have the Tanween and Kasrah and is in the state of ar-Raf’ indicated by the Dhammah sign. As for the state of an-Nasb and al-Jarr or al-Khafdh, then this is indicated by a Fathah sign.

Al-Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf المَمْنُوعُ مِنَ الصَّرْفِ is divided into three categories:

A – Name types الأعلام
B – Adjective types الصِّفَات
C – Neither a name nor an adjective type مَا لَيْسَ عَلَمًا وَ لاَ صَفَة

I will now go into each category along with examples, Allah willing.

A – Name types الأعلام are further divided into six:

1 – The name that is based upon the Arabic noun form فُعَلُ Fu’al such as the names:

عُمَرُ ـ زُفَرُ - قُزَحُ - مُضَرُ
زُحَلُ - هُبَلُ

2 – Names that are based upon Arabic nouns that indicate action taken from the forms أفْعَلُ and يَفْعَلُ and يَفْعِلُ such as:

أحْمَدُ - أنْوَرُ - أسْلَمُ - أكْرَمُ
يَزِيْدُ - يَثْرِبُ - يَنْبَعُ - يَعْرِبُ

3 – Feminine names ending with Taa Marbootah تاء المربوطة:

عَائشةُ - فاطمةُ - خديجةُ

This type of name is known as a pronounced and actual feminine name تأنيثا لفظيا و حقيقيا معًا.

Then there are the feminine names that are purely feminine but without the Taa Marbootah تأنيثا حقيقيا:

زينب -مريم - سعاد - سوسن

In addition to these two there are also male names that end with Taa Marbootah which are considered feminine in pronunciation but not in meaning تأنيثا لفظيا, such as:

حمزة - معاوية - طلحة - حذيفة

4 – Nouns that have Alif and Noon attached to them, such as:

عثمان - حمدان - صفوان - سليمان
عدنان - مروان - لقمان -نعمان

5 – Foreign names that consist of four or more Arabic letters such as:

إبراهيم - إدريس - إسماعيل - جورج

So the name of our father Adam آدم, peace be upon him, would be Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf, since it consists of four letters but the name of Prophet Noah نُوْحٌ, peace be upon him would not.

6 – The name consisting of two part nouns such as:

بعلبك - حضرموت - معديكرب

B – Adjective types الصِّفَات are divided into three:

1 – The adjective name that ends in Alif and Noon such as from the root form فَعْلاَنُ for masculine:

عطشان - سكران - جوعان - شبعان

And فُعْلَى for the feminine:

عطشى - سكرى - جوعى - شبعى

2 – The adjective name based on numbers and from the root forms of مَفْعَل and فُعَال such as:

مَثْنَى- ثُلاَث- رُبَاع

3 – The adjective name based on the form of أفْعَلُ for masculine, such as:

أحْمَرُ - أزْرَقُ - أخْضَرُ - أكْبَرُ - أحْسَنُ - أصْغَرُ

And فَعْلاَءُ or فُعْلَى for feminine:

حَمْرَاءُ - زَرْقَاءُ - خَضْرَاءُ - كُبْرَى - حُسْنَى - صُغْرَى

C – Neither a name nor an adjective type مَا لَيْسَ عَلَمًا وَ لاَ صَفَة

This last type consists of three:

1 – The word that ends with what is known as the short feminine Alif ألف التأنيث المقصورة:

كُبْرَى - صُغْرَى - عُلْيَا - حُبْلَى - دعوى

2 – The two plural forms known here as صيغة منتهى الجموع which is from the root form مَفَاعِلُ and مَفَاعِيْلُ or that is from the plural that has two letters or three in the middle that are written with a Sukoon on it, such as:

مساجد - مدارس - شوارع - رسائل - أكارم
مصابيح - مفاتيح - أناشيد - قنابيل - أباريق

3 – The word that ends with what is known as the long feminine Alif ألف التأنيث الممدودة:

صَحْرَاءُ - حَسْنَاءُ - عُلَمَاءُ - أصْدِقَاءُ

So in short, al-Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf is the noun that does not have a Tanween or Kasrah written on the last letter. When the word is in the state of an-Nasb or al-Khafdh, then the Fathah will take the place of the Kasrah.

The only two exceptions when Kasrah is written on the last letter of the verb as we previously mentioned, is when the noun has the definite article ال, such as in the following sentences:

الكتابُ فيِ الغلاَفِ الأحْمَرِ
يَعِيشُ الأعْرَابُ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ

Or when it is the Mudhaaf of the Idhaafah construction, as in the following sentence:

ذَهَبْتُ إلَى أفْضَلِ العُلَمَاءِ

I am in the process of putting together a chart that I hope will be used as reference for this particular grammatical issue. In the chart I will include example sentences so you can see how the non-nunated words have the vowels written over them. I hope that this response benefited those brothers and the one sister who asked me about this, and Allah knows best.

A Word from Cairo Student Services

2011-08-08T05:53:00.003-06:00

Our objective at Cairo Student Services is to make the new student or Muhaajir as comfortable as possible in their new environment, by providing essential information and support. Alhamdulilah here in Egypt Allah has blessed us with great opportunities to enrich our Deen, with centers and schools specialized in teaching the Arabic language and correct pronunciation of the Quraan (Tajweed) for both adults and children.

At Cairo Student Services we have combined our comprehensive knowledge, insight and experience of living in Cairo so as to develop a series of packages aimed at providing necessary information and support. The packages contain services including; transportation from the airport, securing accommodation, attaining visas, assistance and guidance with enrollment into institutions, and more.

Ultimately, our services will provide a much needed ease and relief during a transition and integration, for you, the student, into one of the oldest centres of Islamic knowledge.

{Alif-Laam-Raa.These are the Verses of the Clear Book (the Qur'aan that makes clear the legal and illegal things, legal laws, a guidance and a blessing).Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'aan in order that you may understand.} Yusuf (12):1-2

It was reported that Umar was once going around the Ka’bah when he heard two men speaking in a language other than Arabic behind him. He turned to them and said,“Find some way to learn Arabic!” ‘Abd Al-Razzâq Al-San’ânî, Al-Musannaf Vol.5 p496.

For more information please contact Aboo Ibraheem at: ramzifarage@gmail.com

The Importance of the Arabic Language

2011-07-01T10:42:00.004-06:00

“The knowledge of the Arabic language is of great importance, a magnificent connection to the Book of Allah Most High and to the Sunnah of His Messenger, may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him. In addition to being of great importance, this science also establishes the understanding of the texts and the basis for which rulings are derived.

So there is no doubt that knowledge of the Arabic language, and by that I mean knowledge of an-Nahw, safeguards the tongue from committing errors in recitation of Allah’s Book, in delivering sermons, and in writing. I stated previously that it is built upon understanding the texts and deriving rulings. Because of this, Shaykh-ul-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, mentioned in his valuable book Iqtidhaa-us-Siraat-il-Mustaqeem that the Arabic language is a part of the religion and learning it is obligatory since understanding the texts of the Book and the Sunnah is obligatory and it is not complete except by knowledge of the language. This obligation (of understanding the Book and the Sunnah) is not perfected except by it (by first learning Arabic grammar), hence it being obligatory.

It has been mentioned in regards to the Arabic language that learning it is fardh ‘ayn (an individual duty), and there are those who say learning it is fardh kifaayah (a collective duty). You may already be familiar with what has been mentioned by the Scholars of Usool concerning the areas of Ijtihaad (the independent ruling of a qualified Muslim scholar) when they made mention that one of the conditions of a Mujtahid (the Muslim scholar who can perform Ijtihaad) is that he must be a scholar of an-Nahw.

Yet despite this, regretfully- and I attach the preposition “alaa” with it because this is what is correct, as for those who say “regretfully” and attach the preposition “Laam” then this is incorrect, Allah Most High says:

{O what regret was cast upon Yusuf!} Soorah Yusuf: 84

So regretfully many students of knowledge abandon this science and detest it. And their studies have become established against memorizing the principles of grammar and constant revision of it, they are heedless of an important aspect, I mean by that the practical application side and the grammatical syntax side (of the language), and for this very reason deficiency in knowing an-Nahw is clearly evident of many students of knowledge even from those who graduate from the universities.

The student of knowledge cannot get around studying an-Nahw whether he wants to or not, yet in my opinion it is necessary for the student of an-Nahw to understand two fundamental issues for the sake of benefiting and mastering this subject:

The first issue is being meticulous in the practical application side and the grammatical syntax side (of the language), because al-‘Iraab is an issue that is necessary to know and due to this the one who knows how to read the end case of the words knows an-Nahw. So you must take interest in the subject matter of al-‘Iraab, The study of ‘Iraab needs you to be precise in the basic principles of an-Nahw, from one direction and intense knowledge of the case endings of the words from another direction. There is a saying that has been repeated by those who say: Constant practice transforms the incapable into one possessing aptitude, just look at the infant who first learns to stand and walk.

The second issue is for the one who desires the study of an-Nahw is to be meticulous in the principles of an-Nahw, my brothers the principles of an-Nahw are very important, in an-Nahw there are established principles that do not change, these principles are necessary so that you benefit from the one who teaches you an-Nahw.

So I advise all of you to be meticulous concerning these two issues and to benefit from the one who teaches you regarding the study of an-Nahw, whether in this study circle or in another. The one who knows an-Nahw the affair is easy and gratifying, while the one who does not know it then the affair is heavy and difficult, and there is not placed in front of the person whom Allah has honored with insight and knowledge any difficulty, especially knowledge of the Arabic language.”

Taken from the explanation of Nukat-ul-I’raab (the Knowledge-based Issues connected to al-I’raab) by ash-Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Saalih al-Fawzaan and translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee –may Allah guide him

The Arabic Verb Forms PDF Booklet

2011-06-04T08:48:00.002-06:00

This is the link to the PDF format of the JPEGs that I posted before. The most popular verb forms are listed for reference. Intended for intermediate to advanced level.

Click here to download

The Arabic Verb Forms Study JPEGs

2011-03-21T07:42:00.004-06:00

The following charts in JPEG form are taken from a book that I recently designed for Lughatu-Daad. Once it is posted on their site, I will post the link here. In the meantime I hope this will be of benefit, Allah willing.

Blog of Dr. V Abdur Rahim Link

2011-02-16T22:58:00.002-07:00

http://drvaniya.com/

Why does Allah use the plural for “the darkness” but leaves “the light” singular?

2011-01-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

In Soorat-ul-Baqarah, verse 257, Allah Most High says:

يُخْرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إلَى النُّورِ
{…To remove them from the darkness into the light.}

The word “the light” النُّورِ (an-Noor) is singular while the word “darkness” الظُّلُمَاتِ (ath-Thulumaat) is plural. Why is that?

The plural word for “darkness” ظُّلُمَاتِ (the singular is ظُلْمَة) conveys all of the various forms of deviance and disbelief, so all of this is conveyed in the plural word “darkness”. The singular word “the light” (the plural is أنْوَار) is made singular because the truth is one and is never rendered plural.

Therefore this is why Allah Most High did not say:

يُخْرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إلَى الأنْوَارِ

Source: an-Nahw fee Thilaal-il-Quraan-il-Kareem (Arabic Grammar in the Shade of the Noble Quran) by ‘Azeezah Yunoos Basheer, page 23.

Arabic Points of Benefit: The style of النِّدَاءُ التَّعَجُّبِي

2010-11-26T15:16:00.004-07:00

In the last post we covered the style of al-Istighaathah أسلوب الإستغاثة. This is a continuation of the last post.

النِّدَاءُ التَّعَجُّبِيan-Nidaa at-Ta’jjubee is used to express surprise or amazement. It is similar to the style of al-Istighaathah except that the Laam is omitted.

Examples:

Here the second Laam is omitted.

يَا لَرَوْعَةِ القَصِيْدَة
(What a beautiful poem!)

يَا رَوْعَةِ القَصِيْدَة

Here both the first and second Laam are omitted. Note that the first noun takes a Kasrah sign because of the Yaa connected to it.

Arabic Points of Benefit: The style of al-Istighaathah أُسْلُوبُ الإسْتِغَاثَةِ

2010-11-25T11:51:00.004-07:00

In an-Nahw, the style of exclamation is called al-Istighaathah الإسْتِغَاثَة. This style consists of the following:

One: The only particle of al-Istighaathah called Adaat-ul-Istighaathah أدَاةُ الإسْتِغَاثَة is always the vocative Yaa and Alif يَا. There is no other particle that can be used for this style.

Two: What is known as al-Mustaghaath bihi المُسْتَغَاثُ بِهِ. It is always in the genitive tense which means that it always takes a Kasrah sign at the end and has a Laam attached to it that takes a Fathah sign.

Three: What is known as al-Mustaghaath lahu المُسْتَغَاثُ لَهُ. It is always genitive with Laam attached to it, and the Laam is written with a Kasrah on it. Example:

يَا لَــشُرْطَةِ لِلسَّارِق
(Help police! A Thief!)

يَا لَطَيِّبِ الهَوَاءِ لِلعَلِيْلِ
(How good fresh air is for the sick person!)

يَا لَهَوَاءِ الإسكندريةِ لِلمَرْضَى
(How the air in Alexandria is for one’s sickness!)

Sometimes it is written with the particle مِنْ Min. Example:

يَا لَلأطبَاءِ مِنَ الوبَاءِ

يَا لَرِجَالِ الشُّرْطَةِ مِنَ اللّصُوصِ

In an upcoming post, inshaaAllah, I will describe what happens when one or both of the Laams are omitted. Below, are two charts to reference for the forms described above. I hope they will be of benefit.

(Style One)

(Style Two)

Israel’s U. Haifa study concludes: Arabic is hard to read [especially when it’s written wrong] | MuslimMatters.org

2010-09-29T15:58:00.000-06:00

Israel’s U. Haifa study concludes: Arabic is hard to read [especially when it’s written wrong] | MuslimMatters.org

Arabic Points of Benefit: The styles of الإغراء al-Ighraa and التحذير at-Tahdheer

2010-08-08T15:32:00.002-06:00

In the science of an-Nahw there are eight styles that are used in expression, they are:

The style of ash-Shart أسلوب الشرط
The style of al-Istifhaam أسلوب الإستفهام
The style of al-Qasm أسلوب القسم
The style of at-Ta’ajjub أسلوب التعجب
The style of al-Ikhtisaas أسلوب الإختصاص
The style of al-Istighaathah أسلوب الإستغاثة
The style of al-Madh wal adh-Dhamm أسلوب المدح و الذم
The style of al-Ighraa wa at-Tahdheer أسلوب الإغراء و التحذير

In this post I will focus on the last style, Allah willing, as it is the easiest to understand.
The style of لإغراء al-Ighraa is used to incite the one being addressed to do something praiseworthy. The issue that is praised is called المغرى به Mughraa bihi. It is in the state of Nasb, meaning that it takes a Fathah with a verb that is omitted. It can be used by itself such as saying:

الصدق

Or it can be repeated twice such as saying:

الصدق الصدق

It is also used with the conjunction Waa:

الصدق و الأمانة

The style of لتحذير at-Tahdheer is used to incite the one being addressed to avoid something blameworthy. The issue that is considered blameworthy is called المحذر منه al-Muhaddhar minhu. It is in the state of Nasb, meaning that it takes a Fathah with a verb that is omitted. It can be used by itself such as saying:

الكذب

Or it can be repeated twice such as saying:

الكذب الكذب

It is also used with the conjunction Waa:

الكذب و الخيانة

There are four points to take into consideration here.

Point One: It can come directly after the word إياك :

إياك الإهمال

Point Two: It can come after the word إياك and connected to the conjunction Waaw:

إياك و الإهمال

Point Three: It can come after the word إياك and be in the state of Jarr by adding the preposition (from) to it:

إياك من الإهمال

Point Four: It can come after the word إياك as a مصدر مؤول Masdar Muawwal:

إياك أن تهمل دروسك

Written by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee

Picked up some nice Shurooh of al-Aajurroomiyyah!

2010-06-05T00:28:00.007-06:00

I know it has been some time since I have posted but I have been blessed to pick up some very decent titles on the Aajurroomiyyah that I wanted to share. Allah willing these will assist the die hard Aajurroomiyyah followers out there in thier quest for seeking knowledge.

I won't go into detail about each book but the author name and publisher name is clear enough from the pictures to take down if you want to search for these precious gems. May Allah grant us all Tawfeeq in understanding His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.

This one is a gem. It is the Matn along with space to add notes. It is also used by the students of knowledge when they sit with the Scholars who teach the text.

The Four Added Letters: الزوائد الأربع

2009-07-05T08:06:00.000-06:00

What does Ibn Aajuroom (rahimahullah) mean when he mentions الزوائد الأربع
az-Zawaaid al-Arba’ (the Four Added Letters) and uses the example أنَيْتُ
“Anaytu”? What is the significance between these four letters and the word “Anaytu”?

This is found in the section entitled باب الأفعال (The Chapter on Verbs) where he (rahimahullah) says:

والمضارع مَا كَانَ فِي أَوَّلِهِ إِحْدَى اَلزَّوَائِدِ اَلْأَرْبَعِ اَلَّتِي يَجْمَعُهَا قَوْلُكَ "أَنَيْتُ" وَهُوَ مَرْفُوعٌ أَبَدًا
{And the present tense is that which contains one of the four added letters that are connected to it, such as your saying:

أَنَيْتُ

And it is always in the state of ar-Rafu’ (meaning it takes a Dhammah sign at the end of the last letter).}

According to ash-Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan al-Maakoodee (rahimahullah) in his explanation of this text, the four letters Alif, Noon, Yaa, and Taa are all connected together so that the student of knowledge can memorize the following five types of present tense verbs:

أفْعَلُ (I am doing)
نَفْعَلُ (We are doing)
يَفْعَلُ (He is doing)
تَفْعَلُ (She is doing) or (You are doing) said to a male.

The late Shaykh Muhammad Muhyee-ud-Deen ‘Abdil-Hameed al-Azharee (rahimahullah) in his at-Tuhfat-us-Saniyyah mentions that there are other variants as well such as:

نَأَيْتُ
أتَيْنَ
نَأْتَى

Although Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) in his explanation of the text stated that it is better to use the word given by the author (rahimahullah). Also keep in mind that each of these abbreviations actually have meanings in the Arabic language.

At first this may confuse the beginner but this usage of abbreviations was actually implemented by the people of knowledge to reinforce comprehension of the Islamic texts. I remember when I used to study with my Quran teacher Dr. Ahmad Mas’ood (hafithahullah) he used to traditionally break down the various rulings for the letters of Tajweed into simple words so that we would not forget the letters. For example in the subject concerning the rules of Noon Saakin and Tanween there are six letters that are either pronounced with Ghunnah or without Ghunnah:

يرملون

Pronounced “Yarmaloon” which is a collection of the letters Yaa, Raa, Meem, Laam, Waaw, and Noon. So every science in the Islamic sciences may or may not use abbreviations to assist in retaining certain subjects. Here the Imaam (rahimahullah) used this abbreviation to remind the student of the five types of present tense verbs.

The chart below will illustrate a better understanding of this portion of the text, Allah willing.

Your brother in Islaam,
Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee

Four Free Childrens Books in Arabic

2009-06-28T07:37:00.000-06:00

I thought these four books would be ideal for reading and comprehension. Credit is given to our brother Hamza al-Balqaanee, may Allah protect him from every evil and harm, for contributing these beneficial books. Click on each link to download:

الكتاب-الأول-:-أنَا-وَ-أخِي

الكتاب-الثاني-:-يَحْيَا-العَدْل

الكتاب-الثالث-:-كَنْزُ-الثعالب

الكتاب-الرابع-:-إنَّهَا-زَهْرَةٌ-وَاحِدَةٌ

The Aajurroomiyyah Blog would like your Feedback

2009-06-15T10:55:00.000-06:00

I would love to get more feedback regarding your thoughts on my blog and if it is beneficial. For each of you who visit the blog please leave a comment along with your feedback, good or bad. Requests or ideas are welcome as well. Look forward to hearing from all of you and may Allah bless you in this life and in the hereafter. Please keep me in your Duaa's.

Your brother in Islaam,
Aboo 'Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic Points of Benefit: Acknowledging Your Child’s Progress in Learning Arabic

2009-04-22T14:02:00.001-06:00

Teaching your children Arabic is no easy task especially when they are not native speakers of the Language. One of the things that I always try to do is reward my children and step-children with certificates of accomplishment when they reach a certain level. Below are examples of some certificates that I have awarded my step-daughters throughout the years.

You can make a big deal out of it by printing the certificate in color and framing it or just by printing it out and placing it on the fridge. Anything is better than nothing. I found when I did this that my others wanted to compete with one another in obtaining the same certificate. May Allah grant them and all of our children success and mastery of the Arabic language.

(These are a set of certificates for Sumayyah and Layla's completion of the well known Qaa'idah Nooriyyah. I still have them do revision of it every now and then.)

(After thier completion of the Nooriyyah they went through the al-Qawaa'id adh-Dhahabiyyah which is another reader used in Daar-ul-Hadeeth Dammaaj. I like it a little better than the Nooriyyah but my only copy was in bad condition and had to be burned. I cannot find this text anywhere now and my little ones will need it soon, inshaAllah!)

(While they did these texts they also covered and completed Juz 'Amma. May Allah grant them success in thier studies overseas soon and allow them to memorize the Book of Allah.)

as-Sarf is the Mother of the sciences and an-Nahw is its Father

2009-04-20T18:10:00.000-06:00

عِلْمُ الصَّرْفِ ... وَ غَايَتُهُ : غَايَةُ الجَدْوَى حَيْثُ تَحْتَاجُ إلَيْهِ جَمِيعُ العُلُومِ العَرَبِيَّةِ وَ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ كَعِلْمِ التَّفْسِيْرِ وَ الحَدِيْثِ وَ الفِقْهِ وَ لِذَا قِيْلَ : إنَّ الصَّرْفَ أُمُّ العُلُومِ وَ النَّحْوَ أبُوهَا

The Knowledge of as-Sarf and its objective is an objective of benefit that all of the sciences of the Arabic language and the Divine Legislation are in (dire) need of; Sciences such as the knowledge of Tafseer, of Hadeeth, and of Fiqh. So based on that it is said that as-Sarf is the Mother of the sciences and an-Nahw is its Father.

Abjad-ul-‘Uloom of al-Ameer Sideeq Hasan Khaan (rahimahullah) page 428

Aajurroomiyyah Book Review: Sharh Aajurroomiyyah by al-Maakoodee

2009-03-31T11:13:00.001-06:00

I just bought this excellent explanation of the Aajurroomiyyah by ash-Shaykh Aboo Zayd ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin ‘Alee bin Saalih al-Maakoodee. He was from the scholars of the Arabic language from the Banoo Makood, a tribe near Fez. He was born in Fez and died in the year 807 A.H. I was expecting the book to be your normal 8 ½ x 11 size but it turned out to be almost pocket size. The size is still good for easy travel and the type is clear. I bought this from Rimarket.com for a good price, they have some very good books almost everything there is tempting to buy! Fadakbooks also has it for a dollar more so I think I will order that version and compare them.

I most enjoy the brief explanation the Shaykh (rahimahullah) gives. Not overwhelming and his style of explaining is clear. They are almost like brief notes of the text similar to the Mutammimah but without the examples derived from the Book and Sunnah. Overall great book to have to add to your collection of the Aajurroomiyyah.

Regarding Ibn at-Tusturee’s (rahimahullah) al-Mudhakkir wal-Muannith

2009-03-18T10:44:00.000-06:00

Differentiating between the male and female can be very confusing at times in the Arabic language. Some think that just because a noun ends with Taa Marbootah or an Alif Mamdoodah that it is feminine. Or if a word doesn’t have these two female endings then it is masculine. However when one embarks on the study of Sarf the student immediately recognizes that there are nouns that end with Taa Marbootah that are masculine and nouns that have no Taa Marbootah that are feminine. Confusing? Then be confused no more!

Attached is a link to one of the most beneficial masculine/feminine Arabic dictionaries available for free! If you thoroughly study the author’s introduction and go through each entry one by one you will have a firm knowledge of what noun is masculine and what noun is feminine. This text is truly a treasure and at only 19 pages you are guaranteed not to be overwhelmed with too much vocabulary.

Little is known about the author and this text is quite possibly the only text that we have from him may Allah have mercy upon him. The least we can do is make Duaa for him and ask Allah to bless him with the highest place in Jannah.

Click on link below to download the text:

المذكر والمؤنث

May Allah make us from those who master the language of His Noble Book and the tongue of His Beloved Messenger may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him.

Arabic Points of Benefit: Just a Little Bit More Information Concerning the Idhaafah

2009-03-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

The scholars of Nahw have categorized at-Taraakeeb (the plural of Tarkeeb) into 3 categories:

تركيب إضافي
Tarkeeb Idhaafee

تركيب إسنادي
Tarkeeb Isnaadee

تركيب مَجْزِي
Tarkeeb Mazjee

In the last posts concerning the Idhaafah we covered the meanings of both the Tarkeeb Idhaafee and the Tarkeeb Isnaadee in detail. Here I will briefly touch upon the third category by the permission of Allah.

The Tarkeeb Mazjee or at-Tarkeeb al-Majzee is when two words are combined to make one word. For example the word:

حَضْرَمَوْتُ
Hadhramawt

This word is composed of two words, the word حَضْرَ and the word مَوْتُ . Another example is:

بَعْلَبَكُ
Ba’labak

Which consists of the word بَعْلَ and the word بَكُ . The Tarkeeb Mazjee is made Marfoo’ by the Dhammah sign, Mansoob by the Fathah, and Majroor as well by the Fathah which represents the Kasrah sign since it is a noun that is Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf (a noun that does not take the Tanween or Kasrah sign). For example:

سَافَرْتُ إلَى حَضْرَمَوْتَ
“ I traveled to Hadhramawt.”

Notice the Taa at the end takes a Fathah and not a Kasrah.

For an in-depth explanation reference Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen’s explanation of al-Aajuroomiyyah pages 86-87 printed by Maktabah al-Ansaar in Egypt.

For a recap reference the following two posts regarding this topic:

Arabic Points of Benefit: Regarding the Idhaafah
Arabic Points of Benefit: A Little More Information Regarding the Idhaafah

I will try to compose some notes in Arabic and post as a PDF file for reference and memorization by the permission of Allah.

Aajurroomiyyah Book Review: Asraar-ul-'Arabiyyah

2009-03-12T19:13:00.000-06:00

I want to say before I get into this book that I have been looking for this title for a very loooooooooooong time. Have you ever come across a book that you really want but you just don’t have the money to buy it? That happened to me with this book. When I say I didn’t have the money for it I really did not have the money for it. Plus the Halalmart that I saw it at wanted like $20.0 for it! So every day for a almost a year I went into the Halalmart always going straight to the book section and making sure that the book was still there. I told myself one day Aboo ‘Imraan, one day you will be able to buy this inshaAllah. Then one day when I went to get some falafel mix it was GONE! I was so sad it was as if my best friend had been taken from me.

Time went on and finally one day I typed in the title at google and found it on fadakbooks.com. Now keep in mind Fadak has some decent books at some pretty good prices (they have this title for $12.00 which was cheaper than the Halalmart), not as cheap as if you bought it overseas (same book is like $5.00 if you bought it in Lebanon from the publisher) but I can’t complain. There are other titles and authors that they carry that are not recommended but if you sift through the titles you will find some works by Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen, etc.

Asraar-ul-‘Arabiyyah was written by the Arabic grammarian ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Muhammad bin ‘Ubaydillah bin Abee Sa’eed al-Anbaaree who was given the nickname Kamaal-ud-Deen and carried the Kunyah Aboo al-Barakaat. He was born in al-Anbaar in Iraq in the year 513 A.H and learned from his father. He made his way to Baghdad when he reached adolescence and stayed there until he died in 577 A.H. He learned from many notable scholars in Iraq who were masters of the Arabic language such as Mawhoob bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Jawaaliqee a well known Arabic grammarian in Baghdad. He studied the Shaafi’ee Madhhab and learned the Prophetic Narrations from several Muhaddithoon of Baghdad.

Aboo Barakaat al-Anbaaree (rahimahullah) was very religious and known for his piety and abstinence of the worldly life. He did not accept gifts from the Caliphs or Rulers and was content with the simple things of life. He wore a coarse robe and for Friday prayer he would wear a special robe and turban made of cotton. He only relied on the stipend that he received for teaching at al-Madrasah an-Nithaamiyyah which was only half a Dinar monthly. A Caliph once sent him 500 Dinar but he refused it. He was told to give it to his son to which he replied, “Since he came from my loins then I am the one who will provide for him.” It was said that he spent the last part of his life secluded in his home occupying himself with knowledge and worship. He left off the worldly affairs and sitting with the people. He did not go out except for the five prayers and the Friday prayer.

He wrote many books, treatises, and letters in various fields such as Lugah, Nahw, Fiqh, Usool, Rhetoric, history, etc. He also was said to have written a Diwaan in Arabic poetry. In the field of Arabic he wrote hundreds of works of which Asraar-ul-'Arabiyyah is one of his most well known.

This book is divided into sixty four chapters each dealing with an intricate area concerning the Arabic language. Al-Anbaaree (rahimahullah) brings the statements of the two schools of grammar, the Kufis and the Basris, then he provides evidences from the Quran, the Ahaadeeth, and Arabic poetry. He brilliantly starts off each chapter in a question and answer format so for example in the first chapter; What is Kalim? And what is the difference between al-Kalim and al-Kalaam? It is said that the difference between both is that al-Kalim denotes beneficial speech and non-beneficial speech while al-Kalaam does not denote anything but beneficial speech specifically. The evidences of poetry are pretty heavy in meaning but the verifier has added footnotes to explain any difficult phrases which helps out a lot. If you can buy this in book form or download it and print it out either way this is a very beneficial work for the beginner as well as the advanced student of Arabic, and Allah knows best.

In all it is a great reference work and I think that anyone who reads it and studies it will gain great insight of how Arabic functions and why it functions the way it does.

أسرار العربية

Click the title above to download the book. (In rar file format)

Free E-Book: Colors & Defects Book Two (A)

2009-02-26T14:22:00.001-07:00

This is Book Two (A) in a series of booklets that will cover the most common Arabic defects occuring in Islamic literature.

Click Here to Download Book

Iraab of the Title Thalaathat-ul-Usool

2009-02-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I had translated this article some time ago. I found it while going through my e-snips folder today so I decided to add the link here for those studying the text. It is a very good text for the begining student of Arabic to learn as the author (may Allah have mercy upon him) wrote it in a simple and easy to memorize style. Most of the 'Ulamaa of Saudi Arabia recommend it. It covers the three questions that we will be asked by Munkar and Nakeer when we are placed in the graves.

Click Here for the Article

Free E-Book: Colors & Defects Book One

2009-02-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Click Here to Download For Free

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Marfoo'aat Part Three & Four: The Section on the Subject and Predicate

2009-01-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

بَابُ اَلْمُبْتَدَأِ وَالْخَبَرِ
The Section on the Subject and the Predicate

اَلْمُبْتَدَأُ : هو اَلِاسْمُ اَلْمَرْفُوعُ اَلْعَارِي عَنْ اَلْعَوَامِلِ اَللَّفْظِيَّةِ
The subject (al-Mubtadaa) is the noun in the state of Rafu’ (hence it being called al-Ism al-Marfoo’) which is free of the rules associated with the particles that are pronounced and that connect to the predicate.

وَالْخَبَرُ هُوَ اَلِاسْمُ اَلْمَرْفُوعُ اَلْمُسْنَدُ إِلَيْهِ, نَحْوَ قَوْلِكَ
The predicate (al-Khabar) is the noun in the state of Rafu’ that is connected to the subject such as your saying:

زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ
Zayd is standing.

الزَّيْدَانِ قَائِمَانِ
The two Zayds are standing.

الزَّيْدُونَ قَائِمُونَ
The Zayds are standing.

والمبتدأ قِسْمَانِ
The subject consists of two categories:

ظَاهِرٍ
The First is the Doer that is apparent.

وَمُضْمَرٍ
And the Second is the personal pronoun.

فَالظَّاهِرُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُهُ
The issue surrounding the Doer that is apparent has already been mentioned.

والمضمر اثنا عشر وهى
The personal pronoun consists of twelve types, they are:

أنا
Me

نحن
We

أنتَ
You (to a Male)

أنتِ
You (to a Female)

أنتما
You both/You two (to Male and Female)

أنُتم
You all (to a group of Males)

أنتن
You all (to a group of Females)

هو
He

هى
She

هما
Them both or They (meaning two Males or two Females)

هم
They (a group of Males)

هن
They (a group of Females)

نحو قولك
Such as your saying:

أنا قائم
I am standing.

نحن قائمون
We are standing.

وما أشبه ذلك
And others that resemble that.

والخبر قسمان

The predicate is of two types:

مفرد
Singular

وغير مفرد
Non-Singular

فالمفرد نحو
The singular is like:

زيد قائم
Zayd is standing.

وغير المفرد اربعة اشياء

And the non-singular consists of four things:

الجار والمجرور
The Jaarr (preposition) and the (direct object of the preposition) Majroor

والظرف
The Tharf (Adverbial expression)

والفعل مع فاعله
The verb along with its doer

والمبتدأ مع خبره
And the subject with its predicate, like in your saying:

زيد فى الدار
Zayd is in the house.

زيد عندك
Zayd is with you.

زيد قام ابوه
Zayd’s father stood.

زَيْد جاريته ذاهبة
Zayd’s daughter is going.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Arabic Points of Benefits: Some Pointers regarding al-‘Iraab and al-Mu’rabaat

2009-01-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

With the assistance of Allah Most High I have been able to complete the translation of several sections of the Aajurroomiyyah and post it on the blog for your benefit. While I still have a long way to go there is an area that I wanted to shed some light on. Like anybody who first reads this text I too encountered great difficulty with some of the terminology found within it. It was as if I was reading an unfamiliar language foreign to the Arabic that I had already been studying, terms such as al-‘Iraab, al-Mu’rabaat, Rafu’, Nasb, Khafdh, Jazm, would all leave me confused and baffled!

If you are experiencing this then don’t become discouraged and frustrated it is perfectly normal to feel this way. Remember Arabic is a great Semitic language with words that convey multiple and vast meanings. It is not like any other language that exists. It is a language that demands time and attention and can only be mastered after many years of serious study. As the Arabic proverb goes “Whoever tries to enter Knowledge all at once will leave it all at once”. I am not talking about the colloquial language that you hear out there in the markets and streets of the Arabic speaking world today. That can be picked up in no time. Rather I am referring to the language of the Quraan and the Sunnah, the language of the ‘Ulamaa and their students. The language contained within the books of grammar, Quranic commentary, the prophetic narrations, and many of the other Islamic sciences.

One of the ways that I have understood the terminologies used in the Aajurroomiyyah is by learning the in-depth meaning of the word itself. With Allah’s assistance let us take a look at the issue of al-‘Iraab and present it in a manner in which the word and meaning will stick in your head every time you come across it.

اَلْإِعْرَاب
The word ‘Iraab is a verbal noun based off of the root ‘Ayn, Raa, and Baa. Imaam al-Anbaree (rahimahullah) in his Asraar-ul-‘Arabiyyah states that it means to clarify or explain something. The source of this word comes from the following:

أعْرَبَ يُعْرِبُ إعْرَابًا

I like to picture its meaning to be “movement from one area to another” as the Arabs were called Arabs due to the fact that they were originally a nomadic people that moved from one area to another in search of water and shade for their animals. They were also called this because they possessed an eloquent way of speaking and conveying themselves with powerful and great meaning. Consequently there was another group of people who lived the nomadic lifestyle of their Arab counterparts only as time went on and they assimilated with other people they became Europeanized and left the ways of the Bedouins, do you know who they were? It was none other than the Hebrews whom the Arabs called العِبْرِيُّون!

The Hebrews were a Bedouin nomadic people who moved from one area to another in search of water and shade for their animals as well. We have many deep-rooted words in Arabic that convey this meaning of movement such as the preposition: عَبْرَ

As in:

إتَّصَلْتُ بِهِ عَبْرَ الهَاتِفِ
“I contacted him over/via the telephone.”

And a crossing point is known as a مَعْبَرٌ . You will also find many Arabic words based off of the root ‘Ayn, Raa, and Baa that denote the same meaning of movement such as:

عَرَبِيَّة

Which means a carriage or a car (it can even mean an Arab woman) depending on the context in which you use the word! A river that moves and flows strongly is called عَرَبَةٌ .

So keep this in mind when you see the word al-‘Iraab because all you are doing is “moving” the vowel sign from one position to another. The “movement” occurring here is done orally and in writing hence the definition given by the author (rahimahullah):

اَلْإِعْرَابُ هُوَ تغيير أَوَاخِرِ اَلْكَلِمِ لِاخْتِلَافِ اَلْعَوَامِلِ اَلدَّاخِلَةِ عَلَيْهَا لَفْظًا أَوْ تَقْدِيرًا
al-I’raab is when the last part of the word (whether noun or verb) is changed “moved” due to the addition of the various particles that are connected to it whether by pronunciation or by implication.

The Maf’ool bihi of al-‘Iraab is مُعْرَبٌ (the direct object) which just means the word that had its last letter’s vowel signed changed. The Mu’rabaat is the plural form.

One other thing to keep in mind is that this issue of al-‘Iraab is usually mentioned in the classical books of Arabic grammar as:

الإعْراب و البِنَاء

But the author (rahimahullah) chose to only mention the ‘Iraab section in his text. The People of grammar said that he did this because the text was written for the beginner and he wanted to be as brief as possible. Both have to be learned though so when you learn one you have to learn the other. Grammar texts such as Ibn Hishaam’s (rahimahullah) Qatr-un-Nadaa mention both al-‘Iraab wal-Binaa together and Imaam al-Anbaaree (rahimahullah) goes into great detail concerning both in his Asraar-ul-‘Arabiyyah so reference it.

The word “Binaa” means a structure or building. So just think of the word as a strong building that will not budge therefore the vowel sign always stays the same. In a nutshell; al-‘Iraab deals with the words that have the last letter changed or omitted while al-Binaa deals with the words whose last letter never changes or is omitted no matter what is attached to it. For a great explanation of this see Dr. V Abdur-Raheem’s (hafithahullah) Madinah Book Three, Lesson One and Allah knows best.

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Marfoo'aat Part Two: The Section on the Maf'ool bihi

2009-01-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

بَابُ اَلْمَفْعُولِ اَلَّذِي لَمْ يُسَمَّ فَاعِلُهُ
The Section on the Representative of the Noun that does an action (Literally; the Maf’ool or the direct object in which the doer has not been identified or made known)

وَهُوَ اَلِاسْمُ اَلْمَرْفُوعُ اَلَّذِي لَمْ يُذْكَرْ مَعَهُ فَاعِلُهُ
It is the noun in the state of Rafu’ (hence it being called al-Ism al-Marfoo’) in which the doer is not mentioned with it.

فَإِنْ كَانَ اَلْفِعْلُ مَاضِيًا ضُمَّ أَوَّلُهُ وَكُسِرَ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِهِ, وَإِنْ كَانَ مُضَارِعًا ضُمَّ أَوَّلُهُ وَفُتِحَ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِهِ
So if the verb is past tense then the first letter takes a Dhammah sign and the next letter takes a Kasrah sign after it. If it is in the present tense then the first letter is given a Dhammah and the second letter that comes afterwards takes a Fatah sign.

وَهُوَ عَلَى قِسْمَيْنِ
It consists of two types:

ظَاهِرٍ
The First is the Doer that is apparent

وَمُضْمَرٍ
And the Second is the Verbal Pronoun that is implied within the verb itself

فَالظَّاهِرُ نَحْوَ قَوْلِكَ
So examples of the apparent are like you saying:

ضُرِبَ زَيْدٌ
Zayd was hit.

يُضْرَبُ زَيْدٌ
Zayd is being hit.

أُكْرِمَ عَمْرٌو
Amroo was honored (by someone else).

يُكْرَمُ عَمْرٌو
Amroo is being honored.

وَالْمُضْمَرُ اِثْنَا عَشَرَ, نَحْوَ قَوْلِكَ
And the verbal pronoun consists of twelve types such as when you say:

ضُرِبْتُ
I was hit.

وَضُرِبْنَا
We were hit.

وَضُرِبْتَ
You were hit. (to a Male)

وَضُرِبْتِ
You were hit. (to a Female)

وَضُرِبْتُمَا
You both were hit. Dual (both Male or Female)

وَضُرِبْتُمْ
You all were hit. (Male plural)

وَضُرِبْتُنَّ
You all were hit. (Female plural)

وَضُرِبَ
He was hit.

وَضُرِبَتْ
She was hit.

وَضُرِبَا
They both were hit. Dual (Male)

وَضُرِبُوا
They were hit. (Male plural)

وضُربن
They were hit. (Female plural)

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Marfoo'aat Part One: The Section on the Doer

2009-01-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

بَابُ اَلْفَاعِلِ
The Section on the Noun that does an action (the Doer)

اَلْفَاعِلُ هُوَ الاسم اَلْمَرْفُوعُ اَلْمَذْكُورُ قَبْلَهُ فِعْلُهُ. وَهُوَ عَلَى قِسْمَيْنِ
The Doer is a noun in the state of Rafu’ that was mentioned earlier. Its verb is placed before it and it consists of two categories:

ظَاهِرٍ
The First is the Doer that is apparent

وَمُضْمَرٍ
And the Second is the Verbal Pronoun that is implied within the verb itself

فَالظَّاهِرُ نَحْوَ قَوْلِكَ
The Doer that is apparent is like your saying:

قَامَ زَيْدٌ
Zayd stood.

وَيَقُومُ زَيْدٌ
Zayd is standing.

وَقَامَ الزَّيْدَانِ
The two Zayds stood.

وَيَقُومُ الزَّيْدَانِ
The two Zayds are standing.

وَقَامَ الزَّيْدُونَ
The Zayds stood.

وَيَقُومُ الزَّيْدُونَ
The Zayds are standing.

وَقَامَ اَلرِّجَالُ
The men stood.

وَيَقُومُ اَلرِّجَالُ
The men are standing.

وَقَامَتْ هِنْدٌ
Hind stood.

تَقُومُ هِنْدٌ
Hind is standing.

وَقَامَتْ الْهِنْدَانِ
The two Hinds stood.

وَتَقُومُ الْهِنْدَانِ
The two Hinds are standing.

وَقَامَتْ الْهِنْدَاتُ
The Hinds stood.

وَتَقُومُ الْهِنْدَاتُ
The Hinds are standing.

وَقَامَتْ اَلْهُنُودُ
The Indians stood.

وَتَقُومُ اَلْهُنُودُ
The Indians are standing.

وَقَامَ أَخُوكَ
Your brother stood.

وَيَقُومُ أَخُوكَ
Your brother is standing.

وَقَامَ غُلَامِي
My boy stood.

وَيَقُومُ غُلَامِي
My boy is standing.

وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ
And other similar examples

وَالْمُضْمَرُ اِثْنَا عَشَرَ, نَحْوَ قَوْلِكَ
The verbal pronoun consists of twelve such as your saying:

ضَرَبْتُ
I hit.

وَضَرَبْنَا
We hit.

وَضَرَبْتَ
You hit. (to a Male)

وَضَرَبْتِ
You hit. (to a Female)

وَضَرَبْتُمَا
You both hit. Dual (Male or Female)

وَضَرَبْتُمْ
You all hit. (Male plural)

وَضَرَبْتُنَّ
You all hit. (Female plural)

وَضَرَبَ
He hit.

وَضَرَبَتْ
She hit.

وَضَرَبَا
They both hit. Dual (Male or Female)

وَضَرَبُوا
They hit. (Male plural)

وضربن
They hit. (Female plural)

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Section on the Marfoo’aat of the Nouns

2009-01-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

بَابُ مَرْفُوعَاتِ اَلْأَسْمَاءِ
The section on the Marfoo’aat (the Words in the state of ar-Rafu’) of the Nouns

اَلْمَرْفُوعَاتُ سَبْعَةٌ وَهِيَ
The Marfoo’aat are seven in number they are:

اَلْفَاعِلُ
One: The Noun that does an action

وَالْمَفْعُولُ اَلَّذِي لَمْ يُسَمَّ فَاعِلُهُ
Two: The Representative of the Noun that does an action (Literally; the Maf’ool or the direct object in which the doer has not been identified or made known)

وَالْمُبْتَدَأُ
Three: The Subject

وَخَبَرُهُ
Four: And it’s Predicate

وَاسْمُ "كَانَ" وَأَخَوَاتِهَا
Five: The Verb “Kaan” and its Sisters

وَخَبَرُ "إِنَّ" وَأَخَوَاتِهَا
Six: The Predicate of “Inna” and its Sisters

وَالتَّابِعُ لِلْمَرْفُوعِ, وَهُوَ أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْيَاءَ
Seven: The Follower of the Marfoo’ which is of four types:

اَلنَّعْتُ
Na’at (the Adjective)

وَالْعَطْفُ
‘Atf (the Conjunction)

وَالتَّوْكِيدُ
Tawkeed (the Word of Emphasis)

وَالْبَدَلُ
Badl (the Alternate Word)

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Section concerning the Verbs

2009-01-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

بَابُ اَلْأَفْعَالِ
The Section on Verbs

اَلْأَفْعَالُ ثَلَاثَةٌ

The Verb consists of three categories:

ماض
Past Tense

مُضَارِعٌ
Present Tense

أَمْرٌ
Imperative (to give a command, to tell someone to do something)

نَحْوَ
For example:

ضَرَبَ
“He Hit” (Past Tense)

يَضْرِبُ
“He is hitting” (Present Tense)

اضْرِبْ
“Hit!” (Imperative/Command)

فَالْمَاضِي مَفْتُوحُ اَلْآخِرِ أَبَدًا

So the Past Tense always has the last letter open which is indicated by the Fatah sign.

وَالْأَمْرُ : مجزوم أَبَدًا

The Imperative or Command always has the last letter closed which is indicated by the Sukoon sign.

والمضارع مَا كَانَ فِي أَوَّلِهِ إِحْدَى اَلزَّوَائِدِ اَلْأَرْبَعِ اَلَّتِي يَجْمَعُهَا قَوْلُكَ
The Present Tense has four additional letters that are connected to the first part of the verb such as:

أَنَيْتُ
“I came close, I came near”

وَهُوَ مَرْفُوعٌ أَبَدًا, حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ عَلَيْهِ نَاصِبٌ أَوْ جَازِمٌ

It is always Marfoo’ which is indicated by the Dhammah or Tanween sign unless a Naasib (a particle that makes the last part of the present tense verb take the Fathah sign) or a Jaazim (a particle that makes the last part of the present tense verb take the Sukoon sign) is connected to it.

فالنواصب عَشَرَةٌ, وَهِيَ
So the Nawaasib (the plural of Naasib) consists of ten. They are:

أَنْ
One: An

لَنْ
Two: Lan

إِذَنْ
Three: Idhan

كَيْ
Four: Kay

لَامُ كَيْ
Five: Laam Kay

لَامُ اَلْجُحُودِ
Six: Laam-ul-Juhood

حَتَّى
Seven: Hattaa

الْجَوَابُ بِالْفَاءِ
Eight: al-Jawaab bil-Faa

الْوَاوِ
Nine: al-Waaw

أَوْ
Ten: Aw

وَالْجَوَازِمُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ وَهِيَ

And the Jawaazim (the plural of Jaazim) consists of eighteen. They are:

لَمْ
One: Lam

لَمَّا
Two: Lammaa

أَلَمْ
Three: Alam

أَلَمَّا
Four: Alammaa

لَامُ اَلْأَمْرِ وَالدُّعَاءِ
Five: Laam-ul-Amr wad-Du’aa

"لَا" فِي اَلنَّهْيِ وَالدُّعَاءِ
Six: Laa fee an-Nahee wad-Du’aa

إِنْ
Seven: In

مَا
Eight: Maa

مَنْ
Nine: Man

مَهْمَا
Ten: Mahmaa

َإِذْمَا
Eleven: Idhmaa

أي
Twelve: Ayy

مَتَى
Thirteen: Mataa

أَيْنَ
Fourteen: Ayna

أَيَّانَ
Fifteen: Ayyaan

أَنَّى
Sixteen: Annaa

حَيْثُمَا
Seventeen: Haythumaa

كَيْفَمَا
Eighteen: Kayfamaa

(And then the Imaam (rahimahullah) added an additional:

وَإِذًا فِي اَلشِّعْرِ خاصة
Idhaan which is used specifically in poetry

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Section concerning al-Mu’rabaat

2008-12-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

فَصْلٌ اَلْمُعْرَبَاتُ
Section concerning al-Mu’rabaat
(Words whose vowels signs change from one pronunciation to another)

اَلْمُعْرَبَاتُ قِسْمَانِ قِسْمٌ يُعْرَبُ بِالْحَرَكَاتِ, وَقِسْمٌ يُعْرَبُ بِالْحُرُوفِ
Al-Mu’rabaat consists of two categories; the first category are words whose vowel signs change by way of vowel markings and the second category are words whose vowel signs change by way of letters.

فَاَلَّذِي يُعْرَبُ بِالْحَرَكَاتِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَنْوَاعٍ اَلِاسْمُ اَلْمُفْرَدُ, وَجَمْعُ اَلتَّكْسِيرِ, وَجَمْعُ اَلْمُؤَنَّثِ اَلسَّالِمِ, وَالْفِعْلُ اَلْمُضَارِعُ اَلَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّصِلْ بِآخِرِهِ شَيْءٌ
So that those words whose vowel signs change by way of vowel markings are of four types; the single noun, the broken plural, the sound feminine plural, and the present tense verb that does not have anything connected to the last part of its letters.

وكلها ترفع بالضمة وتنصب بالفتحة وتخفض بالكسرة وتجزم بالسكون

All of them are placed in the state of ar-Rafu’ by the Dhammah sign, placed in the state of an-Nasb by the Fathah sign, placed in the state of al-Khafdh by the Kasrah sign, and placed in the state of al-Jazm by the Sukoon sign.

وخرج عن ذلك ثلاثة أشياء : جمع المؤنث السالم ينصب بالكسرة والاسم الذى لاينصرف يخفض بالفتحة والفعل المضارع المعتل الاخر يجزم بحزف اخره

Excluded from this (rule) are three; the sound feminine plural which is placed in the state of an-Nasb by the Kasrah sign, the noun which does not change its final letter is placed in the state of al-Khafdh by the Fathah sign, and the weak present tense verb is placed in the state of al-Jazm by dropping its last letter.

والذى يعرب بالحروف الاربعة :التثنية وجمع المذكر السالم والاسماء الخمسة والافعال الخمسة
Those words whose vowel signs change by way of letters are of four types; the dual, the sound masculine plural, the five nouns, and the five verbs. They are:

وهى: يفعلان
Those two are doing (dual),

وتفعلان
You two are doing (dual),

ويفعلون
They all are doing (male plural),

وتفعلون
You all are doing (male plural),

وتفعلين
You are doing (female singular).

فأما التثنية : فترفع بالالف وتنصب وتخفض بالياء
As for the dual then it is placed in the state of ar-Rafu’ by the letter Alif and placed in the state of both an-Nasb and al-Khafdh by the letter Yaa.

وأما جمع المذكر السالم : فيرفع بالواو وينصب ويخفض بالياء
As for the sound masculine plural then it is placed in the state of ar-Rafu’ by the letter Waaw and placed in the state of both an-Nasb and al-Khafdh by the letter Yaa.

وأما الاسماء الخمسة : فترفع بالواو وتنصب الالف وتخفض بالياء
As for the five nouns then they are placed in the state of ar-Rafu’ by the letter Waaw and placed in the state of an-Nasb by an Alif and in the state of al-Khafdh by the letter Yaa.

واما الافعال الخمسة : فترفع بالنون وتنصب وتجزم بحزفها
As for the five verbs then they are placed in the state of ar-Rafu’ by the letter Noon and placed in the state of both an-Nasb and al-Jazm by dropping the Noon at the end.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: Knowledge of the Signs of al-I’raab Part Four: Jazm

2008-12-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

وَلِلْجَزْمِ عَلَامَتَانِ: السُّكُونُ، وَالْحَذْفُ

As for the state of al-Jazm then it has two signs: the Sukoon, and the omission of a letter.

فَأَمَّا السُّكُونُ فَيَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلْجَزْمِ فِي الْفِعْلِ الْمُضَارِعِ الصَّحِيحِ الْآَخِرِ

As for the Sukoon sign then it is a representative of al-Jazm in the present tense verb that a final letter that is sound.

وَأَمَّا الْحَذْفُ فَيَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلْجَزْمِ فِي الْفِعْلِ الْمُضَارِعِ الْمُعْتَلِّ الْآَخِرِ، وَفِي الْأَفْعَالِ الْخَمْسَةِ الْتِي رَفْعُهَا بِثَبَاتِ النُّونِ
As for the omission (of a letter) then it is a representative of al-Jazm in the present tense verb that contains a final letter that is weak; such as an Alif, Yaa, or Waaw, etc, and in the five verbs which are established by the presence of the Noon to indicate it is in the state of ar-Rafu.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: Knowledge of the Signs of al-I’raab Part Three: Khafdh

2008-12-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

وَلِلْخَفْضِ ثَلَاثُ عَلَامَاتٍ الْكَسْرَةُ، وَالْيَاءُ، وَالْفَتْحَةُ
As for the state of al-Khafdh then it has three signs: the Kasrah sign, the letter Yaa, and the Fathah sign.

فَأَمَّا الْكَسْرَةُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلْخَفْضِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ: فِي الْاِسْمِ الْمُفْرَدِ الْمُنْصَرِفِ، وَجَمْعِ التَّكْسِيرِ الْمُنْصَرِفِ، وَفِي جَمْعِ الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمِ
As for the Kasrah sign then it is a representative of al-Khafdh in three places; in the single noun that is conjugated, the broken plural that is conjugated (by a vowel sign), and in the sound feminine plural.

وَأَمَّا الْيَاءُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلْخَفْضِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ: فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ، وَفِي التَّثْنِيَةِ، وَالْجَمْعِ

As for the letter Yaa then is a representative of al-Khafdh in three places; in the five nouns, the dual, and in the plural forms.

وَأَمَّا الْفَتْحَةُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلْخَفْضِ فِي الْاِسْمِ الَّذِي لَا يَنْصَرِفُ
As for the Fathah sign then it is a representative of al-Khafdh in the noun that is not conjugated (by a vowel sign).

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: Knowledge of the Signs of al-I’raab Part Two: Nasb

2008-12-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

وَلِلنَّصْبِ خَمْسُ عَلَامَاتٍ: الْفَتْحَةُ، وَالْأَلِفُ، وَالْكَسْرَةُ، وَاليَاءُ، وَحَذْفُ النُّونِ

As for the state of an-Nasb then it has five signs: the Fathah sign, the letter Alif, the Kasrah, the Letter Yaa, and the omission of the letter Noon.

فَأَمَّا الْفَتْحَةُ فَتَكُونُ عَلَامةً لِلنَّصْبِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ: فِي الْاِسْمِ الْمُفْرَدِ، وَجَمْعِ التَّكْسِيرِ، وَالْفِعْلِ الْمُضَارِعِ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نَاصِبٌ وَلَمْ يَتَّصِلْ بِآَخِرِهِ شَيْءٌ
As for the Fathah sign then it is the Asl and a sign of an-Nasb in three areas: the single noun, the broken plural, and the present tense verb when a particle of Nasb is connected to it and when there is nothing connected to the last letter of the verb.

وَأَمَّا الْأَلِفُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلنَّصْبِ فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ، نَحْوَ: "رَأَيْتُ أَبَاكَ وَأَخَاكَ" وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ
As for the Alif then it is a representative sign of an-Nasb for the five nouns; Abaa (father), Akhaa (brother), Hamaa (father-in-law), Faa (mouth), and Dhaa (used for one who possess something).

وَأَمَّا الْكَسْرَةُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلنَّصْبِ فِي جَمْعِ الْمُؤَنَّثِ السَّالِمِ
As for the Kasrah sign then it is a representative sign of an-Nasb for the sound feminine plural.

وَأَمَّا الْيَاءُ: فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلنَّصبِ فِي التَّثْنِيَةِ وَالْجَمْعِ

As for the letter Yaa then it is a representative sign of an an-Nasb for the dual and plural.

وَأَمَّا حَذْفُ النُّونِ فَيَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلنَّصْبِ فِي الْأَفْعَالِ الْخَمْسَةِ الْتِي رَفْعُهَا بِثَبَاتِ النُّونِ

As for the omission of the letter Noon then it is a representative sign for the five verbs which are established by the presence of the Noon to indicate it is in the state of ar-Rafu.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: Knowledge of the Signs of al-I’raab Part One: Rafu'

2008-12-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ عَلَامَاتِ اَلْإِعْرَابِ
The Section on Knowledge of the Signs of al-I’raab

لِلرَّفْعِ أَرْبَعُ عَلَامَاتٍ : الضمة ، والواو وَالْأَلِفُ, وَالنُّونُ
As for the state of ar-Rafu then it has four signs: the Dhammah sign, the letter Waaw, the letter Alif, and the letter Noon.

فَأَمَّا اَلضَّمَّةُ فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلرَّفْعِ فِي أَرْبَعَةِ مَوَاضِعَ فِي اَلِاسْمِ اَلْمُفْرَدِ, وَجَمْعِ اَلتَّكْسِيرِ, وَجَمْعِ اَلْمُؤَنَّثِ اَلسَّالِمِ, وَالْفِعْلِ اَلْمُضَارِعِ اَلَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّصِلْ بِآخِرِهِ شَيْءٌ
As for the Dhammah sign then it is the Asl and a sign of ar-Rafu in four areas: the single noun, the broken plural, the sound feminine plural, and the present tense verb that doesn’t have anything connected at the end of it.

وَأَمَّا اَلْوَاوُ فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلرَّفْعِ فِي مَوْضِعَيْنِ فِي جَمْعِ اَلْمُذَكَّرِ اَلسَّالِمِ, وَفِي اَلْأَسْمَاءِ اَلْخَمْسَةِ, وَهِيَ أَبُوكَ, وَأَخُوكَ, وَحَمُوكَ, وَفُوكَ, وَذُو مَالٍ
As for the letter Waaw then it is a representative sign of ar-Rafu in two areas: the sound masculine plural and the five nouns which are Aboo (father), Akhoo (brother), Hamoo (father-in-law), Foo (mouth), and Dhoo (used for one who possess something).

وَأَمَّا اَلْأَلِفُ فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلرَّفْعِ فِي تَثْنِيَةِ اَلْأَسْمَاءِ خَاصَّةً
As for the letter Alif then it is a representative sign of ar-Rafu in the dual form specifically.

وَأَمَّا اَلنُّونُ فَتَكُونُ عَلَامَةً لِلرَّفْعِ فِي اَلْفِعْلِ اَلْمُضَارِعِ, إِذَا اِتَّصَلَ بِهِ ضَمِيرُ تَثْنِيَةٍ, أَوْ ضَمِيرُ جَمْعٍ, أَوْ ضَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤَنَّثَةِ اَلْمُخَاطَبَةِ

As for the letter Noon then it is a representative sign of ar-Rafu in the present tense verb when connected to the dual as a suffix, the plural as a suffix, and the feminine form that is being addressed as a suffix.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: al-I'raab

2008-12-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

بَابُ اَلْإِعْرَابِ
The Section on I’raab

اَلْإِعْرَابُ هُوَ تغيير أَوَاخِرِ اَلْكَلِمِ لِاخْتِلَافِ اَلْعَوَامِلِ اَلدَّاخِلَةِ عَلَيْهَا لَفْظًا أَوْ تَقْدِيرًا
al-I’raab is when the last part of the word (whether noun or verb) is changed due to the addition of the various particles that are connected to it whether by pronunciation or by implication.

وَأَقْسَامُهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ رَفْعٌ, وَنَصْبٌ, وَخَفْضٌ, وَجَزْمٌ, فَلِلْأَسْمَاءِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ اَلرَّفْعُ, وَالنَّصْبُ, وَالْخَفْضُ, وَلَا جَزْمَ فِيهَا, وَلِلْأَفْعَالِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ اَلرَّفْعُ, وَالنَّصْبُ, وَالْجَزْمُ, وَلَا خَفْضَ فيها

It has four categories: Rafu (indicated by the Dhammah sign), Nasb (indicated by the Fathah sign), Khafdh (indicated by the Kasrah sign), and Jazm (indicated by the Sukoon sign).

Therefore the nouns will be in the state of ar-Rafu, an-Nasb, and al-Khafdh but there will be no Jazm within it. And the verbs will be in the state of ar-Rafu, an-Nasb, and al-Jazm but there will be no Khafdh within it.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion .

Translated Passages of al-Aajurroomiyyah: The Intro

2008-12-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

بِسْمِ اَللَّهِ اَلرَّحْمَنِ اَلرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah the Beneficient, the Merciful

اَلْكَلَامُ : هو اَللَّفْظُ اَلْمُرَكَّبُ, اَلْمُفِيدُ بِالْوَضْعِ
{Speech consists of (the following four conditions) pronunciation, being composed from more than one word, being beneficial in that it makes sense, and of being spoken in the pure Arabic language.}

وَأَقْسَامُهُ ثَلَاثَةٌ : اسم وَفِعْلٌ وَحَرْفٌ جَاءَ لِمَعْنًى
{It consists of three categories: a noun, a verb, and a particle which conveys meaning.}

فَالِاسْمُ يُعْرَفُ بالخفض وَالتَّنْوِينِ, وَدُخُولِ اَلْأَلِفِ وَاللَّامِ, وَحُرُوفِ اَلْخَفْضِ, وَهِيَ مِنْ, وَإِلَى, وَعَنْ, وَعَلَى, وَفِي, وَرُبَّ, وَالْبَاءُ, وَالْكَافُ, وَاللَّامُ, وَحُرُوفُ اَلْقَسَمِ, وَهِيَ اَلْوَاوُ, وَالْبَاءُ, وَالتَّاءُ
{So the noun is known by the (following signs); the Kasrah sign that is written on the last letter of a word, by the appearance of the Tanween sign on it, by the addition of the definite article to the noun, and by the particles that cause the noun to take a Kasrah sign such as: from, towards, about, upon, in, most/few, like, to, as well as by the addition of the particles of taking an oath attached to the first part of the word like the letter Waaw, the letter Baa, and the letter Taa.}

وَالْفِعْلُ يُعْرَفُ بِقَدْ, وَالسِّينِ وَسَوْفَ وَتَاءِ اَلتَّأْنِيثِ اَلسَّاكِنَةِ
{The verb is known by the attachment of the particles Qad, the letter Seen and its counterpart Saufa, and by the addition of the feminine Taa that is connected to the last portion of the feminine verb.}

وَالْحَرْفُ مَا لَا يَصْلُحُ مَعَهُ دَلِيلُ اَلِاسْمِ وَلَا دَلِيلُ اَلْفِعْلِ

{And the particle is what is not suitably used as evidence for the noun or for what is suitably used as evidence for the verb.}

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee for the benefit of all of those Muslims striving to learn the language of our blessed religion.

Arabic Points of Benefit: A Little More Information Regarding the Idhaafah

2008-11-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

So in the last post we presented some speech from the Scholars of the Language concerning the Idhaafah and some valuable feedback was provided as well. Now I want to focus on what is known as المُرَكَّبُ al-Murakkab and its relationship to the Idhaafah. The Murakkab is one of the four Quyood of al-Kalaam. You can reference the sections of the Blog that covered this area for more detail and definition.

The Murakkab is considered as either مُفِيد Mufeed (beneficial) or غَيْر المُفِيد Ghair-ul-Mufeed (non-beneficial). This is known completely as المُرَكَّبُ المُفِيْدُ al-Murakkab-ul-Mufeed and المُرَكََّبُ غَيْرُ المُفِيْدِ al-Murakkabu Ghair-ul-Mufeed. The Murakkab Mufeed is what Ibn Aajurroom (rahimahullah) meant when he said that Kalaam was Murakkab as it conveys a meaning. It is also known as المُرَكَّبُ الإسْنَادِي al-Murakkab al-Isnaadee. The ‘Ulamaa of an-Nahw have divided the Murakkab into two categories:

Category One is المُرَكَّبُ التَّام al-Murakkab at-Taam which consists of al-Jumlah al-Ismiyyah and al-Jumlah al-Fi’liyyah. Here are examples of both:

An example of الجملة الإسمية al-Jumlah al-Ismiyyah is:

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولٌ
Muhammad is a Messenger.

An example of الجملة الفعلية al-Jumlah al-Fi’liyyah is:

أكَلَ مُحَمَّدٌ التُّفَّاحَةَ
Muhammad ate the apple.

Category Two is المُرَكَّبُ النَّاقِص al-Murakkab an-Naaqis which consists of two sections as well. We have المركب التوصيفي al-Murakkab at-Tawseefee and المركب الإضافي al-Murakkab al-Idhaafee. This category is not considered al-Kalaam as it does not convey a complete meaning by itself.

al-Murakkab at-Tawseefee has a الصفة Sifah and a الموصوف Mawsoof. We say:

شَيْخٌ عَاقِلٌ
An intelligent Elder.

Here “wise” is the Sifah (adjective) and “elder” is the Mawsoof (the noun being described).

al-Murakkab al-Idhaafee is the Idhaafah construction and consists of a المضاف Mudhaaf and a المضاف إليه Mudhaaf Ilayhi. We say:

رَسُولُ اللهِ
A Messenger of Allah.

Here “messenger” is the المضاف Mudhaaf and “Allah” is the المضاف إليه Mudhaaf Ilayhi. Now hopefully this will give you a deeper insight into the Idhaafah and its relationship with at-Tarkeeb.

For more information reference “Introducing Arabic” by brother Michael Mumisa, Chapter seven. He draws some excellent examples from Sharh Ibn ‘Aqeel, Awdhah al-Masaalik, and al-Aajurroomiyyah.

Arabic Points of Benefit: Regarding the Idhaafah

2008-11-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is for my brother Aboo Dhikr (hafithahullah) and anyone else who may benefit from it:

In regards to the Idhaafah then there are two categories:

الإضافة بمعنى اللام
One: The Idhaafah that conveys the meaning of Laam like in the statement:

غُلاَمُ زَيْدٍ
Zayd’s Boy.

Which literally means:

غُلاَمُ لِزَيْدٍ
The boy who belongs to Zayd.

الإضافة بمعنى مِنْ
Two: The Idhaafah that conveys the meaning of Min like in the statement:

ثَوْبُ خَزٍّ
A garment of silk.

Which literally means:

ثَوْبُ مِنْ خَزٍّ
A garment made from silk.

Now one may ask, why is the Tanween omitted from the Mudhaaf and the Mudhaaf Ilayhi is given a Kasrah sign? The answer is due to the fact that the omission of the Tanween denotes what is called الإنفصال al-Infisaal. This means “separation” and “distinction” due to its isolation. The Idhaafah denotes what is called الإتّصال al-Ittisaal. This means “connection”. So the exsistence of something which connects (the Idhaafah) and separates (the Tanween) all at one time is impossible..

As for the Kasrah of the Mudhaaf Ilayhi then that is because the Idhaafah consists of the two aforementioned categories, the meaning of Laam or the meaning of Min which are both omitted when the nouns are combined. So the Kasrah acts in the same manner as if the two prepositions were not omitted.

Let’s take a look at some examples without the vowel signs:

وجه زيد
Zayd’s Face.

يد عمرو
Amroo’s Hand.

Are these two sentences Idhaafah’s based on the meaning of Laam or on the meaning of Min? They are based on the meaning of Laam. Why? Because the Idhaafah that conveys the meaning of Min can have the second noun describe the first noun. So you can say ثَوْبُ خَزٍّ “a garment of silk” as ثَوْبٌ خَزٌّ “a silk garment” because “silk” here is an adjective to “garment”. As for the Idhaafah that is based on the meaning of Laam then it is not permissible in the Arabic language to make the second noun an adjective to the first one. You can’t say غُلاَمُ زَيْدٍ “Zayd’s boy” as غُلاَمٌ زَيْدُ “Zayd boy”. Zayd cannot be an adjective to the boy like you could with the last example. So whenever we find a construction like وجه زيد “Zayd’s face” then it is not permissible to make the second noun an adjective to the first and if that is the case then we know it is the Idhaafah that conveys the meaning of Laam and not the meaning of Min.

Here are some examples see if you can tell which category these Idhaafaat belong to, the meaning of Laam or the meaning of Min:

كِتَابُ اللهِ
The book of Allah

خَاتمُ ذَهَبٍ
The ring of gold.

إبْنُ محمدٍ
The son of Muhammad.

For more in depth information on this topic reference Imaam al-Anbaaree’s (rahimahullah) classic “Asraar-ul-‘Arabiyyah” pages 206 – 207

The F Word: When Arabic Grammar is used as Satire

2008-09-30T15:23:00.000-06:00

Some years ago I had come across the following cartoon in an Online Arabic newspaper. Arabic is one of those rare languages that can be used in almost every mode of expression from politics to mathematics to satire without the use of caricatures (even though it is widely used in Arabic Media today despite the prophetic prohibition to do so!). This cartoon is the perfect example where the basic rules of Arabic grammar specifically from the science of Sarf (the linguistic science of noun and verb conjugation) were used for humor.

Can you understand the meaning? I would love to hear your comments and grammatical explanations all of this week. I will tell you the meaning next Saturday inshaAllah.

(Update: Sunday November 23, 2008)
May Allah reward Sister Nikki who commented:

Assalaamu Alaykum
The letters fa, ayn, laam, are the first letters in each of Palestine, Iraaq, and Lebanon. The cartoon writes the names of those countries within the word fi'l, then says "mabnee lil majhool" - i.e. passive (verb) - to express how they feel about the situation going on in these countries and how the world's response towards that is...well, passive! Allaah knows best.

This is the exact meaning of the cartoon. Baaraka Allahu Feehaa!

Arabic Points of Benefit: Al-Masdar as-Sinaa’iee (A Verbal Noun crafted from another Arabic word used to describe itself)

2008-09-25T15:18:00.000-06:00

المصدر الصّناعيّ

Al-Masdar as-Sinaa’iee (A Verbal Noun crafted from another Arabic word used to describe itself)

هو مصدرٌ يُصاغُ من الأسماءِ الجامدةِ أو المشتقّةِ بزيادةِ ياءٍ مشدّدةٍ مفتوحةٍ وتاءٍ مربوطةٍ على آخرِ هذهِ الأسماءِ، مثال:إنسانٌ- إنسانيّةٌ،جدارٌ- جداريّةٌ.

It is a Masdar (Verbal Noun) that is composed from the nouns that are Jaamidah (an inanimate noun) or Mushtaqqah (a noun derived from another word) with the addition of the Yaa Mushaddidah Maftoohah and the Taa Marbootah attached to the end of these nouns like Insaan (a person, a man) becomes Insaaniyyah (humanity, having to do with the human race) and Jidaar (a wall) becomes Jidaariyyah (having to do with a wall construction).

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy By: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed page 11.
Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

Arabic Points of Benefit: The Difference between al-Qu'ood and al-Juloos

2008-09-25T15:13:00.000-06:00

لا تقل للواقف اجلس وقل اقعُد، فالقعود انتقال من علو إلى سُفلٍ وتقول اجلس للمضطجع، فالقعود من وقوف والجلوس من اضطجاع، وما في معناه

{Do not say to the one who is standing اجلس “Ijlis” (the Arabic command for: Sit) rather say اقعُد“Uq’ud” (Another Arabic command for: Sit). القعود al-Qu’ood (the verbal noun for Sitting) is the transition from being elevated to lowering one’s self. You use اجلس “Ijlis” for the one who is مضطجع reclining or lying down, therefore القعود al-Qu’ood is from وقوف Wuqoof (the verbal noun for Standing) and الجلوس al-Juloos (another verbal noun for Sitting) is for اضطجاع the one in the state of reclining or laying down.}

From the book "Idmaan at-Turooq li-Ma’rifat-il-Furooq” by ash-Shaykh Aboo Ammaar Yaasir al-‘Adanee (hafithahullah)

Arabic Source

Arabic Pronouns: My/Our (Video) & Link to Series 1-6

2008-09-18T15:38:00.000-06:00

The following is a very beneficial video series I found on You Tube to help in learning the Arabic Pronouns. Please keep in mind that I did not make this series, credit goes to the brother who posted it on You Tube. I will include the link to his page below the series.

Click Here to Go to the Series 1-6

Is it Masculine or Feminine?

2008-09-18T12:35:00.000-06:00

الأُذُنُ
(Ear) is feminine and its (Tasgheer) dimunitive is:

أُذَيْنَة
Its plural is:

آذَان
This is used for either a إنْسَان person, دَلْوٌ a bucket, or كَوْز a mug.

Aajurroomiyyah Book Review: al-Qawaa'id un-Nahawiyyah

2008-09-17T11:10:00.000-06:00

I had received this book from my brother Aboo ‘Abdillah and his wife Umm Kutubah may Allah bless them both some time ago but since I was in the process of packing to move from Atlanta to go overseas I never found time to read it. At the last minute my mom wanted me to visit her back home in El Paso before I headed abroad since I had not seen her in almost 5 years. It was going to be a short visit with an itinerary; leave Thursday afternoon from Hartsfield Airport to Denver International for a 3 hour flight then switch planes from there to El Paso Airport for a 2 hour flight. That would give me a total of 5 hours of reading time in between flying and delays.

I grabbed my Quraan and began scratching my head….hmmm, which other book do I want to take? I mean I didn’t have a lot since I had sold my entire library but still it was hard to choose. Then out of nowhere I noticed a book with no title on the spine. I don’t know about you but when I see a book with no spine I have to find out which book it is! Lo and behold there it was! The new book that Aboo ‘Abdillah and Umm Kutubah had sent me.

I quickly threw it into my suitcase and headed out to the airport. I intended to read the entire book to and from El Paso but as we go into the book review you will see why I only got the opportunity to skim through it.

The title of the book is al-Qawaa’id an-Nahawiyyah lil-Baadiee fee al-Lughat-il-‘Arabiyyah. It is written by Umm Salamah al-‘Abbaasiyyah as-Salafiyyah and has a foreword by Aboo ‘Abdillah Ahmad bin Thaabit al-Wasaabee who is an Arabic grammar teacher in Daar-ul-Hadeeth, Dammaaj, Yemen. Two companies shared in printing the book; Maktabah al-Imaam al-Waad’iee in San’aa and Daar ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab in Cairo.

The book is soft cover and consists of 160pages. It starts with Shaykh Ahmad’s foreword, the author’s introduction, her thanks to those who assisted her and then she starts the book. There are twenty two principles along with exercises for each principle. If a principle needs more clarification she breaks it into sections adding more insight. The book is then concluded with a reference section of the classical works of an-Nahw that the Shaykhah arranged her book from and then it ends with an index.

I did encounter a couple of typos but the typeset is beautiful and easy on the eyes. This book demands that you do the exercises at the end of each lesson in order to enhance comprehension. This is what prevented me from completing the book while on the flight since I had no notebook or pencils to write with. Also for those doing Madinah Book Two and Three then you will have few problems understanding the lessons and principles as the Shaykhah used very clear and understandable terminology.

This book is a textbook in itself and can be used in classroom settings for Arabic & Islamic studies. I enjoyed it and hope to complete the exercises at a later time. May Allah bless the author and grant her the highest place in Jannah for her outstanding work.

Arabic Points of Benefit: Keeping a Good Notebook Part 2

2008-08-23T15:04:00.000-06:00

I had mentioned the importance of keeping a good notebook in my last Arabic points of benefit entry. Today I wanted to share some of my other study methods in the hopes that someone out there will benefit from it. As you may or may not know I have a lot of online books available for my Muslim brothers and sisters to read from. I myself print out a lot of these books and bind them for my own personal studies into folders or notebooks.

For example there is a very good series out there that teaches Sarf using the English medium called in Arabic "Min Kunooz as-Sarf" which has been translated as "From the Treasures of Arabic Morphology". It is a great book and I recommend you go through it to strengthen your Sarf skills. After you complete this course you should be able to read ash-Shaykh, an-Nahawee, al-Azharee, Muhammad Muhyee-ud-Deen 'Abdil-Hameed's "Duroos Fee Tasreef" with minimal difficulty.

Here are some images of the course that I printed out and binded after hole punching it. It is time consuming but the end result is immense. What works out is that you can write all of your notes and lessons on the printout itself without having to get a notebook for it. I have a link for this course and other similar ones on the blog so reference it if you wish.

Blank pages are ideal for exercises and points of benefit as well. Since this particular course was 358 pages I had to bind it in 2 notebooks so it wouldnt be so bulky. I just listed one as volume one and the other as volume two. You can put it on your bookshelf when you are not using it.

I took The Aajurroomiyyah Chart Book I created and printed it out in color and put it in a small binder folder. When I saw how nice it looked I decided that one day I may print it professionally for others to benefit from and with Allah I seek all assistance.

The color coding really reinforces the main points of the Aajurroomiyyah. I wonder what Ibn Aajurroom (rahimahullah) would think if he saw his text in chart form?

So this is just a suggestion of what you can do with the online books and study aids. I hope it will be affordable and cost effective as I myself am an extremely poor person and I do not have a lot of money to purchase all of the books I see and read and to Allah Alone I complain.

One more thing, those long legal pads that come 3 in a pack at Walmart or other places are great for notes as well. Here are my notes from Qawl-ul-Mufeed. And of course a good clipboard will secure them and keep them safe from spills, food, dirt, etc.

To Baabun or not to Baabun

2008-08-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

In most Arabic texts you will find the word

بَابٌ

listed at the begining of each title. When used like this then it can mean 'chapter' or 'section'. The Scholars of the Arabic language have mentioned that this can be read in the following two manners;

The first manner is that you read the word with Tanween and then proceed with the title of that section. For example in Kitaab-ut-Tawheed we find a chapter entitled:

بَابٌ بَيَانُ شَيْئٍ مِنْ أنْوَاعِ السِّحْرِ

Notice that the word Baab is read with Tanween and then the title immediately after is read as if the word Baab was not there.

The second manner is that you read the word Baab as if it were an Idhaafah construction like this:

بَابُ بَيَانِ شَيْئٍ من أنواع السحر

Now here the Tanween is removed and the word Baab is read as if it were the first portion of the Idhaafah construction.

The Scholars of the Arabic language also mention that the first manner is the best way to read.

Thumb through some of your Arabic books of the Scholars and look for the chapters begining with the word Baab and practise reading them in both manners outlined below.

Aboo 'Imraan al-Mekseekee

On Occupying One's Self with the Dunyaa instead of Learning Arabic

2008-08-01T20:27:00.000-06:00

A Man once said to al-Hasan al-Basree (rahimahullah):

يَا أبُو سَعِيْدٍ

"O' Aboo Sa'eed!"

So he responded:

كَسْبُ الدَّرَاهِمِ شَغَلَكَ عَنْ أنْ تَقُولَ يَا أبَا سَعِيْدٍ

"The earning of Dirhams has occupied you from (correctly) saying 'O' Abaa Sa'eed'."

On Making Grammatical Errors in Arabic

2008-08-01T20:21:00.000-06:00

'Abdul-Maalik (rahimahullah) once said:

اللَّحْنُ فِي الكَلاَمِ أقْبَحُ مِنْ آثَارِ الجُدَرِي فِي الوَجْه

"Grammatical Errors made while speaking are uglier than the scars of chickenpox left on one's face."

The Likeness of the One who doesn't learn an-Nahw

2008-07-31T19:39:00.000-06:00

Shu'bah (rahimahullah) once said:

مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَحْفَظُ بَلْ يَتَعَلَّمُ الحَدِيْثَ و لا يتعلّمُ النَّحْوَ مثل السرير لا رأسَ له

"The likeness of one who memorizes, rather he learns the prophetic narrations but does not learn an-Nahw is like the bed with no headboard."

Arabic Points of Benefit: Concerning the Fifth and Sixth Masdars

2008-07-31T19:28:00.000-06:00

المصدر الخماسيّ والسّداسيّ

Al-Masdar al-Kkhumaasee and al-Masdar al-Sudaasee

(The verbal noun that is derived from a root of five and six Arabic letters)

هما مصدرانِ قياسيانِ، لهما أوزانٌ متعددةٌ،يمكنُ اختصارها بالملاحظاتِ الآتيةِ

Both Masdars (verbal nouns) are considered Qiyaasee (based on certain patterns dictated by the type of verb it is) having numerous form patterns, the following examples will be given in brief:

-إذا كانَ الفعلُ مبدوءاً بتاءٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزنِ فعلِه مع ضمِّ ما قبلِ آخرِه،مثال:تجمْهَرَ- تجَمْهُراً،إلاّ إذا كانَ مختوماً بألفٍ مقصورةٍ فتُقلبُ في المصدرِ ياءً ويُكسر ما قبلها،مثال :تبدَّى- تبدِّيا

1) When the verb begins with the Arabic letter Taa its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based on the exact form of its verb only with a Dhammah placed on the second to last Arabic letter of the word like: Tajmahara (to gather together) being the verb and Tajamhur (Gathering) being the verbal noun, unless it ends with an Alif Maqsoorah in which case the Masdar (verbal noun) will have a Kasrah placed on the second to last letter of the verbal noun and becomes a Yaa like Tabaddaa (he dwelt in the desert) Tabaddiyu (Dwelling in the Desert).

إذا كانَ الفعلُ مبدوءاً بهمزةٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزنِ فعلِه معَ إضافةِ ألفٍ قبلَ آخرِه، مثال:اطمأنَّ- اطمئناناً، إلاّ إذا كانَ آخرُه منتهياً بألفٍ مقصورةٍ فتُقلبُ همزةً، مثال: انتهى- انتهاءً

2) When the verb begins with a Hamzah its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based on the exact form of its verb in addition to an Alif before the last letter of the word like itmaanna (to take it easy) Itmainaan (Tranquility) unless the last letter ends with an Alif Maqsoorah then it is converted into a Hamzah like intahaa (to end) Intihaa’u (Completion).

-إذا كانَ الفعلُ معتلَّ العينِ، حذفت عينُهُ في المصدرِ وعُوّضت بتاءٍ مربوطةٍ في آخرِهِ. مثالٌ: استفادَ: استفادةً

When the verb is Mu’tall-ul-‘Ayn (A weak verb in which the middle letter is either a Waaw or a Yaa) then the middle letter in the Masdar (verbal noun) is replaced with a Taa Marbootah like istafaada (to seek benefit) Istifaadah (Beneficial).

يعملُ المصدرُ عملَ فعلِه فيرفعُ فاعلاً،مثال:يعجبُني أداؤُكَ الواجبَ. الواجبَ: مفعولٌ به للمصدرِ أداؤُك منصوبٌ وعلامةُ نصبِه الفتحةُ الظّاهرةُ

The Masdar (verbal noun) works like its verb form and is the “Doer” of the action it describes like in the sentence:

يعجبُني أداؤُكَ الواجبَ

“Your completion of the assignment pleases me.”

Here the word al-Waajib (Assignment) is the Mafu’ool bihi (the object that the action has affected) due to the Masdar (verbal noun) Adaauka (Your completion or your performance of) and al-Waajib is Mansoob (meaning that it takes a Fathah on the Baa) which is indicated by the line on top of the Baa.

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy

By: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed pages 10 - 11

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

Arabic Points of Benefit: Keeping a Good Notebook

2008-07-12T18:36:00.001-06:00

In my quest to learn the Arabic language I have utilized many methods to memorize vocabulary from writing on index cards to taping my voice and listening to the words on the way to work. There are so many ways to learn Arabic that all of them cannot be cited here.

One of my favorite learning methods is making up homemade dictionaries out of composition books. Take my “Kitaab-ul-Ajsaam” (the Book of the Body Parts) homemade dictionary for instance. I thumbed through the entire Hans Wehr and wrote body parts and thier plural forms in a note book. Then I drew a picture for each body part or some small sketch of the body part to remember the word. Here are examples of some of the pages. Mind you it is not the best art or the fanciest handwriting but the intention is to engrave the Arabic meaning of the word by associating it with a picture. Avoid translating and just learn the Arabic word.

I also find it more fun to use writing tools that I enjoy writing with like sharpies, markers, uni-balls, etc. After collecting these words go through the Quraan, the books of Hadeeth and other Arabic texts and look for these words. Write the sentences from those texts next to the word and understand its meaning.

(Front cover of the Kitaab-ul-Ajsaam notebook)

(Here are some quick skecthes and words for parts of the face.)

(This one covers the leg and foot and some sentences I wrote from several Hadeeth and Fiqh books.)

(Parts of the face and head.)

(A skecth of the eye and some of it's components.)

(Parts of the hand.)

The Arabic Language is from the Religion

2008-05-17T14:55:00.001-06:00

إنَّ اللُغَةَ العَرَبِيةَ مِنَ الدِّيْنِ وَ مَعْرِفَتُهَا فَرْضٌ وَاجِبٌ فَإنَّ فَهْمَ الكِتَابِ وَ السُّنَّةِ فَرْضٌ وَ لاَ يُفْهَمُ إلاَّ بِاللُغَةِ العَرَبِيةِ وَ مَا لاَ يَتِمُّ الوَاجِبُ إلاَّ بِهِ فَــــــــهُوَ وَاجِبٌ

“Indeed the Arabic language is from the Religion, knowing it is an obligatory obligation, understanding the Book and the Sunnah is obligatory, it is not understood except by way of the Arabic language, and an obligation is not complete except by it therefore making it obligatory (to learn) .”

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah)

About Inclining Towards the non-Arabic Languages

2008-05-17T14:52:00.000-06:00

مَا جَهِلَ النَّاسُ وَ لاَ اخْتَلَفُواْ إلاَّ لِتَرْكِهِمْ لِسَانَ العَرَبِ وَ مَيْلِهِمْ إلَى لِسَانِ أرَسْطَطَالِيْس

“The Muslims would not have become ignorant or differed with one another if they had not abandoned the language of the Arabs and inclined towards the language of Aristotle.”

Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (rahimahullah)

Arabic Points of Benefit: Replying to the Negative is done with the Affirmative

2008-05-16T09:23:00.000-06:00

إجابة النفي تكون بالإثبات

Replying to the Negative is done with the Affirmative

فإذا قيل لك : ألم تأكل ؟

When it is said to you, “Are you not eating?”

وأنت لم تأكل

And you are not eating…

فقل : نعم , لم آكل

Say, “Yes, I am not eating.”

ولا تقل : لا , لم آكل

Do not say, “No, I am not eating.”

Translated by Aboo 'Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic Word of the Week

2008-05-16T09:16:00.000-06:00

عَيْبٌ

A fault, a defect, an imperfection, a blemish, a flaw, a shortcoming, shame, disgrace.

The plural form is:

عُيُوبٌ

In Sullam-ul-Wusool we find the following usage of the word:

إنِّي بِاليَقِينِ أشْهَدْ

شَهَادَةَ الإخْلاَصِ أنَّ لاَ يُعْبَدْ

بِالحَقِّ مَأْلُوهٌ سِوَى الرَّحْمَنِ

مَنْ جَلَّ عَنْ عَيْبٍ وَ عَنْ نُقْصَانِ

{With certainty I bear witness, a testification of sincerity that none is rightfully taken as a focal point of worship except ar-Rahman, the One Who is Free from shortcoming and imperfection.}

Ar-Raazee (rahimahullah) says in Mukhtaar-us-Sihaah:

النَّقِيصَة: العَيْبُ

الوَصْمُ: العَيْبُ وَ العَارُ يُقَالُ مَا فِي فُلاَنٍ وَصْمَةٌ

An-Naqeesah is al-‘Ayb (a shortcoming).

Al-Wasm is al-‘Ayb and the one who has any form of Wasmah (a shortcoming, imperfection) is called al-‘Aar (one who has a defect or shortcoming).

Arabic Points of Benefit: Concerning Al-Masdar ar-Rubaa’eee

2008-05-10T18:04:00.000-06:00

المصدر الرّباعي

Al-Masdar ar-Rubaa’eee (The verbal noun that is derived from a root of four Arabic letters)

هو مصدرٌ قياسيٌّ،له عدةُ أوزانٍ

It is considered Masdar Qiyaasee (a verbal noun based on certain patterns dictated by the type of verb it is), it has four forms:

1-إذا كانَ الفعلُ على وزنِ( أَفْعَلَ) جاءَ مصدرُهُ على وزنِ (إِفْعَال) ، مثالٌ: أَرْهَقَ _ إِرْهَاق

One: (A) If the verb is from the form Af’ala then its Masdar (verbal noun) is based on the verbal noun form If’aal like the verb Arhaqa (to overburden someone) taking the verbal noun Irhaaq (Burden).

-إذا كانَ الفعلُ منتهياً بألفٍ قُلبَت همزةً في المصدرِ، مثالٌ: أعطى: إعطاءً

(B) If the verb ends with Alif then a Hamzah is added to the final portion of the Masdar (verbal noun) like A’ataa (he gave) into the verbal noun I’taa (Giving).

-إذا كان الفعلُ معتلَّ العينِ حُذفت عينُهُ في المصدرِ وعُوّضَت بتاءٍ مربوطةٍ في المصدرِِ.مثالٌ: أفادَ: إفادةً

(C) If the verb is a weak verb that has a weak vowel (whether a Waaw or a Yaa) in the middle then the middle weak vowel is omitted when converting it into a verbal noun and replaced with a Taa Marbootah like Afaada (he benefited) into the verbal noun Ifaadah (Benefit).

2-إذا كانَ الفعلُ على وزنِ(فَعَّلَ) جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن(تَفْعيل) ، مثالٌ: صَعَّدَ - تَصْعيد

Two: If the verb is based on the form fa’aala (when the middle letter has a shaddah on the ‘Ayn) then its Masdar (the verbal noun) will take the form Taf’eel for example the word sa’aada (to lift something up or elevate something) becomes Tas’eed (the act of lifting or elevating).

-إذا كانَ الفعلُ مهموزاً أو منتهياً بألف جاءَ مصدرُهُ على وزنِ تفعِلَة، مثالٌ: جزّأَ: تجزئَةً، ونمّى: تنميةً

If the verb is Mahmooz (a word having an Alif anywhere in the beginning, middle or end) or if it ends with an Alif then its Masdar (verbal noun) will take the form Taf’ilah for example: jazza’a (with a shaddah on the Zaay meaning he divided) becomes Tajziah (Division) or nammaa (with a shaddah on the Meem meaning he increased something) becomes Tanmiyyah (Increase).

3-إذا كانَ الفعلُ على وزنِ(فَاعَلَ) جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن(مُفاعَلَة)، مثالٌ: جاهَدَ - مُجاهدَة،وهو وزن قياسي، وقد يأتي على وزن(فِعالاً) مثالٌ: جَاهد- جِهاداً، وهو وزنٌ سماعيٌّ

Three: If the verb is based on the form faa’ala then its Masdar (verbal noun) will take the form Mufaa’alah for example jaahada (he strove) become Mujaahadah (Fighting) which is a form that is Qiyaasee (based on certain patterns dictated by the type of verb it is) and it also takes the form Fi’aal for example jaahada (he strove) becomes Jihaad (exertion, battle) which is a form that is Samaa’ee (what is commonly heard used by the people).

4-إذا كانَ الفعلُ على وزن(فَعْللَ)جاءَ مصدرُه على وزنِ( فَعْلَلَة)، مثال: زَلْزَلَ -زَلْزَلَةً، وهو وزنٌ قياسيٌّ،وقد يأتي على وزنِ(فِعْلالاً)،مثال:زَلزلَ-زِلْزالاً، وهو وزنٌ سماعيٌّ

Four: If the verb is based on the form fa’lala then its Masdar (verbal noun) will take the form Fa’lalah for example zalzala (he trembled or he shook) becomes Zalzalah (Trembling or an Earthquake) which is a form that is Qiyaasee (based on certain patterns dictated by the type of verb it is) and is also takes the form Fi’laal for example zalzala (he trembled or he shook) becomes Zilzaal (Convulsion, Shaking) which is a form that is considered Samaa’ee (what is commonly heard used by the people).

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy by: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed pages 9 - 10.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

Arabic Word of the Week

2008-05-10T18:01:00.000-06:00

عِلَّةٌ

“a cause, pretext, or pretense, a circumstance.”

The plural forms are:

عِلَلٌ
عِلاَّتٌ

The in-depth meaning is an accident that befalls an object and causes its state, or condition, to become altered.

It also conveys the meaning of a disease, sickness, or malady because by its befalling, the state becomes altered from strength to weakness.

In Arabic the Alif, Waaw and Yaa are considered:

حُرُوفُ العِلَّةِ

“Weak letters”

Examples of how the word is used:

هَذَا عِلَّةٌ لِهَذَا

{This is a cause of this.}

هَذِهِ عِلَّتُهُ

{This is its cause.}

عِلَّةٌ وَ مَعْلُولٌ

{A cause and effect.}

عَلَى عِلاَّتِهِ

{In every case.}

In Soorat-udh-Dhaareeyaat verse 56:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

{{We did not create Jinn or Mankind except to worship Me.}}

The Laam in this verse is considered:

اللاَّم لِلْعِلَّةِ

The Laam that indicates the purpose for which, or the reason why a thing is done. It is also known as:

اللاَّمُ لِلْتَّعْلِيْل

And the Weak Verbs are known as:

فِعْلٌ مُعْتَلٌّ

“The weak verb”

E-Publication: The Supplication to Gain Knowledge

2008-05-10T17:56:00.001-06:00

Click Here to Download

Arabic Points of Benefit: Concerning the Trilateral Masdar

2008-05-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

المصدرُ

The Masdar (verbal noun)

المصدرُ اسمُ معنىً وهو الاسمُ الّذي تصدرُ عنهُ الأفعالُ والمشتقّاتُ، وأنواعُهُ

The Masdar is Ism Ma’naa (a noun by virtue of its meaning): It is a noun whose source is the verbs and the Mushtaqqaat (nouns derived from root words).

Here are some of its types:

المصدر الثّلاثي

Al-Masdar ath-Thulaathee (The Trilateral Verbal Noun or the verbal noun that is derived from a root of three Arabic letters)

هو مصدرٌ سماعيٌّ يُعرفُ بالرّجوعِ إلى المعاجمِ، مثلُ: كَتَبَ- كِتَابةً، رَجَعَ - رُجُوعاً، جَمَعَ- جَمْعاً

It is considered a Masdar Samaa’ee (a verbal noun that is commonly heard used by the people) known as being referenced in Dictionaries like the words; kataba (meaning the Kaa, Taa and Baa combined indicate that a Male wrote something)– Kitaabah (this is the verbal noun derived from the root of kataba which means “Writing”), raja’a (meaning the Raa, Jeem and the ‘Ayn combined indicate that a Male returned from someplace)– Ruju’oo (this is the verbal noun derived from the root of raja’a which means “Returning”), jama’a (meaning the Jeem, the Meem and the ‘Ayn combined indicate that a Male gathered or collected something)– Jam’u (this is the verbal noun derived from the root of jama’a which means “Gathering/Collecting”).

بعضُ ضوابطِ المصادرِ الثّلاثيةِ

Here are some of the various types of the Masaadir ath-Thulaathiyyah (the Trilateral Verbal Nouns):

1-ما كانَ فعلُهُ لازماً وزنُه(فَعَلَ)،أو ما دلَّ على عملٍ فمصدرُه (فُعُول)، مثال:جَحَدَ-جُحُود

One: If the verb is Laazim (a verb that does not have a direct object) and it is from the form fa’ala (meaning that all three Arabic letters Faa, ‘Ayn and Laam have the Fathah on top) or if it indicates an action then it’s Masdar (the Verbal Noun) will be: Fu’ool like the word jahadaa (to disavow)– Juhood (Disavowal).

2-ما دلَّ منها على حركةٍ أو اضطرابٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن (فَعَلان) مثالٌ: طَارَ-طَيَران

Two: Whatever indicates movement or motion then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fa’alaan like the word taara (to fly)– Tayaraan (Flying).

3-ما دلَّ منها على مرضٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن(فُعَال)،مثالٌ: صُداع

Three: Whatever indicates illness then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fu’aal like the word Sudaa’o (Headache).

4-ما دلَّ منها على لونٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن
فُعْلَة، مثالٌ: زُرْقَة

Four: Whatever indicates color then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fu’lah, like the word Zurqah (Something that is blue in color).

5-ما دلَّ منها على حرفةٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزنِ (فِعَالَة) ، مثالٌ:حِدادَة

Five: Whatever indicates hirfah (a skill or craft) then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fi’aalah like the word Hidaadah (Blacksmithing).

6-ما دلَّ منها على صوتٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن (فُعَال)، مثالٌ:نُباَح أو على وزنِ فَعِيل مثال:صَهِيل

Six: Whatever indicates the sound of a voice then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fu’aal like the word Nubaah (Barking done by a dog) or upon the form fa’ieel like the word Saheel (Neighing done by the horse).

7-ما دلَّ منها على امتناعٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على(فِعَال) مثالٌ:نِفَار

Seven: Whatever indicates aversion then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fi’aal like the word Nifaar (Avoidance).

8-ما دلَّ منها على عيبٍ جاءَ مصدرُه على وزن (فَعَل)، مثالٌ:بَطَر

Eight: Whatever indicates a deficiency then its Masdar (verbal noun) will be based upon the form fa’al like the word Batar (Pompousness).

9-الفعلُ المتعدِّي يأتي مصدرُه على وزن (فَعْل)، مثال:فَتْح

Nine: The verb that is transitive will have its Masdar (verbal noun) based upon the form fa’l like the word Fath (meaning to conquer a land).

10-الفعلُ الأجوفُ يأتي مصدرُه على وزن(فَعْل) مثلُ: قَوْلٌ، أو على وزنِ (فِعَال) مثل:قِيَام

Ten: The verb that is Ajwaf (this is the verb that contains either a Waaw or a Yaa as its second root) will have its Masdar (verbal noun) based upon the form fa’l like the word Qawl (Speech) or upon the form fi’aal like the word Qiyaam (Standing).

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy by: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed pages 7 - 9.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

Arabic Word of the Week

2008-05-04T13:52:00.001-06:00

حَبَّذَا

“How beloved / loved such a thing is.” It is considered:

أُسْلُوبٌ لِلْمَدْحِ

{A style of communication that indicates Praise.} Like in the sentence:

حَبَّذَا عَصِيْرُ البُرْتُقَالِ فِي الصَّبَاحِ

How good orange juice is in the morning.

حَبَّ + ذَا = حَبَّذَا

It consists of two words and is considered a noun when combined. It is a verb that means “beloved” while the agent conveys the meaning of “the one who is”. One says:

حَبَّذَا زَيْدٌ

“How beloved / admired / endeared Zayd is.”

Arabic Points of Benefit: Words that sound similar but have different meanings

2008-05-04T13:42:00.000-06:00

فِطْنَةٌ
{Intelligence}

فِتْنَةٌ
{Tribulation}

In rapid spoken speech these two words can be unintelligible to the beginning Arabic speaker. The major difference is in the middle letter which the first is with a ط and the second is with a ت. In addition both have similar plural forms:

فِتَنٌ
{Tribulations}

فِطَنٌ
{Intelligences}

What is an-Nahw?

2008-05-04T13:21:00.000-06:00

The 'Alaamah, ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) said:

النَّحْوُ وَ مَا أدْرَاكَ مَا النَّحْو؟ الَّذِّي لاَ يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَ الطَّلِبَةِ إلاَّ القَلِيْل حَتَّى إنَّكَ لَتَرَى الرَّجُلَ قَدْ تَخَرَّجَ مِنَ الكُليَّةِ وَ هُوَ لاَ يَعْرِفُ عَنِ النَّحْوِ شَيْئًًا

{an-Nahw, and what will explain to you what is an-Nahw? It is not known but to a select few of the students (of knowledge) to that point that you will see a man who has graduated from college yet he does not know anything concerning an-Nahw!}

Kitaab-ul-'Ilm page 118

Translated by Aboo 'Imraan al-Mekseekee

E-Publication: The Arabic Pronouns

2008-04-25T20:04:00.001-06:00

Click Here to Download

Arabic Word of the Week

2008-04-21T07:26:00.001-06:00

صَرْفٌ

(Aversion, turning away, changing)

صَرَفَ - يَصْرِفُ - إصْرِفْ

This word has a lot of meanings, too many to mention here so we will stick to some basic ones Allah willing. The famous Arabic grammarian of our time ash-Shaykh al-‘Alaamah Muhammad Muhyee-ud-Deen ‘Abdil-Hameed al-Misree, al-Azharee (rahimahullah) gave a beneficial definition in his book Duroos-at-Tasreef in which he stated that the word Sarf and Tasreef have two meanings, one which is linguistic the other is technical. As for the linguistic meaning from amongst the Arabs then it conveys:

التَّحْوِيْل
at-Tahweel
(Transformation)

And

التَّغْيِيْر
at-Taghyeer
(Changing)

From some examples then they say:

تَصْرِيْفُ الرِّيَاحِ
(The changing of the wind)

تَصْرِيْفُ الأمُورِ
(The changes of the affairs)

تَصْرِيْفُ الآيَاتِ
(The changing of the signs)

And they also say:

صَرَفْتُ فُلاَنًا عَنْ وَجْهِهِ
(I changed or diverted such and such person from his direction or course.)

صَرَفَ اللّهُ عَنْكَ الأذَى
(Allah diverted harm from you or changed the harm to good for you.)

All of this means to change something from one aspect to another or to change one condition to another condition as Allah Most High says:

أُنْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ
{Look at how We change the verses yet they turn away.} Soorat-ul-An’aam: 46
And the Glorified says:

وَ تَصْرِيْفُ الرِّيَاحِ وَ السَّحَابِ المُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَ الأرْضِ
{And the changing of the winds and the clouds subjugated between the heaven and the earth.} Soorat-ul-Baqarah: 164

As for the technical meaning then it applies in the language of the ‘Ulamaa of the Arabic language to the science of knowing how to conjugate the nouns and verbs as well as knowing the conditions of the words that can and cannot take the end vowel signs.

This is known as:

عِلْمُ الصَّرْفِ

{Morphology}

Since the noun or verb is morphed or changed from its original root into another word. ash-Shaykh al-‘Alaamah Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) summarized in his explanation to al-Aajurroomiyyah that the science of as-Sarf deals with the beginning and middle letters of the Arabic word while the science of an-Nahw deals with the last letter. More information regarding this will be made available on the Aajurroomiyyah blog when the section on al-‘Iraab is translated with the permission of Allah.

It also conveys the meaning of changing money as the place where one does so is called a:

مَصْرِفٌ - مَصَارِفُ
(Bank-banks)

And the one who changes the money is the:

صَرَّافٌ

Or:

صَيْرَفِي
(Cashier)

The plural is:

صَيَارِفَةٌ
(Cashiers)

Fun with Spoken Arabic: "What do you want?" In Several Dialects

2008-04-21T07:23:00.001-06:00

أَيْش تِشْتِي؟

(Aysh Tishtee?) What do you want? {Yemeni-San’aani}

شُو بِدَّك؟

(Shoo Biddak?) What do you want? {Jordanian, Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese}

عَاوِز إيْه ؟

('Aawiz Eyh?) What do you want? {Egyptian, Sudanese}

أَيْش تِبْغِي ؟

(Aysh Tibghee?) What do you want? {Gulf Arabic: Saudi, Kuwait, Emirates, etc.}

شِتِرِيْد ؟

(Shitireed?) What do you want? {Iraqi}

شْنُو بْغِيْتِي ؟

(Shnoo Bgheetee?) What do you want? {Moroccan}

مَاذَا تُرِيْد ؟

(Madhaa Tureed?) What do you want? {Modern Standard Arabic and Classical}

Disclaimer: Algerian, Libyan, Tunisian, Mauritanian, and Omani not included.

Compiled and translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic Points of Benefit: Words that sound similar

2008-04-21T07:20:00.000-06:00

قُدْرَة
{Ability}

كُدْرَة
{Dingy blemish}

Examples:

قُدْرَة
{Ability}

One says:

هُوَ رَجُلٌ ذُو قُدْرَةٍ

(He is a man of ability.)

كُدْرَة
{Dingy blemish}

This is described as being an impurity that is dusk or dark colored. An example of its usage in the Arabic language would be if a woman wanted to describe an impurity that flowed from her after her menses passed and she bathed and noticed this dark colored impurity she would ask:

إذَا رَأَتْ المَرْأَةُ كُدْرَةً بَعْدَ الطَّهر فَإنَّهَا تُصَلِّي؟

(When a woman sees a dingy blemish after purification does she pray?)

So pay close attention to the speaker when you hear it because some Arabs (as well as non-Arabs) pronounce the Qaaf like Kaaf.

E-Publication: Second Edition of al-Aajurroomiyyah in Chart Form

2008-04-12T10:41:00.000-06:00

This is the Second Edition of al-Aajurroomiyyah in Chart Form available for Download.

Click Here to Download

E-Publication: Some Things

2008-04-12T10:31:00.000-06:00

Click Link to Download

Arabic Points of Benefit: More information on the Noun

2008-04-12T10:15:00.000-06:00

الأسماء
الجامد والمشتقّ

The Nouns that are Jaamid (a noun that is inanimate) or Mushtaqq (a noun that derives from another word).

الجامدُ:هو الاسمُ الّذي لا يُؤخذُ من غيرِه،مثل باب

The Jaamid is the noun that is not derived from anything else like the noun Baab (meaning in Arabic: Door).

والمشتقُّ:هو الاسمُ الّذي يُؤخذُ من غيره، مثلُ (مَطْلَع) من الطّلوعِ

The Mushtaqq is the noun that is deduced from other words like the noun Matla’a (meaning in Arabic: that which rises) derived from the word Tuloo’u (meaning: ascension, such as when the Sun rises every morning.)

الاسمُ الجامدُ نوعان
ا- اسمُ ذاتٍ: هو الاسمُ الّذي يُدركُ بالحواسِّ،مثل: شمسٌ- نحلةٌ
ب- اسمُ معنىً: هو الاسمُ الّذي يُدركُ بالعقلِ ويسمَّى المصدر،مثلُ: احترامٌ- صدقٌ

The Jaamid consists of two categories:

A) Ism Dhaat (a natural noun): It is a noun that is perceived by the senses like; Shams (Sun), Nahlah (Bee).

B) Ism Ma’naa (a noun by virtue of its meaning): It is a noun that is understood by the intellect and is called a Masdar (verbal noun) like; Ihtiraam (meaning “respect”), Sidq (meaning “honesty”).

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy by: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed pages 6 - 7.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

The Human Equivalents of Ibil (Camels) in the Arabic Language

2008-04-12T10:13:00.001-06:00

البَكْرُ بمنزلةِ الفَتى

“Al-Bakr” holds the status of a male teenager.

والقَلُوصُ بمنْزِلةِ الجاريةِ

“Al-Qaloos” holds the status of a female teenager.

والجَمَلُ بمنزلة الرَّجُلِ

“Al-Jamal” holds the status of a man.

والنّاقةُ بمنزلةِ المرأةِ

“An-Naaqah” holds the status of a woman.

والبَعيرُ بمَنزلةِ الإِنْسان

“Al-Ba’eer” holds the status of a person.

From Fiqh-ul-Lughah wa Sirr-ul-‘Arabiyyah by Aboo Mansoor ath-Tha’labee (rahimahullah) Pages 25 – 26

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic Word of the Week

2008-04-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

الإبَانَةُ

"clarification, explanation, elucidation"

Its root consists of the following letters:

ب ي ن

It conveys the meaning in Arabic of:

الإيْضَاح

And

الوُضُوحُ

(Clearness, clarity)

It is from the verbal measure of:

أبَانَ يُبِيْنُ

“He clarified, he is clarifying”

The Imaam Abool-Hasan ‘Alee al-Ash’aree (rahimahullah) named one of his books:

الإبَانَةُ عَنْ أُصُولِ الدِّيَانَةِ

{The Clarification concerning the Fundamentals of the Religion}

Arabic Lessons for Father Zakaria Boutros

2008-04-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

Read Part One Here

Shaykh Muqbil’s concern for an-Nahw

2008-04-05T11:19:00.001-06:00

“He (rahimahullah) would concern himself with the study of an-Nahw here in Yemen before he traveled to Saudi when he remained there to seek Knowledge, to the point that he absorbed “Qatar-un-Nadaa” due to the amount of times that he had studied it and that was because he was not able to find teachers who gave beneficial lessons as his teachers were from the deviant Shee’ah.”

Umm ‘Abdillah al-Waad’iyyah (hafithaahallah) from her book entitled: Nubdhah Mukhtasirah min Nasaaih Waalidee al-‘Alaamah Muqbil bin Haadee al-Waad’iee wa Seeratuhu al-‘Atirah {A Short Summary of the Admonitions of my father the ‘Alaamah Muqbil bin Haadee al-Waad’iee and his fragrant biography} page 25.

Translated by Aboo Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic Points of Benefit: The 3 Types of Speech

2008-04-05T11:15:00.001-06:00

أقسام الكلام

(Types of Speech)

يُقسم الكلامُ إلى اسمٍ وفعلٍ وحرف

Speech is divided into a Noun, Verb and Particle.

الاسمُ: هوَ ما دلَّ على معنىً أو شيءٍ،مثل

The Noun is what specifies a meaning or describes something like:

التّطوُّر

“Advancement”

الشّجرة

“The Tree”

وهو أنواعٌ

It consists of the following categories:

1-اسمُ إنسانٍ: أحمدُ – فاطمةُ

1) The name of a person like Ahmad, Fatimah.

2-اسمُ حيوانٍ: غزالٌ- حصانٌ

2) The name of an animal like a gazelle or horse.

3-اسمُ نباتٍ: شجرةٌ- قمحٌ

3) The name of vegetation like a tree or wheat.

4-اسمُ جمادٍ: جدارٌ- طاولةٌ

4) An inanimate object like a wall or table.

سماته

Its special characteristics are:

ا- يقبل دخول( ال)عليه:جدارٌ- الجدارُ

A) When the definite article “the” (in Arabic al ) is attached to it so that “a wall” then becomes “the wall”.

ب- يقبل دخول أداة النّداء عليه:يا أحمدُ

B) When the Arabic particle “Yaa” is attached to it like the statement: Yaa Ahmad (O Ahmad!).

الفعلُ:هوَ ما دلَّ على حدثٍ أو عملٍ مرتبطاً بالزّمن

The Verb is what specifies an event or action that is connected to a certain time frame.

فإن كانَ الحدثُ ماضياً كانَ الفعلُ ماضياً،مثل

So if the event was past tense then the verb will be past tense like:

(حضرَ)

“Hadhara” which in Arabic means that a male arrived or came.

وإن كانَ الحدثُ حاضراً كانَ الفعلُ مضارعاً، مثل

If the event is occurring then the verb will be present tense like:

(يحضرُ)

“Yahdhuru” which in Arabic means that a male is arriving or coming.

وإن دلَّ الفعلُ على طلبِ حدوثِ العملِ كانَ الفعلُ فعلَ أمرٍ،مثلُ

And if the verb specifies the request for a certain action to be done then the verb is considered a command like:

(احضرْ)

“Uhdhur” which in Arabic means that you are telling a male: “Come”.

الحرفُ:هو ما استعملَ للرّبطِ بينَ الأسماءِ والأفعالِ أو بينَ أجزاءِ الجملةِ، مثلُ: من- إلى

The particle is what is used to connect both the nouns and the verbs or to connect sentences together, like the particles: “Ilaa” meaning “to / towards” and “Min” meaning “from”.

Taken from: Arabic Grammar Made Easy by: ‘Abdul-Lateef as-Sa’eed pages 5 - 6.

Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan Maldonado al-Mekseekee

Two of a Kind

2008-04-05T10:33:00.000-06:00

الأحْمَرَانِ : اللحْمُ وَ الزَّعَفَرَانُ

al-Ahmaraan (literally the two Reds): Meat and Saffron.

العُمَرَانِ : أبُو بَكرٍ وَ عُمَرُ وَ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ عُمَرُ بْنِ الخَطَّاب وَ عُمَرُ بْنِ عَبْدِ العَزِيْزِ

al-‘Umaraan (literally the two ‘Umars): Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar and Qataadah said it is ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab and ‘Umar bin ‘Abdil-‘Azeez.

القَمَرَانِ : الشَّمْسُ وَ القَمَرُ

al-Qamaraan (literally the two moons): the Sun and the Moon.

المَكَّتَانِ : مَكَّة وَ المَدِيْنَة

al-Makkataan (literally the two Makkah’s): Makkah and al-Madeenah.

الأبَوَانِ : الأبُ وَ الأمُّ

al-Abawaan (literally the two parents): the Father and the Mother.

الجَدِيْدَانِ : الليْلُ وَ النَّهَارُ

al-Jadeedaan (literally the two new things): the night and the day.

الأسْوَدَانِ : التَّمْرُ وَ المَاءُ

al-Aswadaan (literally the two black things): the date and water.

الأطْيَبَانِ : الأكْلُ وَ الجِمَاعُ

al-Atyabaan (literally the two good things): food and sex.

الأجْوَفَانِ : الفَمُ وَ الفَرْجُ

al-Ajwafaan (literally the two hollow openings): the mouth and the anus (or vagina).

الأصْفَرَانِ : اللِّسَانُ وَ القَلْبُ

al-Asfaraan (the two yellow things): the tongue and the heart.

الأكْبَرَانِ : الهِمَّةُ وَ اللُّبُّ

al-Akbaraan (literally the two big things): ambition and understanding.

الأصْمَعَانِ : الفَهْمُ وَ الذَّكِيُّ وَ الرَّأْيُّ وَ الحَازِمُ

al-Asma’aan (literally the two things of insight): understanding and intelligence and conception and good judgement.

Taken from Adab-ul-Mujaalasah wa Hamd-ul-Lisaan by al-Haafith Abee ‘Umar Yusoof bin ‘Abdillah known as Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr (rahimahullah) pages 96 – 98

Translated by Aboo 'Imraan al-Mekseekee

Aajurroomiyyah Book Review: شَرْحُ المُقَدِّمَةِ الآجرومية فِــــــي أصُولِ عِلْمِ العَرَبِيةِ لِلطُّلاَب وَ المُبْتَدِئِيْنَ

2008-03-29T01:53:00.000-06:00

شَرْحُ المُقَدِّمَةِ الآجرومية فِــــــي أصُولِ عِلْمِ العَرَبِيةِ لِلطُّلاَب وَ المُبْتَدِئِيْنَ

Explained by ash-Shaykh Khaalid bin ‘Abdillah al-Azharee (rahimahullah)
Verified by Mahmood Nassaar
Published by Daar-ul-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah
Pages: 126

This is probably one of the best explanations of al-Aajurroomiyyah that I have had the opportunity to study. The explainer of the text ash-Shaykh Khaalid Zayd-ud-Deen bin ‘Abdillah bin Abee Bakr Ibn Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Azharee died in the year 950 A.H. He was from the ‘Ulamaa of al-Azhar and known for his knowledge, piety, and abundant worship. The explanation while expressed in simple Arabic is still detailed and requires attention and extensive diligence. The verifier of the treatise has taken the task of adding beneficial notes to the explanation from the works of Ibn Hishaam, Seebawayh, and others.

5: Vocabulary Review of the words used in the text

2008-03-29T01:10:00.000-06:00

وَ الفِعْلُ يُعْرَفُ بِقَدْ وَ السِّيْنِ وَ سَوْفَ وَ تَاءِ التَّأْنِيْثِ السَّاكِنَةِ

{The verb is known by (the particles) Qad, Seen, Saufa, and Taa-ut-Ta’neeth as-Saakinah.}

وَ (and) – This is a conjunction.

يُعْرَفُ (is known) – This is a verb that indicates that the verb is known and understood.

The author then mentions four signs that when attached to the beginning of a certain word indicates that that word is actually a verb and not a noun or particle, they are:

One: قَدْ Qad, this word cannot really be translated into one word but denotes several meanings according to the Scholars of Arabic grammar. If قَدْ is attached to a past tense verb then it can mean one of two things:

التَّحْقِيْق
(Emphasis / Confirmation)

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

Or it can mean:

التَّقْرِيْب
(Nearness) Like when the Mu’addhin says:

قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلاَةُ

If قَدْ is attached to a present tense verb then it can mean one of two things:

التَّقْلِيْل
(to make something small in number) Like in the sentence:

قَدْ يَجُوْدُ البَخِيْلُ

And in the sentence:

قَدْ يَنْجَحُ البَلِيْدُ

Or it can mean:

التَّكْثِيْر
(to make something numerous) Like in the sentence:

قَدْ يَنَالُ المُجْتَهِدُ بُغْيَتَهُ

And in the sentence:

قَدْ يَفْعَلُ التَّقِيُّ الخَيْرَ

Two: as-Seen, السِّيْنِ and Three: سَوْفَ Saufa only attach to the present tense verb and denotes future action. Seen is used les for the future tense than Saufa such as in the following examples:

سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاء مِنَ النَّاسِ

وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى

Four: تَاءِ التَّأْنِيْثِ السَّاكِنَةِ Taa-ut-Ta’neeth as-Saakinah, is attached to the past tense verb for the feminine doer of the action or the feminine who has had an action done to her.

Examples from the Quraan include:

إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا

إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

إِذَا السَّمَاء انشَقَّتْ

Study Chart of the Signs of the Verb

2008-03-29T01:06:00.000-06:00

شرح الآجرومية للفضيلة الشيخ عبيد الجابري

2008-03-29T00:49:00.000-06:00

This is an excellent explanation of al-Aajurroomiyyah by the noble Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jaabiree (hafithahullah) of Madeenah, KSA. It contains both A & B sides of the entire six tape set in Media Player format.

Click to Hear Series

Who is Shaykh 'Ubayd?

The Meaning of an-Nahw

2008-03-15T20:36:00.000-06:00

تَعْرِيْفُ النَّحْوِ

Definition: The word (Nahw) in the Arabic language denotes several meanings. From them is:

الجِهَةُ

Direction
One says:

ذَهَبْتُ نَحْوَ فُلاَنٍ

{I went towards such and such person.}
Meaning: Going towards his direction.

الشِّبْهُ وَ المِثْلُ

Resemblance and Likeness
One says:

مُحَمَّدٌ نَحْوَ عَلِيٍٍّ

{Muhammad looks like Ali.}
Meaning: Resembling him and looking like him.

Al-Khidharee (rahimahullah) said in his notes to Ibn ‘Aqeel:

an-Nahw linguistically has six meanings.

القَصْدُ وَ الجِهَةُ

Purpose and direction like the sentence,

نَحَوْتُ نَحْوَ البَيْتِ

“I went towards the house.”

المِثْلُ

Likeness such as in the sentence,

زَيْدٌ نَحْوَ عَمْرُوٍ

“Zayd looks like ‘Amroo”

المِقْدَارُ

Quantity as in the sentence,

عِنْدِي نَحْوَ ألْفٍ

“I have about a thousand.”

القَسْمُ

Allotment as in the sentence,

هَذَا عَلَى خَمْسَةِ أنْحَاءٍ

“This is based upon five sections.”

البَعْضُ

Partition like in the sentence,

أكَلْتُ نَحْوَ السَّمَكَةِ

“I ate some of the fish.”

The clearest and most used is the first and Imam ad-Daawudee (rahimahullah) said:

للنحو سبع معان قد أتت لغةً
جمعتها ضمن بيت مفرد كَمُلا
قَصْدٌ و مِثْلٌ و مِقْدَارٌ و نَاحِيةٌ
نوعٌ و بَعْضٌ و حَرْفٌ فاحفظ المثلا

“an-Nahw has seven meanings which have been conveyed linguistically,
I have gathered them enclosed in a single rhyme in totality,
Purpose, Likeness, Quantity, Direction, Division, Partitioning, and as a Particle so memorize the example given.”

Translated and compiled by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee from al-Hulul-adh-Dhahabiyyah.

The Signs of the Verb

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Then the author (rahimahullah) says:

وَ الفِعْلُ يُعْرَفُ بِقَدْ وَ السِّيْنِ وَ سَوْفَ وَ تَاءِ التَّأْنِيْثِ السَّاكِنَةِ

{The verb is known by (the particles) Qad, Seen, Saufa, and Taa-ut-Ta’neeth as-Saakinah.}

Four signs, every word that is preceded with Qad is a verb, every word that is preceded with Seen and Saufa is a verb, every word that is preceded with Taa-ut-Ta’neeth as-Saakinah is a verb. Excellent, the first example:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
{Indeed the Believers are successful.} Soorat-ul-Mu’minoon: 1

The word أَفْلَحَ “to be successful” is a verb. The evidence is the connection of the word قَدْ and the word الْمُؤْمِنُونَ “believers” is the noun. The evidence that is it is a noun is the connection of the Alif and the Laam to it. It is known by the connection of Seen to it.

كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
{No, certainly they will know.} Soorat-un-Naba’a: 4

سَيَعْلَمُونَ “they will all know”: يَعْلَمُونَ “they know” is a verb based on the Seen that is connected to it. In Soorah al-Haakum:

كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
{No, certainly you all will come to know.} Soorat-ut-Takaathur: 3

سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ “You all will come to know”. How about the word that ends with the letter Taa that is not feminine like the word بَيْتٌ “house”? Its last letter is Taa but it is not the تَاءِ التَّأْنِيْثِ السَّاكِنَةِ “Feminine Taa”. Do we say that the word “house” is a verb? No. The last letter is a Taa but the Taa here is not feminine. Rather it is a root part of the word. The Feminine Taa is constructed differently than the Ghair-Saakinah. The Feminine Taa ( تَاء التأنيث غير ساكنة) that is Ghair-Saakinah (the Taa that does not take a Sukoon sign) is not from the signs of the verb. You say:

هَذِهِ شَجَرَةٌ
“This tree.”

هَذِهِ بَقَرَةٌ
“This cow.”

This is the Feminine Taa but it is Ghair-Saakinah (the Taa that does not take a Sukoon sign) therefore we do not say that the word for tree شَجَرَةٌ is a verb. Why? Because the Feminine Taa is Ghair-Saakinah (it does not have a Sukoon over it). The word for cow بَقَرَةٌ we do not say it is a verb. Why? Because the Feminine Taa is Ghair-Saakinah. Allah the Most High says:

قَالَ هَذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّي
{He said, “this is a mercy from my Lord”.} Soorat-ul-Kahf: 99

The word for mercy is it a verb? It is not a verb because the Feminine Taa is Ghair-Saakinah. Therefore the verb has four signs:

Qad قَدْ which is attached at the beginning of a verb. Seen السِّيْنِ and Saufa سَوْفَ which are also attached to the beginning of the verb. The Taa-ut-Ta’neeth as-Saakinah تَاءِ التَّأْنِيْثِ السَّاكِنَةِ which is attached to the end of the verb itself.

From Sharh-ul-Aajurroomiyyah (The Explanation of al-Aajurroomiyyah)
Explained by ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah)
Pages: 20 - 21
Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee

4: Vocabulary Review of the words used in the text

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وَ حُرُوفِ الخَفْضِ وَ هِيَ مِنْ وَ إلَى وَ عَنْ وَ عَلَى وَ فِي وَ رُبَّ وَ البَاءُ وَ الكَافُ وَ اللاَّمُ

وَ (and) – This is a conjunction that connects the first sentence we studied in the last lesson concerning the signs of the noun.

حُرُوفِ الخَفْضِ (Letters of Kasrah) – The letters or particles that make a noun take a Kasrah sign. Here the author provides an example of the twelve most often used particles that cause a noun or group of nouns to take a Kasrah sign. See the last review for the definition of الخَفْضِ .

وَ (and) – Conjunction, same as above.

هِيَ This word literally means “she” for a feminine singular but in Arabic this form is used for the inanimate plural so we would translate it as “they” which is referring to the Huroof-ul-Khafdh. The author then goes on to cite twelve of those Huroof:

One: مِنْ (From) this denotes beginning.

Two: إلَى (Towards) this denotes ending.

Three: عَنْ (From / About) this denotes transition from one thing to another.

Four: عَلَى (Upon / On) this denotes elevation to be above.

Five: فِي (In) this denotes the quality of place or time.

Six: رُبَّ (Many / Few) see the examples used in the Explanation.

Seven: البَاءُ (In / With) this denotes transcendence.

Eight: الكَافُ (Like / As) this denotes resemblance.

Nine: اللاَّم (To / For) one of its meanings is possession.

وَ (and) – The eight Waaws attached to these nine particles are all conjunctions.

وَ حُرُوفِ القَسَمِ وَ هِيَ الوَاوُ وَ البَاءُ وَ التَّاءُ

حُرُوفِ القَسَمِ Huroof-ul-Qasm (the particles of Swearing). The word القَسَم means to swear, to take an oath. (Not the negative meaning of swear like when a group of kids get together and start using “swear” or “cuss” words.)

Ten: الوَاوُ Waaw, this is not the Waaw conjunction that connects other words. It is a particle that connects to the noun and causes the noun to go from al-Raf’u to al-Khafdh. It conveys the meaning of an oath by that which it is connected to:

وَ اللهِ
“By Allah”

Notice that the Waaw-ul-Qasm makes the Divine Name Allah take a Kasrah. Examples from the Quraan include:

وَالطُّورِ
{By the Mount.} Soorah Toor: 1

وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا
{By those (angels) who pull out (the souls of the disbelievers and the wicked) with great violence.} Soorat-un-Naazi’aat: 1

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
{By the Sun and its brightness.} Soorat-ush-Shams: 1

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
{By the Night when it covers.} Soorat-ul-Layl: 1

وَالضُّحَى
{By the Forenoon.} Soorat-udh-Dhuhaa: 1

وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ
{By the Fig, and the olive} Soorat-ut-Teen: 1

Eleven: البَاءُ Baa, This particle connects to the noun like in the sentence:

بِاللهِ لَأجْتَهِدَنَّ
“By Allah I strive.”

As well as the personal pronoun like in the sentence:

بِكَ لَأفْعَلَنَّ
“I swear to you that I will do it.”

Twelve: التَّاءُ Taa, this particle only attaches to the divine name:

وَ تَاللهِ لَأكِيْدَنَّ أصْنَامَكُمْ
{And by Allah, I shall plot a plan (to destroy) your idols.} Soorat-ul-Anbiyaa: 57

Study Chart of the Signs of the Noun (Arabic)

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{Click on Image to Enlarge}

The following chart is a quick review to use to ensure that the first sections regarding the signs of the noun have been properly learned.

Review Questions over what has been covered so far

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Allah Most High says:

قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ
{Say: Of course by my Lord you will definitely be resurrected!}
Soorat-ut-Taghaabun: 8

What do you say concerning the word my Lord? Is it a noun or a verb? It is a noun. What is the sign that indicates it is a noun? The Harf-ul-Qasm (the Waaw).

أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍ
{Is Allah not the Mighty?}
Soorat-uz-Zumar: 37

What do you say concerning the word bi ‘Azeez? It is a noun. What are the signs that indicate that it is a noun? The Harf-ul-Khafdh, the Khafdh, and the Tanween. Excellent. The word Min is from the Huroof-ul-Khafdh. What does it mean? It conveys al-Ibtidaa (beginning). The word Ilaa is Harf Jarr. What does it mean? Al-Intihaa (ending). For example:

قَدَمْتُ إلَى المَدِيْنَةِ
I went forward to al-Madeenah.

The word Rubba conveys Taqleel (to make something less) or Taktheer (to make something more). Examples include:

رُبَّ رِجَالٍ يَمُوتُونَ مِنَ البَرْدِ
{Few men / many men will die from the cold.}

The word Rijaal (men) is a noun. What are the signs that indicate that it is a noun? The Tanween, the Khafdh, and the addition of the Harf-ul-Khafdh to it.

Al-Kaaf is from the Huroof-al-Khafdh. What does it mean? It means at-Tashbeeh (resemblance). Add it to a word:

رَأَيْتُ رَجُلاً كَالأسَدِ
{I saw a man like the lion.}

The word Asad (lion) is a noun. Now what are the signs connected to it that make it a noun? The addition of the Harf-ul-Khafdh to it, the Khafdh, and the Alif Laam.

The Laam is from the Huroof-ul-Khafdh. For example:

لِلّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ
{To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.} Soorat-ul-Maai’dah: 120

The word “to Allah’ is a noun. What are the signs that indicate it is a noun? The Khafdh, the addition of the Harf-ul-Khafdh, and the Alif Laam.

Benefit: The Alif and Laam connection are Shamsiyyah and Qamariyyah. If it is assimilated with what comes after it then it is Shamsiyyah. If it is pronounced clearly then it is Qamariyyah as we say ash-Shams, al-Qamar. You will find that the definite article “al” in ash-Shams assimilates with the letter Sheen. It is not correct to say al-Shams. You will also find the Laam in al-Qamar is pronounced clearly not assimilated. Based on this it is not correct to say aq-Qamar. So if it is assimilated when pronounced then it is Shamsiyyah and if it is pronounced clearly then it is Qamariyyah. It is called Shamsiyyah because its origin is based off the sun. Meaning; the origin that they based this sound off of was the sun and Qamariyyah because the origin in which they based that sound off of was the moon.

From Sharh-ul-Aajurroomiyyah (The Explanation of al-Aajurroomiyyah)
Explained by ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah)
Pages: 19 - 20
Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee