The Book

of
Arabic Grammar
Lessons
By
Hifni Nasif
Muhammad Diyab
Mustafa Tammum
and
Muhammad Salih
(Translated by Amienoellah Abderoef
with some modifications)

Book One

The Formation of Words (

From the Letters of the (Arabic) Alphabet words are constructed.
Explanation:

Each one of us knows the Letters of the (Arabic) Alphabet, the first of which is the

and the last of which is the
.

From these letters are formed: all the words that we utter in our conversations and use in our

( brother),
dialogues, like:
( sister),
( father),


( mother),


(diligence),

( success, passing), etc.
The
( word) can consist of:

(1) one letter, like the

( in, with) in

( In the Name of Allah), and

the


( question article) in

[ Have we not open for

you (your bosom)],

(2) two letters, like: "
" (in, at),
" (from, of), "

" (trees),
(3) three letters, like: "
" (grapes), "

(4) four letters, like: "
" (brook),

(rivulet, Jafar),


(5) five letters, like: "

" (quince),

(6) six letters, like: "
( "saffron), or

(7) seven letters, like: "

( "questioning)
Furthermore, the
does not exceed this number (i.e. it cannot be made up of more
than seven letters).

The Types of Word (

:
"
"

"

"

"

"
"

"
"

"

"

"

" :


"
"

"




"
"
" :

"
"
"
"
"

They (i.e. the
) are divided into three types:

a typed called "

" (verb), like: "

( " wrote), "
( " write/will
write), and "
( " Write!),

a type called "
"

( "noun), like: "

" (Muhammad), "


( "apple), and
(sparrow), and "

a type called "
" (question article), "
" (in)
" (particle), like: "


and "
( "did not)

Explanation:
All the
that are formed from the Letters of the (Arabic) Alphabet are confined
to three types only:

a type called "

" (verb),

a type called "
( "noun) and
a type called "
" (particle).

The
is like:

( wrote)

( rolled)

( write/will write)

( roll/will roll)

(Roll!)

(went)

(Go!)

(extracted)
(Extract!)

( Write!)

(go/will go)

(extract/will extract)

and every other word that denotes the occurrence of an action in a particular time.

The
( which includes nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc.) is like:

( "apple), "( "earth), "
"
" (sparrow), "



" (Muhammad), "

" (moon), and other examples which we

" (sun), "

" (heaven, sky), "

use to refer to people and things. Of these are: the names of people, the names of mountains,
rivers and countries, and every other word that denotes animals, plants or inanimate objects.
The
( which includes prepositions, interrogative particles, negative particles,

future particles, conjunctions), is like:

"
" (question article), "
" (in, at), "
" (from, of), "( " to,

( "did not), "

towards), "
( "then, thereafter, after awhile), and every other word that denotes a meaning
that does not become apparent except when used with other words.

The Categories of Verb (

"



" :



:

"

"
:

"

"
:

The
is divided into three categories:

( " wrote)
(past, perfect), like: "

( " write, will write)
(present or future, imperfect), like: "

( " Write!)
( command, imperative), like: "

Explanation:
You have learnt previously that all the
(verb),

are limited to three types:

(noun) and
(particle), and we explained to you that every word denoting the

occurrence of an action in a particular time is called a "

".

Moreover, the
is divided into three categories:


(past, perfect),

(present or future, imperfect) and

( command, imperative).

The

is that which denotes the occurrence of an action in a time that has elapsed

(i.e. the past tense), like: "
( " wrote), "

( "rolled), "
( " went), and "

( "extracted).

The

is that which denotes the occurrence of an action in the present tense (

)or future tense (

( " write, will write), "

"
), like: "

(roll, will roll), "


( "extract, will extract).
( " go, will go) and "

Furthermore, it is necessary for the

to have one of the following four letters

prefixed to it:

[ first person singular, e.g. "

( " I write or will write)],

( " We write or will write)],
[ first person dual or plural, e.g. "
[ third person masculine and third person feminine plural, e.g. "
{ " he writes,
will write} , "

{ " they (masc. dual) write or will write}, "
{ " they

(masc. pl.) write or will write} and "

{ " they (fem. pl.) write or will write}] or

[ second person and third person feminine singular and dual, e.g. "
{ " you
(masc. sing.) or she write(s) or will write}, "
{ " you (fem. sing.) write will
write}, "
{ " you (masc. dual) or they fem. dual write or will write}, "

( " you (fem. pl.) write or will
{ " you (masc. pl.) write or will write}, "

write}] .

The
[ " Write! (which is a
is that through which an action is requested, like: "
request for writing)], "

[ "Roll! (which is a request for rolling s.th.)], "
"

[Go! (which is a request for going)] and "


[ "Extract!(which is a request for

extracting)].


Masculine and Feminine (

"
" :





:

"

"
"

"
:

"

"
"

"

"

"

The
is divided into two categories:

" (Ali), "
"
" (camel) and "
(masculine), like: "

(stallion), and
( "she-camel) and "



" (Aishah), "
"
(feminine), like: "
Explanation:
You already know that:

the
(verb),

(particle),
( noun) and
is of three types:

and
the
in turn is of three types:


(past),
(present or future) and

(command).

Know now that the

is of two types:

" (Ali), "
that denotes a male, like: "
(masculine), which is every

( "mule), "
" (stallion), "
" (Husain), "
" (camel), "

" (donkey), "

" (cat), etc.




"
that denotes a female, like: "
(feminine), which is every
" (Fatimah), "
( "she-camel), "
(Aishah), "
"
" (Azizah), "


(female mule),
" (female donkey), "
" (female cat), etc.




[The
can either be
:

in meaning and in form like "

" , etc. or
" , "


in meaning only like "

" (Hamzah), "
( "Talhah), etc. or

" (pen), etc.
in form only, like "
( "book), "

Similarly, the

can either be
:

", "
", etc. or,
in meaning and in form like "
in meaning only like "
( "Zainab), "
" (Hind), etc. or
in form only, like "

" (Hamzah), "
( "Talhah), etc.]

The Singular, Dual and Plural (

"

"

"

"
:

" :
"
"

"


"
"

"
"
"

"
The
is also divided into three (more) categories:

" (a very good man), and
(a very



(singular), like: "

good woman),
" (two very good men in the nom. case) or "



(dual), like: "

" (two very good men in the acc. and gen. cases) and "
"

" (two very good
(two very good women in the nom. case) or "

women in the acc. and gen. cases), and

" (very good men in the nom. case) or "



(plural), like: "

" (very good men in the acc. and gen. cases) or "
" (very

Explanation:

You (already) know that the
is divided into
(masculine) and

(feminine).
Know now that it is also divided into:

(singular), which is that which denotes a single male or female, like:

" (a very good man) and "
" (a very good woman),
"


"



" (a diligent male) and "
" (a diligent female),

(dual), which is that which denotes two males or two females by adding (i.e.

suffixing) an
and
or a and
to its singular form, like:

" or "
" (two very good men),
"

" or "
" (two very good women),
"



"



" or "
" (two diligent men),

"


" or "
"(two diligent women),


(plural), which is that which denotes more than two males or two females by

changing its singular form, like:

"
"

"(very good men),

,"

" (very good men), or
"

" (very good women).
"

The Categories of Plural (

:




:

:

"





""
""
"

"
"
"

"
"
"

"







"




"


"

The
is further subdivided into two categories:

" (very good people), "



(broken plural), like: "

( "pens), and
( " books), "
" or "
" (very





(sound plural), like: "






" (very good women), and when it refers to
good men) and "

masculine it is called "

" (sound masculine plural),





and when it refers to feminine it is called "


" (sound



feminine plural).

Explanation:
You have learnt previously that the
can be

or
, and

now you will learn that the

is not merely of one type but of two types:

(broken plural), which is that whose singular form undergoes a change


in structure, like:

" , the plural of "
" (a very good man),
"


"
", the plural of "( " book), and

", the plural of "
" (pen),
"

(sound plural), which is that whose singular form remains sound or



intact, and comprises two categories:

" (in the nom.

(sound masculine plural), like: "




" (in the acc. and gen. cases), and "
case) or "




" (in the nom.


case) or
"



" (in the acc. and gen. cases), as regards every

which has a
and
or a and
suffixed to its singular form,
(a)

and
(b)

" and "

(sound feminine plural), like: "

which has an and suffixed to its
" , as regards every

singular form.

10

The Composition of Speech (

"

"

"
From words informative sentences are constructed, and they are called "
(Speech)
Explanation:
We know from what has gone before that all the
do not exceed three types: the

, the
. It is clear that to understand what is
and the
communicated (by the speaker) is not achieved by means of one word only due to it being
insufficient by itself, instead it is necessary in order for communication to take place that
there be two or more words so that what we utter conveys a complete and self-contained
message.

The sentence (
)which is composed of two or more words such that it conveys the

( "speech), like: "
intended and desired sense (to the listener) is called "

( "Knowledge is beneficial) and "

( "Ignorance is harmful).

be composed of all three types (of

It is not required, however, that
) , for


it is sufficient that it be composed of two nouns only, like: "

or approaching) or a verb and a noun, like: "

" (Ali is coming

" (a river is overflowing).

Furthermore, the
is called:

"
" (verbal) if its initial part is a
, like: "





" (The teacher


was present) and "

( "The onlooker or investigator is present), and

"




( "nominal) if its initial part is an
, like: "
( "The

( " The investigator is inspecting).
teacher is standing) and "

[Note that the occurrence of a

or the
(particle) before the

does

not affect the status of the

as a

11

or a

The Indeclinable and Declinable (

"

"

."


"

The
are divided when grouped together (in a sentence) into two
categories:
a category whose ending never changes, and is called "
" (indeclinable),

and
a category whose ending changes, and is called "

" (declinable).

Explanation:
It has been mentioned to you previously that


( meaningful and


informative sentences) are composed of individual words which do not fall outside the three
classes (of word): the
, the

.
and the

However, these words when they are grouped together in a

are not all the same.

Rather:

of them there is that whose ending exists in one state (and one state only) no matter in
what construction it appears, and is called "
" (indeclinable), like: the word "

( "Where) in your statement: "
( "Where is the book?), "

( "Where did Ali go?) and "
" (From where did

( throughout) in
you come?), for the

"adheres strictly to the
in "
no matter
it is not allowed for it (i.e. the

) to ever part from the
how the constructions might change, and

of them there is that whose ending exists in different modes and states, and is called "

( "heaven, sky) in your statement:
" (declinable), like: the word "

"






" (The
( "The sky is clear), "





clouds covered the sky) and "

( " I looked at the sky), for its


ending in the first sentence is vowelled with the
, in the second with the

and the third with the

12

The Types of Indeclinability (

"


"

"
"

"
"

"


"



.




That whose ending does not change, either adheres (permanently) to:
the
like "
( "did not),

the

like "
" (where),

like "
the

( "where), or

the

like "
( "In the Name of Allah)

The method for determining that (i.e. for determining which words are
indeclinable) is contingent on sound transmission (based on how previous Arabs
used it, and there are no particular rules for logically deriving that).
Explanation:
You already know that the
when they are grouped together their ending
either adheres strictly to one state or it changes by changing the construction.
Know now that the modes and states that the endings of words have to adhere to do not
and the
exceed four: the
, the
, the
.


Every

is said to be: "
whose ending adheres strictly to the

" (built or fixed on the

) , like "
( "will
( "did not), "



not), "
" (of, about), "
" (in), etc.
" (from), "



Every

is said to be: "
whose ending adheres strictly to the

" (built or fixed on the

" (since, from), etc.

), like "

" (where), "
( "we), "

is said to be: "

Every


whose ending adheres strictly to the

" (built or fixed on the

hopefully, perhaps), "
( "then, thereafter), etc.

), like "
( " hoping,
( "where), "

Every

is said to be: "
whose ending adheres strictly to the

in your

" (built or fixed on the

) , like the and

( "Progress is/comes with diligence) and "

statement: "

" (For every diligent person there is a share/portion).

, or a
That a particular
, or a
, or a

is
on a


cannot be determined from some rule, rather the method for determining the particular sign

13

on which it is

is contingent on how it has been used in reliable and credible books
and by expert users and speakers of Arabic.
When someone says to you: By what means do you know that "
"is
on the

and the on the

"on the
" ,
"on the
",

for example?
, and why is it not allowed for "
"to be
on the

In response to him, you cannot but say that knowledge thereof is not acquired via rules that
are learnt, instead it is acquired via oral transmission and hearsay, and that I have not heard
the word "
"in any of the constructions of eloquent and grammatically sound Arabic

speech except that its ending has been unvowelled (with a

), like the statement of

the poet:

(I did not break a covenant nor did I breach promises)

Hence, based on that you know that "
and not on the
"is
on the

nor any of the other
( vowel-markings), and because of that I do not

pronounce it except as

(unvowelled with a
).

Likewise for most indeclinable words (

) there is no way of knowing

what sign they are

on except through sound transmission, while at the same time it
is not difficult for us know that, because the


comparison to the

(indeclinable words) in

(declinable words) are very few (in number) and the

peoples pronunciation thereof is generally correct, due to the fact that their endings are not
subject to change. Even with this in mind, we will still mention those most commonly used
among these


.

14

The Classes of Indeclinables (

"

"

"

"""


"

"

"

"



"




"
"


"

"

"
"






"

"
"

"

."



"


"
"

"
Belonging to the
( particles) and like wise the
are all the

( verbs) and some words from the

( nouns) some of which

are called "

( "personal pronouns) like "( " I), "
{ "you (masc.

sing.)} and "

" (he), and some of which (are called) "

{ "that which, who (masc.
( "relative pronouns), like "




sing.)} and "
{ " that which, who (fem. sing.)}, and some of which is called "

" {(this

( "indicative/demonstrative pronouns), like "

(masc. sing.)} and "
" {this (fem. sing.)}, and some of which are called "

( "conditional pronouns),like "


" (whosoever) and "

" (whatever).
Explanation:
You already know that the

are not all
(indeclinable) nor all

(declinable). Rather, some of them are

and some of them are
. Also, it has

( verbs),
been mentioned to you previously that the

are of three types:

(nouns) and
(particles).

As for the
all of them are
, and they comprise five classes:

(1)

( composed of one letter), like: the
, the , the , the

, the
and the
, the

, the
, like:

( Did Zaid travel?)




( I wrote with your pen)

(The maid went out and she will return)

( The scholars entered into the







presence of the sultan, then the emirs)


( Knowledge is like light)

( The result will be yours)

( You will rule/reign through knowledge and good

character)

15

( "the), "
(2)
( "to, that), "
"
( composed of two letters), like: "
( "or), "
" (definitely, maybe, about to), "
( "rather, instead), "
(if), "

( "if, had it been that,

was it that) and "
" (question article, interrogative), like:

( Is the travel near or far?)

( It pleases me that you will be returning)

( If you show mercy, you will be shown mercy to)

[ Yusuf did not go but Ibrahim (went)

instead]

(I definitely saw the train)

( If people were just and fair, then

the judge would have been relieved)

(Did the appointed time come?)

( "all of a sudden, suddenly), " "

(3)
( composed of three letters), like: "

( "to), "
(Alas!), "
" (on, on top

( "indeed, verily), "
" (will, shall), "

of), "
( "yes), like:
( " I wish) and "

( I thought he was absent and then all of a sudden


he was present)

( Alas! Truly, the causes of wealth are many)




(You will see)

[ I wish I had a kantar of gold]

( " Will you
( Yes) in response to someone saying: "

spend it in the way of Good?)

( " if), " ( " except, excluding), "

( " as if) and "

" (until, up to including, even), "
( "as for), "
( "either/or), "

( "I hope, hopefully, hoping, in order), like:

(4)
( composed of four letters), like: "

( If you learn you will progress, advance)


( Everything will perish except His

Countenance)

(The two guards were negligent, as for the first he abandoned the door and as for the
second, he slept)







( Said will attend either tomorrow or




after tomorrow)
(The pilgrims arrived including the pedestrians /










those who walked)
( As if you were with us)

( Hopefully, the weather will become moderate)

16

(5)
(composed of five letters), like: "



( " only, nothing except), "
"
(that) and "
( " but), like:

( It was only revealed to me that



your Lord is One God)

( Yusuf is wealthy but he is stingy)

( verbs):
As for the

the

and
thereof are
(indeclinable): the first on the

and the second on the

, and

the



is
(declinable) except when the

( Nun of

Intensification, Strengthening) or

( Nun of the Feminine Plural) is
attached (i.e. suffixed) to it.

As for the

, all of them are

(declinable) except for a limited number

(of classes), some of which are called "

( "personal pronouns), some of which are

called

"

( "relative pronouns), some of which are called "

( "indicative/demonstrative pronouns) and some of which are called "

( "conditional pronouns).

17

As for the

, they are:

We
You (masc. sing.)
You (fem. sing.)
You (masc. fem. dual)
You (masc. pl.)
You (fem. pl.)
He
She
They (masc. fem. dual)
They (masc. pl.)
They (fem. pl.)

These are called "

Me
Us
You (masc. sing.)
You (fem. sing.)
You (masc. fem. dual)
You (masc. pl.)
You (fem. pl.)
Him
Her
Them (masc. fem. dual)
Them (masc. pl.)
Them (fem. pl.)

( "Detached Personal Pronouns)

That which is attached (i.e. suffixed) to the

( only) occurs in for example:

I wrote

(
)


(
)

We wrote

You (masc. sing.) wrote

You (fem. sing.) wrote
You (masc. fem. dual) wrote
You (masc. pl.) wrote
You (fem. pl.) wrote
He wrote
She wrote
They (masc. dual) wrote
They (fem. dual) wrote
They (masc. pl.) wrote
They (fem. pl.) wrote

18

That which is attached (i.e. suffixed) to the

or the

occurs in for
example:
My book taught me

Our book taught us

Your book taught you (masc. sing.)

Your book taught you (fem. sing.)

Your book taught you (masc. fem. dual)

Your book taught you (masc. pl.)

Your book taught you (fem. pl.)

His book taught him

Her book taught her

Their book taught them (masc. fem. dual)

Their book taught them (masc. pl.)

Their book taught them (fem. pl.)

These are called "
( "Attached Personal Pronouns).

As for the
( relative pronouns), among them are:





the one who / that which (masc.)

the one who / that which (fem.)

the ones who / which (masc. dual)

the ones who / which (fem. dual)
the ones who (masc. pl.)
the ones who (fem. pl.)

19

As for the

, among them are:

Whosoever ..then ..

Whatever ..then ..
Whatever ..then ..
Whenever ..then ..
Whenever ..then ..
Wherever ..then ..
Wherever ..then ..
Wherever ..then ..
However ..then ..
Whichever ..then ..

20

The Types of Declinability / Declension (

..

.












"

"

"
"

"

"

"

"

"

."




That whose ending changes,

if it is a
, then its change is by means of the
, the



and the
, and

if it is an
, the
, then its change is by means of the

and the
.

The change:
",
by means of the
is called "

( is called) "
by means of the

",
by means of the
" and
( is called) "

by means of the
"
( is called) "

, the
The
, the

and the
are said to

be the
"


declinability).

" (primary signs of

Explanation:
It has become clear to us that the words whose endings change by changing the constructions
(in which they appear) are from the classes of
and

, and not from the
class of
.

It remains for us to know the modes or states in which this change exists. Know that they (i.e.
, the
these modes or states) are four: the
, the

and the

. The change:

( "i.e. nominative case for nouns and

by means of the
is called "

indicative mood for verbs),

( is called) "
by means of the

( "i.e. accusative case for nouns and
subjunctive mood for verbs),
by means of the
" and
( is called) "

by means of the
".
( is called) "

21


,
,
, the
and
, the

, and the

and the
are

said to be the "

" (primary signs of declinability).




Hence, it is said that the types of declinability (
)are:

just as
It is necessary for us to know that
does not apply to

does not apply to

.

[Furthermore:
is called the nominative case when applied to nouns and the indicative mood

when applied to verbs,

is called the accusative case when applied to nouns and the subjunctive mood
when applied to verbs,

is called the genitive case and applies to nouns only and

is called the jussive mood and applies to verbs only.]

22

Declining the Dual and Sound Plural (

."

"

The

( dual) is:

) with the and

(i.e. declined in the case of



(i.e. declined in the case of
(i.e.

) and


declined in the case of
) with the .

(sound masculine plural) is:

with the

and


and
with the .



The

(sound feminine plural) is:



.
with the


The

[As for being

and
it takes the standard declension, that is,

and

]
with the

with the


The
, the
are said to be "
, the and the

" (secondary signs).

Explanation:
You already know that:

) is the

(primary sign of
,

,
the
) (primary sign of




)

) is the

The
) (primary sign of


) is the
and

)

The
) (primary sign of


) is the
.

)

the

(secondary signs)which take the place of

these (primary) signs in certain types of the
as will be mentioned.

Moreover, there exist also

23

Thus:
(1) the

is:

) ,
( i.e.


with the in place of the




like: "

" (two men were present here)
and the



and
with the in place of the

(i.e.

( " I honoured the two men) and
), like: "

( " I looked at the two men).

"

is:

) ,
( i.e.


with the



in place of the

like: "
" (The engineers left / went out)







and the



and
with the in place of the

(i.e.

), like: "
" (I bid the engineers farewell) and
"


( " I looked at the engineers).



(2) the

(3) the

is
in place of the
with the

(i.e.

) like: "






and
" (I planted trees). As for its

, it is declined with the two

primary signs: the
and the

( " The

, like: "


trees are ripe) and "




" (I brought other trees).

24


Declining the Weak Verb (

"

"

."
"
"
":


"
"

.





, or

, it is called "



" (weak ending verb), and it is

with the dropping of it (i.e. the weak ending) in place of the

, like: "

( "did not fear), "
( "did not call) and "
( "did not

When the ending (i.e. final letter) of the

is an

throw/cast).
or uttered and pronounced) on the
As for

it is apparent (i.e.

and
and implied (i.e.

or not uttered or pronounced but

assumed in the mind of the Arabic user) on the

.

it is implied (i.e.

As for

) on all (three weak letters).
Explanation:
When the ending (i.e. final letter) of the

is:


an ( even if it is written as a ) , like: "
( "fear/will fear), "

"
( " meet/will meet), or
(strive/will strive) and "
a
( " call/will call), "
( "rise/will rise) and "
( " play/will

, like: "



play) or
a , like: "
( " throw/will throw), "

( "disobey/will disobey) and "

( "walk/will walk),


then, it is called "


" (the weak ending verb).

The

is not by means of the

of the






(which is the standard declension) but rather by means of dropping of its (weak) ending in
place of the

) . The dropping of the ending (i.e.
( i.e.

) is among the
( secondary signs), like: "

( "did not fear), "

( "did not strive), "

( "did not meet), "

( " did not call), "

( "did not rise), "

( "did not play), "
"
(did not throw/cast), "

( "did not disobey) and "

( "did not walk).


at the end of "
[Note that in these examples the


"

" indicates that an

, "
"and "

has been dropped, the

at the end of ", "

25


""and "


" indicates that a
has been dropped and the
of "
", "
"indicates that a has been dropped].

" and "

at the end

As for it being

and
, it is (so) by means of the

except that:
(the two primary signs): the
and the

is

the

(implicit i.e. implied and assumed to exist in the mind of the

( i.e. the
(explicit
impossibility of vowelling it, that is, vowelling the
) but is

i.e. uttered and pronounced) in the case of the
and the ( due to the ease
is pronounced on these two letters), and
with which the

the
is
( i.e.

(implicit) in the case of the due to

impossibility of vowelling the

) as well as in the case of the
and the
( i.e. due to heaviness and difficulty of pronouncing it on these
due to
Arabic user only) in the case of the
due to

two letters).

[The declension by means of a

(implicit and implied

) or



(implicit and implied
) belongs to a type of

(declension) known as
( implied or hypothetical declension) and is


applicable to the
as when dealing with particular types of
]

26


Declining the Five Forms / Patterns (

when it has the

( i.e. of duality),
or the




(i.e.
of the masculine plural), or the

( i.e. of the second person feminine) suffixed to it is:
The

with the attachment of the

( i.e.


) in
place of the
and

and
with the dropping thereof (i.e.





and the
) in place of the

.

Explanation:
When the

is predicated of:

the
( "the two


( i.e. of duality), like: "

( " You two write/will write), or

the





(i.e.
of the masculine plural), like:

( " You write/will
( " the men are write/will write) and "

write), or

the



( i.e. of the second person feminine), like: "

( " you write/will write fem. sing.)

men write/will write) and "

then it is
by means of the attachment of the

( i.e.

),

like that you have seen, and it is

and
by means of its dropping (i.e.

), like:

27

will not write (3rd masc. dual)

will not write (3rd per. fem. dual /
2nd per. dual)
will not write (3rd per. masc. pl.)
will not write (2nd masc. pl.)
will not write (2nd fem. sing.)

did not write (3rd masc. dual)

did not write (3rd per. fem. dual /
2nd per. dual)
did not write (3rd per. masc. pl.)
did not write (2nd masc. pl.)
did not write (2nd fem. sing.)

( verbs) and their likes are called "

These




( "the five
forms / patterns).

Moreover, the
are among the




and the

(secondary signs).

28

The Importance of Distinguishing (Different) Constructions

(
)

.















For each type of these changes there are places, should it occur in any other than
these (places) it will be counted as an error. Hence, it is necessary for us in order
that we be free from error and our pronunciation (i.e. speech) be correct to know

in which construction the
is


or
or

, and in which construction the
is
, or
or



Explanation:

We hear from the (Arab) people the word "
" for example sometimes
,


sometimes

and sometimes
, such that they say (for example):

"

" (Ali is brave),

"


( "Truly, Ali is eloquent)

"

( "Ali has righteous and very good children)

Is the fact that the word "
" is
in the first construction,
in the




second and

in the third binding and obligatory on the one who wants his speech

to be correct? The answer is yes.

Anyone who utters something other than that has indeed erred, and his speech is contrary to
the language of the Arabs, the language of the Noble Quran, the (Prophetic) Traditions,
authentic books and the speech of the eloquent.
Every

from among the

(declinable words) is

in specific places,
in specific places, and likewise is the case when it is

and

. For that there are rules and principles such that when a person

knows them he will be free from error and his speech will conform to the language of the
Quran.
When it is the case that the change of the
is confined to

,
and
and

, the change of the
is confined to
,

:
, it is for us to know (then) in which construction is the



or


or


29

and in which construction the

is:

or


or

and so on until we reach our intended goal.

30

Making the Verb

)
)

."
"
""
"" ""
As for the
, it is

when one of these particles comes before


it:

"
( "to, that)

"
( "will not, will never)

"
" (in that case, thus, hence)
"
([ "in order) to, that]

Explanation:
If to be free from error in speech is contingent on us knowing in which construction the

is


,
or
and in which construction the

is

,
or
, then it is necessary for us to know




the rules that will lead us to realise that aim.

Thus, the
is


in four places,
in sixteen places and

in other than the aforementioned.

It is
) in which it occurs after one of the following
in every sentence (



words:

"
"like: "



( "That you have passed pleases me)

"



"like: "
( "The lazy person will never prevail)

" "like: "
( " In that case you will achieve glory and prestige) in

response to some who said: "

" (I will work hard / be diligent), and

"



" (I came in order to learn)
"like: "

and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

31

Making the Verb

)

)

"









":

"
"
""
"
"
"
"

" ""
" "

""

" "

" "
" "
"

" "
."
"
""


It (i.e. the
) is


when one of these words comes before it:

"
( "did not)

"
( "did not yet)

(the
of command meaning let)

(Prohibitive " "meaning Dont)
"
"

"
( "If .., )
"
( " If .., )
"

" (Whosoever, anyone who .., )
"
" (Whatever .., )
"


" (Whatever .., )
"

" (Whenever .., )

"
( "Whenever .., )

"
( "Wherever .., )
"
( "Wherever .., )
"
" (Wherever .., )

( " However .., )
"

"
( "Whichever .., )

Explanation:
We know the four places in which the
is

. It remains for us to know


the sixteen places in which it is

.

It is

(sentence) in which it occurs after one of the
in every


aforementioned words. These words are divided into two groups:
(1) a group after which one
is made


:

32

 "







( "did not), like: "

( "I did not break a

covenant nor did I breach promises)

"
"




( "did not yet), like: "

[Our garden did not produce fruit yet while the (other) gardens produced fruit]

(the
of command meaning let), like: "

" (Let every person adhere or stick to his limit)

(Prohibitive " "meaning Dont), like: "

"
"

( "Do not despair concerning Allahs Mercy)

(2) a group after which two
(verbs) are made


, the first (of which) is


called the

"

" (conditional verb) and the second the "

( "reply to or result of the condition), and it comprises:

"
( "If .., ), like: "
( "If you have patience, you will achieve),


"


( " If .., ), like: "

( " If you learn, you will
progress),
"





" (Whosoever, anyone who .., ), like: "
" (Whosoever

searches, will find),



"





" (Whatever .., ), like: "

( " Whatever you obtain in childhood, will benefit you in adulthood),

"





" (Whatever .., ), like: "

"

(Whatever you conceal the days will reveal),

"





" (Whenever .., ), like: "




(Whenever your heart is sound your limbs are sound),

"
( "Whenever .., ), like: "

"

" (When your heart is good your behaviour becomes praiseworthy),

"


( "Wherever .., ), like: "
( "Wherever




you venture, you will find your sustenance),

"( " Wherever .., ), like: "

"





(Wherever the possessor of wealth goes, he will find friends),


"

" (Wherever .., ), like: "

( "Wherever you are upright, Allah will decree success for you),

( " However .., ), like: "

( " However
"





you are, so will your friend be) and

"


( "Whichever .., ), "

( "Whichever person the leader respects, the subjects will also respect).


and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases. Moreover, "
"and what comes

after it are called "

( "Conditional Instruments).

33

Making the Verb

It (i.e. the
) is

when it is stripped of that (i.e. the

aforementioned

) .
and


Explanation:

There is no difficulty in us knowing the places in which the
is

after

knowing the places in which it is

and
.



Every

that does not occur after one of the previous four words or after

one of the sixteen words mentioned thereafter is necessarily
, like: [

( " Our garden bears


(Allah has given you relief), "
fruit), "


( " A man adheres or sticks to his limit), etc.

Up to this point we have completed our knowledge of the places in which the
is

, the places in which it is

and the places in which it is
,


so we do not have to fear any error entering (into our speech) coming from that direction (at
least). However, it is now on us to strive to know:

the places in which the
is
,

the places in which it is

and


the places in which it is

,

in order that we might be free from error as regards the

words).

34

(declinable

Making the Noun

As for the
it is
in six places.

Explanation:
Knowing what has gone before, there does not remain anything thereafter except to know in

which construction the

is
,
or
. That is

something easily attainable and not difficult for the mind to grasp. Thus, it is
in

six places,

in eleven places and
in two places. What follows is the

:
explanation of the six places of

35

 )
The Doer / Subject of the Verbal Sentence (

"



"



"


"

"











"

( " Muhammad memorised the book) and "

( "The intelligent person seeks knowledge), and the

, then, is

" (doer/subject of verbal sentence).
called "

) is every construction like: "
The first (place of

Explanation:

)a branch (
When you see someone called "



" , for example, cutting (

) from a tree, and you want to state or report that event, you say: "

" which denotes

" (Mahmud cut the branch). Now, the word "


the occurrence of the act of cutting is called a "
" as was explained before, and the

word "


" which indicates the one who performed and carried out the act of cutting

" (doer/subject of a verbal sentence), and it is necessary for it to be
is called a "

"which indicates the thing onto which the action

, and the word "



occurred is called a "


" (direct object) and more will be said about that (i.e. the

) later.

Similar to the word "


" in this example are:

the word "




" (Muhammad

" (Muhammad) in "

memorised the book),

"



( "intelligent person) in "

( " The intelligent

person seeks knowledge),
"( "Allah) in "
" (Allah created humanity),

( " The wolf eats/is eating the flock),

"( "the wolf) in "

( " The Prophets guided the

"
( " the Prophets) in "

people) and
"

( " The people hate the
( "the people) in "



traitor),
and likewise is the case of every word occurring after the
and denotes the one

doing the action.

36


The Agent or Deputy of the Doer (

"

"

"


"




"






"
) is every construction like: "
The second (place of

(The book was memorised) and "

"

( " Knowledge is sought or

( "Agent/Deputy of
acquired), and the

is, then, called "

the doer).
Explanation:

If someone steals your watch and you know his identity and you want to inform him about

that, you say: "




" [So-and-so (like Zaid, for example) has stolen
the watch]. However, if you do not know his identity or you know his identity but you do not

want to mention his name, you say: "




" (The watch has been stolen).

and you put in its place the word denoting that onto which
Thus, you drop the

the action occurred which is the word "

"and it is for this reason (i.e. "
"

) that it (i.e. "

occupying the place of the


) "becomes
and


is called the "

( "agent/deputy of the doer).

The form and structure of the

is subsequently changed when used with it (i.e. with

the

) . Thus:
if it is
and the
(past tense verb), its initial letter is vowelled with a


second last letter is vowelled with a
and

if it is

(present or future tense verb), its initial letter is also vowelled with a

.

and the second last letter is vowelled with a

Furthermore, similar to the word "

"in this example are:

the word "

( " the book) in "

"
( "knowledge) in "

" (The book was memorised),

( " Knowledge is sought or acquired),

"
" (Humankind was created),

( " humankind) in "


( "The sheep is being eaten),

"
( "the sheep) in "

"
( "the people) in "
( "The people were guided) and

"
( "the traitor) in "

( " The traitor is hated).



Likewise is the case with every word that is preceded by a
after having changed its

form and structure and denotes that onto which the action occurs.

It becomes clear to us from the previous examples that the constructions of the first place (i.e.
) are transformed into the constructions of the second place (i.e. the
the

and vowelling the first letter of the

) by dropping the

with

37

a
and the second last letter with a
based on what you know
or a


already.

38

The Subject (of the Nominal Sentence) and Predicate(

:
"





"

."
"

"

"

) are every construction, like: "
The third and fourth (places of

( " The garden is bearing fruit). The first

" (Predicate).

" (Subject) and the second "

is called "

Explanation:
The complete sentence is either (a) composed of a
and an

and the latter is

or the

either the

( and these two places have already been

explained), or (b) it is composed of two
( i.e. an
followed by another), the


first is called "
" (predicate), and it is necessary that

" (subject) and the second "

both these be
. This can be illustrated as follows:

( " The garden is bearing fruit)
( "The trees are growing leaves),
"






"
( "The rain is heavy or abundant),



"


( "The weather is moderate),


"

as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards all sentences composed of two

(i.e. an
followed by another), such that the one is commenced with
and at the same time also predicated of (i.e. given information of) by the other.

39

 "
The Noun of "

")

" )

"

:
"

"

"

"

"
"

"
:"

"

"

"
"

"

""

"

""

" "
" "
""



."




" "
" "
" "
" "

) is every construction like: "
The fifth (place of

is called "
" (The garden was bearing fruit) and the first
" . Similar to "
" (was) are:

( "Noun) of "
"
" (became)

"

( "became / became in the morning)
"
( "became / became during the forenoon)

( "remained, continued)
"

"

( "became / became in the late afternoon or evening)
"
( "became / became during the night)




"


" , "
" , "
" and "
" (continued)

"

" (was for as long as)
"
( " is not)

Explanation:

The
are both


and
as we know already. However, when "


" enters upon them the
" and the

( "Noun) of "
is called "
" . Moreover it is necessary that the first be

is called "
" (predicate) of "

and the second "

.

Thus, you say concerning the aforementioned examples (mentioned in the previous lesson):

"

" (The garden was bearing fruit)

" (The trees were growing leaves)

"





" (The rain was heavy or abundant)

"




" (The weather was moderate)
"






and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

40

 " (in terms of function and its effect on the

Similar to "
) are "


and
( verbs) mentioned after it, like:

" (became) and all the
"




" (The garden became a bearer of fruit)

"



( "The trees became bearers of leaves in the morning)



"




" (The weather continued to be moderate),

and so on and so forth.

41

The Predicate of "

"

) "
)"

:
"



"

:"

"
" "
"




"

"

" "

."

"
"

"
"

"
"

"
"

) is every construction like: "
The sixth (place of

is called "
" (Truly, the garden is bearing fruit) and the first

". Similar to "

( "truly, indeed) are:
( "Noun) of "

"
( "that, to in the infinitive sense)

"
( " as if)
"
( " but)
"
( " I wish, wishing)

"
( "I hope, hoping)
" ( "There is no in the absolute and total sense of denial and negation).

Explanation:

" or any of the

mentioned with it enters upon the
We know that when "

and
, then the first is

and the second
.

Know now that when "

) , then the
"enters upon them (i.e. the

and

",

first is

and the second
, the exact opposite and converse of "



and the first is also called "
. Thus, you say
"and the second its
"but of "
for the same previously mentioned examples:

( "Truly, the garden is bearing fruit)


"

( "Truly, the trees are growing leaves)





"
( "Truly, the rain is heavy or abundant)




"

( "Truly, the weather is moderate)




"

Similar to "
) are
( "in terms of function and its effect on the

and
those
( particles) mentioned after it, like:

" (I knew that the garden was bearing fruit)

"

( " As if the trees are growing leaves)





"...
( " but the rain is heavy or abundant)




"



( " I wish that the weather was moderate)


42
"

and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

43

Making the Noun

)
)

.




The categories of the
among the nouns are eleven.

Explanation:

We know that the places in which the
is
are six in number. It now

remains for us to know the categories of the

among them, and they are eleven


in number.

44

The Direct Object (

"

"


"
"
:






"



"

The first (category of

" in "


) is like "

( " Muhammad memorised the book) and is called "

"

(direct object).
Explanation:

(doer / agent) doing and

Every action that occurs in the world has to have a

executing it, and sometimes this action is transferred and made to occur on something-else.
" (doer / agent)
The word denoting the one from whom the action occurs is called "


and it is necessary that it be
as was mentioned previously.

The word denoting that onto which the action is transferred and made to occur is called "

" (direct object), and it is necessary that it be "
" . Therefore, when



you say: "

" (Mahmud cut the branch), "

" is a

and "

( i.e. the action of cutting)

"a




because


occurs on it (i.e. "
) ".


Similar to "
"in this example are:

"
" in "

" (Muhammad memorised the book),



"
"in "



( " The intelligent person seeks knowledge),


"
" (Allah created humankind),


" in "

( " The wolf is eating the sheep),

"
"in "

( " The prophets guided the people) and

"
"in "

"
"in "

( " The people hate the traitor).

Such is the case with every

denoting that onto which the action of the

occurs and on account of which the form of the

remains unchanged. As for when

the form of the

is changed in the process, then the

( denoting that onto

occurs) is a

which the action of the

for it to be
as was discussed previously.

45

instead and it is necessary


The Absolute / Unqualified Object (

"
"


"
:

"

"


"

The second (category of
" in "


) is like "

( " Muhammad really memorised the book) and is called "

" (Absolute / Unqualified object).

Explanation:

" (The guard killed the thief), the listener

When you say: "




might take the act of killing (as mentioned by the speaker) to be an exaggeration and actually
" ) is beating him up and not actually

understand that what is meant (by the action "
killing him. To prevent this erroneous understanding you add (for the purpose of adding
" to the previous sentence, such that you say:
emphasis and definiteness) the word "

" (The guard really killed the thief). The word "
"

is called
"


" and it is necessary that it be
. Similar to



" (in function and semantic effect) are:
the word "

"

"
" in "




" (Muhammad really memorised

the book),

" in "

( " The Prophets really guided
"

the people),

"


( "The intelligent person proceeds



" in "

in a praiseworthy fashion),
as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards every
denoting the very

is performing (in the real and not metaphorical sense).

action that the

46

The Object of Reason (

"

"


"
:

"

"

"

"in
The third (category of

) is like "

"





" (Muhammad


memorised the book out of a desire to advance and progress) and is called "

" (Object of Reason).

Explanation:
Every
has to have a reason (or motive) on account of which that action is performed.

Thus, when we say: "



" (The soldiers stood), the listener understands that the
soldiers stood but he does not know the reason for (or the motive behind) their standing.
Should the intention be to inform him about the reason or motive as well, we say:
"

" (The soldiers stood out of reverence for the


Commander), for example. The word "
"in this example is called "

( "Object of Reason), and it is

. Similar to it (i.e. "

) "are:

"in "


"






" (Muhammad

memorised the book out of a desire to advance and progress),

"in "
"




" (The people perform the


pilgrimage seeking to please Allah),

"


( " The city was beautified in

" in "
honour of the newcomer or visitor),
as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards every
that is mentioned
in the sentence to clarify the reason or cause for the occurrence of the action.

47

The Adverb (

"

"
:





"
"
"

"

"

"

." "

The fourth (category of

) is like "
"in

" and "

"




" (Muhammad






memorised the book in the morning in front of the teacher) and is called "

" or "( "Adverb).

Explanation:

Every
has to occur in a time (

)and a place (
) . Thus, when you say:
"

" (Muhammad memorised the book in the


morning), you are clarifying the time of memorising which is in the morning (

)

and when you say:
"




" (Muhammad





memorised the book in front of the teacher), you are clarifying the place of memorising
which is the area in front of the teacher.

( "adverb of time) and the word "

"


is called
"

( "adverb of place), and both of them are called "

" and it is necessary that they be

.


The word "


" is called "

Similar to "

" is:

"

" (late afternoon / evening),

"
" (for a time / while / indefinite period),

"
( "during the day, one day),
"
( " at night),

"
( " early morning),

" (tomorrow),
"

"

" (forenoon, late morning),

"

" (early morning / pre-dawn / before day-break i.e. the last part of the night
before dawn),
" ( " for ever),

"
" (for a time),

"

( "a moment),
"


" (an hour),

"

" (a period of time),
"

" (a year) and

" (a month),
"

48

and like "

"are:

" (in front),

"


"
" (behind),

"

" (behind),

" (above / on top of),

"

"
( "under / below / beneath),

"
( "right / rightwards),

"
" (left / leftwards),

"
" (at, by / with),

"

" (with / together with / in the company of),
"
( "opposite to),

"
" (near / close to),
( " opposite to),
"

"

( "forty-eight thousand steps),

" (a parasang or twelve thousand steps) and

"

"
" (a mile or four thousand steps)

49

The Object of Accompaniment (

"
"



"

:

"

"

"

The fifth (category of

"in "

) is like "

" (Muhammad memorised with the lamp i.e. using the



lamp) and is called
"




" (Object of Accompaniment).

Explanation:

When someone says to you: "



" [I








travelled with the mountain (i.e. alongside the mountain) until I reached the end of the
highland], then the meaning thereof is that he took the side of the mountain (as it were) as a
way or path alongside which he travelled until he reached his intended destination.
Likewise, when you ask someone for a place that you wish to reach and he says to you: "

( " Go with the new road), then the meaning thereof is:






Make the act of you going (to that place) next to or alongside the new road; Do not deviate
from it, neither to the right nor to the left, and you will reach the intended place.

"in the second example is
Each of the words "

"in the first example and "

" (object of accompaniment) and is
and the




which is before it is called "



" (the Waw of Accompaniment).
called "

Similar to these two examples are:

"

"in "




" (Muhammad memorised with the





lamp),
"

"in "

" (The commander travelled with the soldiers),

" in "

"





( "The people went with the Nile) and
Such is the case with every
denoting that with or alongside which the action is
performed.

From what has gone before it becomes clear that the



( plural of


) are five in number, and they are:

the

( direct object),

the

( absolute or unqualified object),


the



( object of reason),


the



( adverb) and


the




( object of accompaniment).

50

The Excluded by means of " "

)"


" )

"


"
:






"

"

"

"

The sixth (category of

) is like "


" in for example

" (Muhammad memorised the book


except / excluding one page) and is called "

" (Excluded / Excepted).


"

Explanation:
It is not proper for you to say: "
" (The students came







out of the school) and then to keep quiet except if it is that all of them had come out.
However, if one or more of them remained, then it is necessary for you to say:
"

" (The students came out of the








school excluding / except Khalid) for example, or "...


( " except Muhammad)
or "...


( " except Mahmud). The

" (excluded / excepted) and is
.

occurring after " " is called "

Similar to "
" in the first example are:

"





" (Muhammad memorised the


" in "

book except / excluding one page) and
"
"in "






excluding gold).

( "All metals rust except /

Such is the case with every

occurring after the word " " which is not preceded by
negation.

51

The State or Condition (

)

"


"
"
:





"
"

"
"

"

"

"

The seventh (category of

" or "
) is like "

" in

"

" (Muhammad memorised the book


sitting) or
"



" (He memorised it while it is correct) and


is called "
" (State or Condition).
Explanation:

" (Amin drank the water), the sentence is correct

When you say: "





except that it is not possible to know from the sentence the state or condition in which the
was at the time of the action or likewise the state or condition in which the

was at the time of the action.

" (Amin drank the water
However, when you say: "






standing), you have in fact clarified the state or condition in which Amin was at the time of

" (Muhammad drank the

drinking, and when you say: "






water in pure form), you have in fact also clarified the state or condition of the water at the
" or " "is called a "
time of drinking. Thus, the word "

" (state or
condition) and it is necessary for it to be
.


Similar to these two examples are:

"


" or "



" (Muhammad


" in "
memorised the book sitting) or "



" (He memorised it while it is its


correct form),

"


" (breathing) or "
" (uncovered) in "

( "Let not any of you drink the water whilst breathing or inhaling) or

( " Let him not drink it uncovered).
"

Such is the case with every

which clarifies the posture or position of the

or

at the time the action occurs.

52

The Specification (

)
"
"

"
"


:

"

"

The eighth (category of
"in "

) is like "

"

( "The book is sold for a ratl of gold) and is called "

(Specification).
Explanation:

The
denoting measure, weight, number and their likes are all vague words

)because when you ay: "
( "I bought a kantar)
(





and then keep quiet, then the listener will not understand exactly what it is that is meant by

( kantar) such that he will not know whether you bought a kantar of beans or
sugar or soap or any other thing. So when you say: "

( "I bought



a kantar of beans), you have in fact specified what is meant by
. The word "
"is called "
( "specification) and is
.


Among the constructions of

are:

"

" [The merchant sold an ardeb of wheat, a kantar of sugar and a hundred cubits

(or arm-lengths) of silk]

"








a saa of barley, a ratl of honey and a cubit of wool)

( "I bought

Such is the case with every construction containing an

clarifying and specifying

exactly what is meant by another

mentioned before it (the latter being) capable of
meaning many things.

53

The Object of Address / Addressee / Vocative (

)

"
"

"

:

"



"

"

"

"

"
"

"and "

The ninth (category of
"in "
) is like "




"

"

"

(O You who are compassionate towards the servants) and

(O Messenger of Allah) and is called "

"
(Object of Address, Addressee, Vocative).
Explanation:
When we call someone by his name or title / epithet, and we say: "

"

(O Abdurrahman), "





( " O Beauty of the Worshippers), or "

( "O you of elevated status), then that which comes after the word "( "O) which

is "
" in the first example, "
"in the third is called "


"in the second and "

" (Object of Address, Addressee or Vocative), and it is
.


Similar to these examples are:

( " O You who show compassion to the servants),

"



( "O he who is negligent, while death is pursuing
"






him),
"

( " O Messenger of Allah) and

"
( " O Most Honourable of Creation)

Such is the case with every

occurring after the

addressing).

54

(particle of

 "
The Predicate of "

")

) "

"
"

"




:




"

.("
)
"

The tenth (category of

) is like "
" in "

"
" (Predicate


" (The garden was bearing fruit), and is called
" ).
of "

Explanation:

" , the first of which is

Two

( nouns) occur after the verb "

and is

"
" ) and the second is

( "Noun of "
and is


" ), and it is for this reason (i.e. the fact that the
called its
( i.e. the
of "


"

" is


) that it is counted among the categories of

" are the

( verbs) that were mentioned in the

. Similar to "


"
fifth place (i.e. the section dealing with the

) "which is one the places in

which the
is
.

called the

Among the examples that have already been given thereof (but with the focus this time on the

of one of these verbs) are:

"

"




"

"




"
"

and so on and so forth.

55

The Noun of "

"

)"
" )

"

"

:


"

.("

"
)

"
The eleventh (category of


" in "
) is like "

"
( " The garden was bearing fruit), and is called
"

(Noun of "
) ".

Explanation:

Two
", the first of which is
( nouns) occur after the particle "

and

" ) and the second is

"

( "Noun of "
and is called

its
( i.e. the
of "
) ", and it is for this reason that the first

( i.e.
by being
.
) is counted among the categories of

Similar to "
"are the
( particles) that were mentioned together with it in the

sixth place (i.e. the section dealing with the
" ) which is one of the places in
"

which the
is
.

is called

Among the examples that have already been given thereof (but with the focus this time on the

of one of these particles) are:

" (I knew that the garden was bearing fruit),

"

( " As if the trees are growing leaves),





"
( " but the rain is heavy and abundant),




"



( " I wish that the weather was moderate)


"

and in like fashion you extend the rule to other similar cases.

56

Making the Noun

)

)

The

is
in two places.

The

by means of the Particle (

:
"

" :














"

" "
" ""
" "
""

" :

"

."



"





The first (place of
) is when it (i.e. the

) occurs after a

(particle) from among these
( particles):

"
" (from, of),

( "to, towards),
"
"
" (about, of),

"
" (on),
"
" (in),

"
( "seldom, rarely, maybe, perhaps),

( with, by, by means),

( like, similar to),

( for, to, belonging to),

(the Waw of Oath) and

( the Ta of Oath)




like: "

( "Mahmud travelled from Cairo to Alexandria in a day).

These particles are called "

" (Particles of
/ Genitive


Particles / Prepositions).

57

Explanation:

It has been mentioned to you before that the
is
in six places and that it

is

in eleven places. As regards it being
it occurs in two places. The

first is when the

(particle) from among these

occurs after a

(particles) called "


and they are:

" (particles of

/ genitive particles / prepositions),

"
" (from, of), like: "




" (Mahmud travelled





( " The rain descended or fell
from Cairo) and
"






from the sky),

"( " to, towards), like: "






" [The


traveller arrived at Alexandria, (literally: arrived to Alexandria)] and "

( " He travelled to the sea),

"

" (about, of), like: "

"









(About the person do not ask, instead ask about his companion),

"
" (on), like: "

( "Generosity towards the one in need is better than pearls on a crown)

"


" (in), like: "








( "Know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in difficulty),

"
( "sometimes, seldom, rarely, maybe, perhaps, often), like: "

" (Perhaps a persons condition is more eloquent than his speech) and




"




( "Sometimes a friend is better than a brother),

( with, by, by means), like: "

( " Action with the pen is more effective than action with the sword),
( like, similar to), like: "


"








(Knowledge is like light and ignorance is like darkness),

( for, to, belonging to), like: "
"

(Excellence belongs to the one who progresses and advances but Grandeur belongs to
Allah),








(the Waw of Oath), like: "
" (By Allah! I did

not do anything) and [

(By Time!



Man is in a state of Loss) and
( the Ta of Oath), like: "



( " By

Allah! Goodness will not go or disappear) and "
Allah! Falsehood will not be supreme).

58

( " By

The Noun Annexed to (

" :

"

"

"

"
"

"

"

The second (place of
) is when an

coming before it is connected

to it, like: "

" (the servant of the emir) and "



"



(the wall of the city), and is called "


" (noun to which the previous
noun is annexed) and that which is before it (is called) "

" (noun that is
annexed to the


)
Explanation:
When we hear a person saying: "


" (A servant was present / came



today), we do not know which servant he means: whether it is the servant of the emir or the
servant of the judge or the servant of any other person, because he did not relate or link him
" (The servant of the emir
to anyone. So when he says: "







was present / came today), we know which servant he means because of the servant being
related and linked to the emir in no uncertain terms. The word "
" is called "

"is called "

" and the word "
".

Similar to "
" are:

"

" (the wall of the city),

"
( " the door of the house),

"
" (the reins of the horse),

as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards every

( two nouns),


the first of which is related and linked to the second.

Furthermore, the

does not occur except in a state of being

.

59

The Followers / Modifiers (

)

:





" "

)of a
,
except that the declension (
and

Up to here we have completed our knowledge of all the places of ,

word might proceed and continue on to what is after it (i.e. after that word) such
that it (i.e. the subsequent word) is:



due to it (i.e. the previous word) being
,

due to it being
, and so on.

The one that occurs later (in the construction) is called a "
( "follower).
The

( plural of i.e. followers) are of four types:
Explanation:

When the


is
or
or
due to it occurring in




one of the places that have been explained previously, then its declension is said to be

primary (
). There is another kind of declension which is said to be secondary (

) and there is no other reason accounting for it (i.e. for the existence of this latter kind

of declension) other than the fact that the
( which has secondary declension) occurs

after that which has primary declension (

). Hence, the word later (in the



construction) is


,
,
or
due to it following





what is before it, and it is for that reason that it is called a "
( "follower).

We already know the primary declension (

secondary declension (

)of words. As for the

), it is of four types:

60

The Qualifying or Attributive Adjective (

)

"
" :


"

"
"
"




"


"

A type which is called "
( "Qualifying or Attributive Adjective), like: "

" and "

"






" in: "

(An intelligent foe is better than an ignorant friend).

Explanation:

If you found a bag in the street and you hear someone saying: "

" (A bag


of mine got lost), then it is not valid for you to give him the bag believing it to be his as long
as he has not described to you its specific qualities, by saying for example:

"


" (A small black bag of mine got lost). The word "

" (qualifying or attributive
"or "
" (and others like it) is called a "

adjective) and it is necessary that it be
due to following the word "
"


. Should the first be
which is

on account of it being a
then



the second will be
following it (i.e. following the first), like when he says: "




" (I lost a small bag); the word " " is


on




account of it being a



qualifying it being
and "
" is a

(as a result).

Similarly in the case of


, like: "
( "I am asking or





enquiring about a small bag); the word "
" and "


by means of "

" is

qualifying it being

(as a result).
" is a


Similar to "

" are:

"

( "a short man),

"
" (Ali, the Merchant),




"

" (Hasan, the Writer),



"

" (intelligent foe),



"




" (ignorant friend),

as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards the

which denote

the qualities and attributes of that which occurs before them.

61


The Conjunction (
)

":

"


"
"



"
"

"

"

" "
:
""
."

""
" "
"
""



"and "
A type which is called "
" (conjunction), like: "

"in: "

" (The student attains glory and honour through knowledge and good
character). Similar to the
( and) are:
( shortly thereafter, immediately then),
the
"
( "a while thereafter),

"
( "or),

"
( "or),
"
( " but, rather),
" ( "not) and
( "instead, rather, even better)
"

Explanation:
If a pen and an inkpot broke and you want to express and communicate that event, then

instead of stating two sentences, the first of which is "
( " the pen broke)

( " The inkpot broke) it suffices for you to state the

once and then mention the two

( nouns) thereafter separated by a

( " The pen and

(meaning and), such that we say: "


inkpot broke). That which occurs after the

" (conjoined word)
is called "

and that which is before it is called "



" (word to which the

is conjoined).

and the second is "

It is necessary for the

to follow that which comes before it in the formers

specific type of

. Thus, the word "

":

"which is

in this example is
due it following the word "

,
as a

in "


( "I broke the pen and the inkpot)

due




"which is
to it following "


as a

and

in "
" (I was surprised at the breaking of









"which is
the pen and the inkpot)


due it following "
as a

.
62

You say (for the rest of the conjunctions):

"

( " The pen broke and shortly thereafter the inkpot), if

you want to express the idea that the breaking of the inkpot was shortly after the breaking
of the pen,

"

( " The pen broke and a while thereafter the inkpot),



if you want to express the idea that the breaking of the inkpot was a while after the
breaking of the pen,

"

( " The pen or the inkpot broke), if that which broke is



one of the two but you are doubtful as to which one specifically,

"

( " The pen broke not the inkpot), if that which broke is


the pen only,

( "Did you break the pen or the inkpot?) if you are

"





asking about which of the two got broken, and
"

"




( "The pen did not




"
break instead the inkpot or but the inkpot), if that which broke was the inkpot and
someone thought it to have been the pen.

Therefore, when a
(particle) from among the

(particles of

conjunction / conjunctions) is mentioned between two

then the second is declined


according to the declension of the first.

63

The Corroboration / Intensification (

)
":

"

"
"






"
"

"

"

"

"
"

"

"




"




A type which is called "

( "corroboration / intensification), like: "

"and "

" in: "

" (The






"and "
Commander himself came) and "


" in "

( "The army the whole of it / all of it travelled).

Explanation:
If someone tells you that he had spoken with the Sultan, it is customary for him to say: "

" (I spoke with the Sultan himself) and if he tells you

that he had spoken to just any ordinary person, then he will say: "

" (I

"after the persons

spoke with such-and-such a person) without stating the word "

"in the case of the Sultan but not so in the

name. The reason for this (i.e. the use of "


case of an ordinary person) is that speaking with the Sultan is regarded as a big matter as far
as the speaker is concerned, for it might be that you mistakenly think that he had spoken with

the Sultans servant or his scribe, for example. He therefore states the word "
"
meaning thereby exactly just that and in order to dispel this mistaken and erroneous thought
"in order to convey thereby that he
from the mind of the listener he adds the word "


had spoken with Sultan himself and not one of his subordinates. It is for this reason that this
word is called "

( "corroboration / intensification).
The
. Thus, the word "

follows what is before it in the latters

":

in the previous example is

"
due to it following the word "

,




in "


" (The Sultan himself was present)

and
because what is before it is

as a



in "
( "I entered the residence of the Sultan








himself)




because what is before it is
as a
.


which is

as a

"with respect to what was discussed is the word "

Similar to the word "
"
like: "

and so forth.

" (I spoke with the Sultan himself), and so on

"and "
Corroboration can also be by means of the word "

" after a general (or
collective) noun, like:
64

 ( " The army, the whole of it or all of it,

"

travelled),

"





and

"





it or all of it).

( "I saw the army, the whole of it or all of it)

" (I greeted the army, the whole of

"or "
Thus, the word "
and

" follows what is before it in the latters
is called "

"since perhaps it might be mistakenly and erroneously thought that what

is meant by "

( "army) is most of the army (and not all of it) if it is not followed

"or "
by the word "

".

65

The Substitute (
)
"

" :


"
"





"

"

"

"
"

."

"

"






"

"
A type which is called "
" in: "
( "substitute), like: "

( "The Founder of Nahw is Imam Ali), " "in "

( "The Emir renovated the castle, most of it) and "

" in "






( " The Registration Office, its

workers, left).
Explanation:

When you say: "

" (The Pioneer and Founder of Nahw is Ali), then


your sentence conveys a complete and self-contained message. However, when you say:
"






" (The Pioneer and Founder of Nahw is Imam Ali),


then your sentence will have an even stronger effect and greater impact on the mind of the
listener, as though you had ascribed the founding and development of Nahw to Ali twice
once via the title and epithet "
".
"and once via the name "

The word "
" in this construction is called "
( "substitute) and follows what is

before it in the latters specific type of
. Therefore, it is:

in this example

due to it following the word "
"which is

as a
,

in "


( "Truly, Imam Ali is the Pioneer and

Founder of Nahw)

due to it following "
"which is
as




the
"

"and
in "



( "Nahw is the result of the pioneering work






of Imam Ali)


due to it following "
"which is
as the

The same can be said for "

" (The Emir renovated the

castle, most of it) and "

( " The Registration Office, its

workers, left) except that the
:

in the first example (i.e. "






(i.e.
" ) is


congruent in meaning to the what precedes it) because "
" is congruent to "

"in meaning,

in the second example


( substitute of the part for the whole)

because "
( " most of) is part of the whole of it (i.e. the whole of the castle), and
66


in the third example
( Substitute of Relation i.e. other than being a

part) because of the relationship, that is, the connection, that exists between "

"
and "
".

67

Conclusion
Local Declension (

"

"
:

."











"
"


"

When one of the indeclinable words occurs in one of the previous places then it is
necessary that we utter it the way we heard it, however, we regard it as being in a
or
place of

,
in accordance with what the
,
(particular) place (of declension) neccesitates, like:

"

" (He is a scholar),




"

( " Truly, he is very good) and

"










" (Anyone whose intention is


pure his action will be good).

Explanation:

We know in detail the places in which the
is

, those in which it is

and those in which it is
, and likewise the places in which the

is
, those in which it is
and those in which it is

We (also) know that when a

or

occupies one of these places, then we make it

,
,
or
, except that among the

and
there is that which is

, that is, its ending never changes with

despite changing the constructions (in which it occurs) as we already know.

The
( i.e. indeclinable word), when it occurs in one of the places of ,

or
, then we do not change its ending by virtue of the fact

that it occurs in that place such that were we to replace it by an

then

or

for example would surely have been apparent and explicit in that

Hence, based on the aforementioned, we say concerning for example:

"

":

("

)



"




68

 in a place of
] ,
["
" is a


and indeclinable and built on a



"

" :

"


)


"


[the
in a place of
"
is the
"and is indeclinable and built on a

] and
(

"









":

"

"
"



(







in a place of
["

and is indeclinable and built on a



" is a

" ,

" is a
is a
and the
and is

indeclinable and built on a
in a place of
]

("

and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

69

The Method of Syntactic Analysis / Parsing (

We know from what has gone before that:

from the

all the
are composed,

the
, the

,
and the
comprise the
of the

there is that which is
and that which is
and


the



can be
,
,
or
.

We also know the respective places (in which the

is ,

or

) and hence it should not be difficult

for us after that, when we see a particular expression, to be able to:
read it correctly,
distinguish between the words contained in it by identifying the


, the
and the
among them,

isolate the

and



distinguish the


,
,
and






(among them) and
state the reason for that being the case.

This is called "

( "syntactic analysis / parsing).

Thus, we say concerning for example:
"



tomorrow):

( " Let no one postpone todays work until

"


.

"

"
.


"

and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

70

"
:"
.


"
:"

:"

"

:"
"

:"
"

:"
"