al-tuhfahal-sinniyahbisharhal-muqaddimahal-aajurumeeyah-englishnotes.doc

8/9/2019 al-tuhfahal-sinniyahbisharhal-muqaddimahal-aajurumeeyah-englishnotes.doc

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Towards instruction of the

Arabic language to English

speakers by adherence to

the Ajrumiyyah

اعربـــيالغتعليـ

ــتإبيــورـج

ا

ين

!"

# بلغل

$% لي

&'(ا

Translation by Abu Amina Afdhal


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Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………2

Introduction to the Ajrumiyyah………………………………………………………..4

The Types of Speech…………………………………………………………………..7

Inflection……………………………………………………………………………..14

The Insinia of the !ominati"e………………………………………………………1#

The Insinia of the Subjuncti"e$Accusati"e………………………………………….2%

The Insinia of the &eniti"e………………………………………………………….27

The Insinia of the 'ussi"e…………………………………………………………...2(

The Inflected…………………………………………………………………………%1

The )erbs………………………………………………………………………….…%*

Conclusion…………………...………………………………………………………4+

,iblioraphy………………………………………………………………………….4-

2


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Towards instruction of the Arabic language to English speakers by adherence to the

Ajrumiyyah text

Instruction of the Arabic anuae is for the "ast majority of students the first step to

disco"ery of the "ast literatures and sciences of the Arabs and others /ho /rote in Arabic. Atfirst it may seem that this subject0 after ehausti"e research and practice is one that is fully

de"eloped and so ne/ a"enues are ine"itably scarce. It is uite correct that many boo3s eist

for the nlish spea3er from /hich he may learn Arabic0 some reuirin a tauht

methodoloy and many enablin the student to become self5tauht. 6ne of the earliest tets to

appear in the nlish lanuae on the subject of instruction of Arabic /as riht8s translation

of Caspari0 from the oriinal &erman0 this /as in 1#-(0 ho/e"er the Arabs themsel"es had

lon before initiated a formal and systematic methodoloy to teach Arabic &rammar to their

children. 9rom the systems the Arabs employed one tet in particular shines far more clearly

than any other0 it has /ithstood the test of time and is still after more than se"en hundred

years since its authors8 death0 bein tauht throuhout the Arab /orld. It is the tet of

Abdullah ibn :uhammad ibn ;au8d as5Sinhaji0 3no/n as Ibn Ajrum. The tet itself0 althouh

not named as such by the author0 has become 3no/n as ni"ersity of al5A?har0 it is

called At-Tuhfa As-Saniyya bi Sharhi al-Muqadima Al-Ajrumiya . This /ill be follo/ed by an

eamination of the structure of the tet and the methodoloy Ibn Ajrum employed in

presentin the "arious chapters and sub5chapters of Arabic &rammar. In conclusion I shall

attempt to hihliht the strenths and /ea3nesses of this system.

Throuhout this study the phrase


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6ther commentaries such as al-Kawākib adDuriyyah are still published and studied. It has

been composed into "erse0 in a poem called ‘Ubaydu %abih0 and a commentary that discusses

the sufic0 or mystical lessons to be dra/n from it /as /ritten by Ibn


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ibya0 :auritania and Aleria0 the students often study its entire contents more than one0

some e"en as much as three times.

In the first round0 the student is reuired to memorise the tet0 is i"en a superficial

introduction and is epected to ha"e rasped the main structure and the eneral outline of the

contents. The second round consolidates the students 3no/lede by addin to the eamples

and by pro"idin further forms of /ords such as the bro3en plural0 e.. in the first round only

one or t/o eamples are tauht0 yet in the second round all si are discussed0 possibly /ith

the patterns and the differin reasons for the patterns.

The 3ey to pre"ent memory lapse seems to be in the memorisation element. ,ecause the tet

is memorised the student has constant recourse to his s3eleton of bones0 the oral or /ritten

commentary /hich is not usually memorised ser"es as the flesh0 resultin in the complete

body. The clearest eample of this may be dra/n from the student /ho has memorised a

portion of the Bur8an and the hears or reads its eeesis0 /ill0 ine"itably retain more of it than

the student /ho is hearin all the information afresh0 and has no uide of the s3eleton to aid

him. The students in my eperiment0 /ere on the /hole0 not memorisin and so had reat

difficulty in retainin pre"ious chapters.

The actual system of presentin the rammar0 /here each chapter is a commentary on /hat

precedes it0 the "ery loical and systematic approach to the process and subdi"isions of

Inflection0 culminatin0 in the chapter /hich re5presents the entire chapter of Inflection0 is one

to be commended. The repetition in style throuhout the tet is0 in nlish some/hat

cumbersome0 ho/e"er0 for the the student0 it is a system that does not distract the mind /ith

ne/ "ocabulary and ideas as a method of catchin the attention0 it presents ne/ ideas based

on already acuired patterns. This familiarity /ith the pattern of presentation lea"es the

student /ith only the content to consider.

It is0 therefore my conclusion that the Ajrumiyyah is only suitable as a first tet for nlishspea3ers /ho desire to learn Arabic rammar if the follo/in conditions are met0

i. The lessons should be short and freuent0 rather then lenthy and far apart

ii. A fair amount of "ocabulary is "ital for ease in raspin the processes of

inflection and noun and "erbal deri"ation based upon roots

iii. :emorisation should be stressed0 as an aid to comprehension0 retention and

de"elopment

i". >se of oriinal terminoloy0 this has the ad"antae in that students /ho proess

as they /ill already ha"e an undersatndin of the Arabic technical terminoloy0

7


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the dra/bac3 is that students /ho ha"e already studied some form of rammar

/ould be assisted if nlish translations of the technical terms /ere used

". Constant e"aluation and assessment /ould help 3eep in the students8 mind the

process of rammatical analysis.

If the abo"e conditions are met0 the Ajrumiyyah0 in my opinion0 is a not a difficult tet for

both students /ho ha"e pre"ious 3no/lede of rammar and those /ho don8t. It becomes0

increasinly difficult in a contet /here the traditional one to one teachin cannot ta3e place0

/here defined syllabus dictates the speed of proression throuh the tet and not the ability of

the students. It is beyond the scope of this /or3 to suest some form of amalamation

bet/een classical and modern methods of instruction0 ho/e"er0 it /ould be in our benefit to

re5e"aluate the classical methods and incorporate that /hich /ill benefit us into our current

methods.

#


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Introduction

The author0 Abu Abdillahi :uhammad bin :uhammad bin ;a8ud As5Sinhaji0 3no/n as Ibn

Ajrum0 /as born in the year *72 A= and died in 72% A=0 may Allah ha"e mercy on him0 he

bean his monumental /or30

He said : Speech is that which is words composed informati!e by assignment"

=e0 the commentator0 says0 as for the /ord al-kalaam0 it has t/o meanins. The first is

semantic and the second0 rammatical. As for the semantic meanin0 this is that /hich is able

to deli"er a messae by any means as /ell as speech0 such as /ritin0 printin and estures

such as noddin of the head to indicate


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%. As for the meanin of informati"e this entails the necessity of satisfaction /ith the

listener /ho is not left in need of any further clarification. So0 if one /ere to say0 < If

the teacher comes…8 and stop there0 these /ords are not considered to be al53alaam0

e"en if the composed utterance consists of t/o /ords or more. The listener is left

/aitin for some form of eplanation0 /hich /ould be found in the terminal part of

the sentence. If one /ere to say0 0 he

attended0 this is a /ord to /hich the Arabs ha"e ascribed a set meanin0 that it is a

perfect "erb meanin JKL ا I shall use prepositions.

1+


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These are all in possession of innate meanins /ithout any need for connection to time or a

tense and so are called nouns.

As for the meanin of "erb0 it is in lanuae an e"ent. 9or &rammarians it is a /ord that has

an innate meanin but is "ery firmly connected to time0 to one of the three tenses0 the Derfect0

the Imperfect of the present and the Imperfect of the future. 9or eample0 A

M 0 3ataba0 he

/rote0 this /ord has a clear meanin and is connected to the past tense called the Derfect. As

for A B$ 0 ya3tubu0 he is /ritin0 this has the same meanin as 3ataba but is connected to the

present tense and so called Imperfect. As for A Mا 0 u3tubL riteL This carries identical

meanin to 3ataba and ya3tubu ecept it is connected to the future tense or Imperiti"e#0 that is

after the time of the spea3er.

And so the Derfect is that /hich too3 place before the time in /hich the spea3er is spea3in.

The Imperfect is that /hich is ta3in place /hilst the spea3er is spea3in or perhaps after

that. The Imperiti"e is that /hich is souht to be done after the time in /hich the spea3er is

spea3in.

As for the meanin of particle0 it is called in lanuae a small piece. As for the &rammarians

it is a technical term referrin to that cateory of /ords /hich do not in themsel"es ha"e set

meanins but rely on the presence of other /ords to pro"ide that meanin. 9or eample0 ن

from0 does not ha"e a meanin on its8 o/n0 it is only /hen /e place it in a sentence such as0


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=e saysK The noun has characteristics that it does not share /ith it8s brothers0 the "erb and the

particle. =e0 may Allah ha"e mercy on him0 mentioned four characteristics of the noun0 and

they are the eniti"e case0 the nunation0 the acceptance of Qا and the acceptance of

prepositions.

As for the eniti"e it is in lanuae the opposite of ele"ation0 ho/e"er for the &rammarians it

is a technical term referrin to the presence of a 3asra(0 or that /hich comes in place of it1+.

9or eample0 in the statement0 RSرT B ب 0 I passed by ,a3r0 the 3asra /ith nunation appears

suffied to ,a3r.

As for nunation0 it is in lanuae to i"e somethin a "oice0 as for the &rammarians it is a

technical term definin the placin of the nun sound at the terminal portion of a /ord /ithout

the letter al5!un. 9or eample as in ? U =D :uhammad0 it is pronounced :uhammadun. Any

/ord that is found to ha"e nunation in its terminal portion must be a noun.

As for the acceptance of the particle Qا 0 the letters al5Alif and al5am0 it too0 is a

characteristic of nouns by prefiin to the nouns as in E جرا 0 the man. Any /ord /hich

carries Qا in its beinnin is a noun and definite11.

As for the acceptance of one of the prepostions0 for eample0 V WX$2V يا. ل8 CS?= ا 0

I /ent from the house to the school0 both /ords follo/in the t/o prepositions andن Y Z0

from and to0 are nouns. Any /ord0 therefore that may succeed a preposition must be a noun.

The preopositions "ary in meaninK

Rر C$2[ر W ! ا I tra"elled from Cairo0 from sho/s beinnin.

Rر C. ل8


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ل =;&?ا GD ير The mat belongs to the house0

?=D ا! ل

The Draise is for &od0 and here the al5am is used to sho/ /orthiness or eclusi"e

rihts.

Also from the Drepositions are the Darticles of 6aths. They are three in number0 ]ا ]ا

the letters al5a/0 al5,a and at5Ta12. The meanin of all three is to s/ear an oath byا O او

/hate"er is suffied. The letter al5a/ does not prefi ecept to a clear noun0 for eample0

وال > واaO $% واين translated as 0 ,y &od… and ,y the 9i and by the 6li"e… The latter

al5,a prefies to both nouns and pronouns0 ا dPQO;B رب cب bبل > 0 ,y ou NI s/earO to

beat the la?y one. And the letter at5Ta does not prefi ecept to the ;i"ine !ame0


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As for the ad0 it enters upon t/o types of "erbs0 the perfect and the imperfect. If it enters

upon the perfect it denotes one of t/o meaninsK and they are confirmation or approimation.

An eample of the confirmation may be found in =is /ords0 the :ost =ih0 ?_e ل @

aO# f= ا )erily the ,elie"ers succeeded… and in our /ords ?_ H>?= D 0 "erily

:uhammad attended. An eample of approimation may be found in the /ords of the one

about to pray0 ?_V _[gG ا 0 the prayer is about to bein140 also in the /ords ?_V بر h

i=j ا0 the sun is about to set.1-

If ad entered upon an imperfect "erb0 then the meanin is one of t/oK scarcity and

abundance. ?_e$? يلا is translated as


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=e nelected to mention the insinia of the Imperiti"e. Droof of the imperiti"e nature of the

"erb lies in its8 ability to accept the letter al5a of the second person feminine sinular or the

letter an5!un of stress. 9or eample0 c _ cا_ ع ? cاA Mا' qر 0 Stand upL Sit do/nL riteL

and oo3L These four /ords all indicate orders that see3 standin0 sittin0 /ritin and

loo3in0 as does the acceptance of the letter al5a of the second person feminine sinular in0

r? ع _ا =_ c or /ith the addition of the !un of stress0 $# Kع Y Zbا' qرaا Mن 0 riteL

oo3 to that /hich benefits youL

The )article

He said: The )article is that upon which the insignia of the noun nor the insignia of the!erb are acceptable"

=e says0 the particle stands out from its8 brothers the noun and the "erb because it does not

accept any of the insinia of nouns or any of the insinia of "erbs. 9or eample the /ords0 م

EW c c 0 cannot precede a particle0 the particle cannot also ha"e prefied the particle of

definition0 Qا 0 nor nunation. Similarly the letter as5Sin or the particle saufa do not precede a

particle0 nor does ad0 all of /hich are insinia that indicate "erbs.

Inflection

He said: Inflection is the alteration of the terminal portion of the word differing with

respect to the agents whether they are apparent or hidden"

=e saysK Inflection has t/o meanins0 the first of /hich is semantical and the second is

technical. As for the semantic meanin0 it is disclosure and eposition. As you may sayK

V بر n@ =n ;K' I disclosed that /hich /as inside of me0 if you announced it and

disclosed it.

As for the technical meanin0 this is as the author has mentioned0


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As for /hat is intended by the phrase0 ? T =D= ب 0 I beat1# :uhammad0 then :uhammad is

eniti"e due to the aent al5,a /hich reuires it to be so.

>pon reflection it must be clear no/ that the terminal portion of the /ord :uhammad is the

letter ad5;al /hich does not chane0 but it is the state of the terminal portion /hich chanes.

=ence it is seen to be nominati"e in the first eample0 accusati"e in the second and eniti"e in

the third.

This chane from the nominati"e state to the accusati"e and then to eniti"e is0 accordin to

the author and /hosoe"er adheres to his school0 inflection. The three cases0 nominati"e0

accusati"e and eniti"e are the insinia and indicators of inflection.

Similar to the noun is the imperfect "erb0 if one /ere to say0 Zبرا Wي$; ر 0 Ibrahim is

tra"ellin1(0 then the "erb is nominati"e0 due to the absence of any aent that may cause the

subjuncti"e or the obliue case. If one /ere to say0 ن

;$ي

Wبرا

Z 0 Ibrahim /ill not tra"el0the "erb is in the subjuncti"e case due to the presence of an aent reuirin it to be so0 /hich

in this eample is the particle . If one /ere to say0ن Zبرا Wي ;$م 0 Ibrahim did not tra"el0

then the "erb is in the obliue case due to the chane in the aent /hich no/ reuires the

obliue case0 in this eample it is the particle .م

1#

9rom the root meanin to /in0 not stri3e.1( ;istinction bet/een


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So 3no/ that this chane is di"ided into t/o types0 phonetical and implied 2+. As for the

phonetical this is that /hich may be aurally detected as /as seen in the terminal letters of

:uhammad and the "erb ر

;$ . As for the implied0 it is that in /hich the terminal portion of

the /ord has phonetic sinularity despite the chane in rammatical case. This lac3 of chane

is due to the impossibility of realisation0 phonetical incon"enience or appropriation. 9or

eample0 On?$Y K ا d ! اوghو 0 The boy0 the 'ude and my ser"ant are callin.

The "erb0 On?$ 0 is in the nominati"e case due to the lac3 of any aent causin subjunction or

obliueness. The noun0 Y K ا 0 is also nominati"e as it is the acti"e participle of the "erb. The

t/o nouns0 d ! اghو 0 are also nominati"e as they are coordinated /ith a nominati"e

noun. The "o/el ad5;hamma is not seen any/here on the terminal portions of these /ords0

due to the impossibility of realisation in Y K ا 0 due to the phonetical incon"enience in On?$

and d ! ا 0 and due to appropriation by the al5a personal pronoun of the first person in

gh . The "o/el ad5;hamma is therefore0 implied0 /ith respect to the terminal portions of

these /ords due to reasons of impossibility of realisation0 phonetical incon"eneience or

appropriation.

9or eample0 RSرY K ب d ! اوghوaZ cY K ا d ! اوـ ـ caا %m K Y ـ ـ dر $Y ـ ـ K ا

d

! او

ghو

0 if the terminal letter is an alif then all of the possibilities in phoneticalchane are stifled due to the impossibilty of realisation0 this terminal letter alif is called t Pا

SOG! 0 the ;isjointed Alif0 as in0ا Y K ا G عا cY&D ا cY>را c dرا c . if the terminal

letter is a a then the "o/els ad5;hamma and al5Masra are stifled due to phonetical

incon"enience. This a is called ]يا \O!# 0 the ;eficient a0 the al59atha is not stifled due

to phonetical ease0 as in0 d ! ا nا? ا cr^غا c n ; ا cت ا cارا c . If the /ord

forms a part of the possessi"e construct /ith the possessor bein the al5a of the first person

then all possibilities of phonetical "ariance are stifled due to appropriation0 for eample0

ghب

M c !$?\ c # اب

crX

C@ c .

It is here the Inflection encounters ] # ا 0 al5,ina210 In"ariability. The author neelcted to

elaborate on In"ariability0 and so /e shall clarify it in the same manner /e clarified

Inflection.

2+ The translation for .0 accordin to =ans ehr is


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In"ariability has t/o meanins0 semantical and technical. As for the semantical meanin it is

that /hich places somethin on somethin else /ith the "ie/ to see3in stasis and

permanence. As for the technical meanin it is that /hich is the permanence of the terminal

portion of the /ord0 al/ays in the same state /ith no effect from aents or defecti"enenss. As

in the permanence of the as5Su3un in Mم c 0 the permanence of the al5Masra in ]ufWc

oاv>i @ c 0 the permanence of the ad5;hamma in v# w ي > c 0 and the permanence of the

al59atha in M cي $@tن . The four endins possible in In"ariablitiy are as5Su3un0 al5Masra0 ad5

;hamma and al59atha.

After the elaboration of /hat has preceded0 3no/lede of the declinable and in"ariable should

no/ present no difficulty. The declinable is that /hich may undero chane in its terminal

portion phonetically or by implication due to a chane in the aent. The in"ariable is that

/hich may not undero any chane it its terminal portion0 permanently fied in its endin

despite any chane in the aent or @the presence of any defecti"eness.

He said : And it #Inflection& has four subdi!isions6

(ominati!e Subjuncti!e7Accusati!e88 9eniti!e and ussi!e85

=e saysK The subdi"isons of Inflection that occurr in the noun and the "erb are four0 the first is

the !ominati"e0 the second is the Accusati"e$Subjuncti"e0 the third is the &eniti"e and the

fourth is the 'ussi"e. ach and e"ery one of these terms has a meanin both in lanuae and a

meanin in the technical terminoloy of &rammar.

As for the !ominati"e it is that /hich in lanuae means hihness and ele"ation. Its technical

meanin is that /hich has "ariation eclusi"ely limited to the ad5;hamma and /hat may be

placed instead of it. The insinia of the nominati"e /ill be eplained shortly in the

forthcomin chapter0 if &od /ills. !omination occurrs in both nouns and "erbs0 for eample0

x?G$E لاoO!$ cل n 0 Ali is standin up0 the nihtinale is sinin.

As for the Subjuncti"e$Accusati"e it is that /hich in lanuae means settlin and straihtness.

Its technical meanin is that /hich has "ariation eclusi"ely limited to al59atha and /hat may

be placed instead of it. Subjuncti"eness$Accusati"eness occurs in both nouns and "erbs0 for

eample0 اA>@E;B ن 0 I /ill ne"er lo"e la?iness.

22 The Arabic term `OG# is applied to both "erbs and nouns0 in nlish it is translated as subjuncti"e

for "erbs and accusati"e for nouns. Carter translates it as dependant.2% Carter translates these subdi"isons as Independence0 ;ependence0 6bliueness and Apocopation0 asdoes =ans ehr0 I ha"e opted to use the translation of Eaymond Schiendlin in his 2+1 Arabic )erbs.

1#


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As for the &eniti"e it is that /hich in lanuae means abasement. Its technical meanin is that

/hich has "ariation eclusi"ely limited to al5Masra and /hat may be placed instead of it. It

does not occurr ecept in the noun. 9or eample0 V= l تQO;B ا 0 I /as distressed from

la?iness.

As for the 'ussi"e it is that /hich in lanuae means se"erin. Its technical meanin is that

/hich has "ariation eclusi"ely limited to as5Su3un and /hat may be placed instead of it. It

does not occurr ecept in the imperfect "erb. 9or eample0 %K$E U ;Mم 0 the idle one did

not succeed.

It has thus been clarified that the "arious types of inflection are three in number K firstly that

/hich is applies to both nouns and "erbs0 and this is the !ominati"e and the

Subjuncti"e$Accusati"e. Secondly that /hich applies only to nouns and this is the &eniti"e0

and thirdly that /hich applies only to "erbs and this is the 'ussi"e.

The Insignia of the (ominati!e

He said : The (ominati!e case has four signs the !owell ad$;hamma the letters al$Alifal$/aw and an$(un"

=e said K The ad5;hamma is a sin of !omination if four instancesK in the sinular noun0 the

bro3en plural0 the sound feminine plural and the imperfect "erb if nothin is suffied to it.

=e says K The ad5;hamma is a sin of nominati"e case in /ords in four instances. The first is

the sinular noun0 the second is the bro3en plural0 the third is the sound feminine plural and

the fourth is the imperfect "erb /hen the alif of duality is not attached to it0 nor the /a/ of plurality0 nor the ya of the second person femeine sinular0 nor the nun of corroboration0 be it

the liht nun or the hea"y nun240 nor the femine nun.

24 The nun of corroboration is of t/o types0 the hea"y and the liht0 the hea"y carries tashdid0 pronounced anna0 and the liht carries su3un0 as in the Bur8anic "erse0 ا h G ر$ ي 'OBي ; ن

1(


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As for the sinular noun0 /hat is intended is that /hich is not dual0 nor plural0 nor attached to

them0 and nor from the 9i"e !ames. It must be masculine0 for eample0 :uhammad0 Ali0

=am?a0 or it must be feminine0 for eample0 9timah0


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As for the sound feminine plural0 /hat is intended is that /hich is reater than t/o0 /ith the

plural form ha"in the letters0 al5Alif and at5Ta0 suffied0 to the sinular form0 hence sound

plural0 e.. R

="

0 9atimas. The dhamma is al/ays eplicit on the sound femine plural0

unless0 of course0 there is appropriation by the al5a of the first person0 e.. .0 my co/sب ! رات

If the letter at5Ta is present as the terminal letter in the sinual form as in0 Rيب@V يب c 0 house0

houses0 then the plural is not a sound femine plural but rather a bro3en plural.

As for the imperfect "erb0 such as0 A B ب`ر H ب c 0 he is hittin0 he is /ritin0 both are

nominati"e0 and their sin of nominti"eness is an eplicit dhamma. In the eamples of0 Ydر $

On?$ c 0 he prays0 he is pleased0 both are nominati"e0 their sin of nominati"eness is an

implicit dhamma0 hidden due to phonetical incon"enience and impossibility of realisation

respecti"ely.

As for our phrase0


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As for the sound masculine plural0 it is that /hich indicates to/ards reater than t/o0 by

recei"in additional consonants in its terminal portion0 namely0 the letters al5/a/ and an5

!un0 e.. aO= ل ;= ا0 the :uslims0 /here the sinular form is left intact /ithin the plural0 the

nouns is nominati"e0 its sin of nominati"eness bein the /a/0 substitutin the dhamma0 as

for the terminal nun0 it is in fact a substitute for the nunation.

As for the 9i"e !ouns0 @ c|Ok@ c|O=> c|Oب X|Oو cQ 0 your father0 your brother0 your

@female male relati"e throuh marriae0 your mouth0 possessor of /ealth0 they are all

nominati"e0 their sin of nominati"eness bein the letter /a/0 substitutin the dhamma. That

/hich succeeds them0 formin a eniti"e construction0 as in possessor of /ealth0 must ta3e

the eniti"e case0 e.. @ cQTب X Oو T B ب .

,e a/are that these 9i"e !ouns do not undero inflection in this /ay unless certain

conditions are met /hich are fourH

i. that it @the noun is sinular. 9or if it /ere plural0 either bro3en or sound0 it /ould

inflect accordin to the rules of the bro3en and sound plurals0 and if it /ere dual

it /ould inflect accordin to the rules of the dual

ii. that it is not a dimuniti"e0 in /hich case it /ould inflect accordin the rule of the

diminuti"e

iii. that it is in a eniti"e construction. If it /ere free of the construction it /ould

then inflect as per a sinular noun.

i". that the eniti"e construction is not /ith the a of the first person.

=e said K The letter al5Alif is a sin of nominati"eness in the dual of the noun0 eclusi"ely.

=e says K The letter al5Alif is a sin of nominati"eness in only one instance0 the dual of the

noun0 e.. a !$?G ا 0 the t/o friends. as5Sadni is nominati"e0 its sin of nomination is the

letter alif substitutin the dhamma0 and the letter nun substitutes the nunation found in thesinular0 } U $?\.

=e said K The letter an5!un is a sin of nominati"eness in the imperfect "erb0 if attached to it

is the pronoun of the dual0 or of the plural0 or of the second person feminine.

22


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=e says K The letter nun is a sin of nominati"eness in only one instance0 the imperfect "erb0

if attached to it is the pronoun of the dual0 /hether it is masculine or feminine0 second or third

person0 e.. aار ; تaار ;$ c 0 they @dual are tra"ellin0 you @dual are tra"ellin 2*. ,oth

"erbs are in the nominati"e0 their sin of nominati"eness bein the letter nun substitutin the

dhamma. The letter alif of the dual is the acti"e participle0 in"ariable /ith su3un0 in the state

of bein nominati"e. And as for the attachin of the pronoun of the plural0 this is the letter

/a/ for the plural of the masculine form0 e.. aO O! تaO O!$ c 0 they are standin0 you are

standin. The "erb is in the nominati"e0 its sin of nominati"eness is the nun substitutin the

dhamma. The letter /a/ is the acti"e particple for the plural0 it is in"ariable /ith su3un0 in

the state of bein nominati"e. The pronoun of the second person feminine sinular is the letter

ya0 e.. 0 you 3no/0 the "erb is in the nominati"e0 its sin of nominati"eness bein theتعر ين

nun substitutin the dhamma. The ya of the second person feminine sinular is the acti"e

particple0 in a state of bein nominati"e.

This roup of "erbs0 /hich ha"e the letter nun as their sin of bein nominati"e are called the

9i"e )erbs.

Insignia of the Subjuncti!e7Accusati!e

He said : The Subjuncti!e7Accusati!e has fi!e signs6 the !owel al$3atha the letter al$

Alif the !owel al$%asra the letter al$


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)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

As for the sinular noun0 and /e ha"e already discussed its nature0 it ta3es a fatha /hen it is

accusati"e0 e.. V ي ! s?#WV ي ! csيل n 0 I met Ali0 I met =ind0 both nouns0 Ali and =ind0 are

sinular nouns0 both are accusati"e0 their sin of accusati"eness bein the eplicit fatha0 e"en

/hilst the first is masculine and the second is feminine. The fatha may also be an implicit one0

e.. V ي

!

Y

K ا

V ي

!

cY يل

0 I met ayla0 I met the youth0 /here the nouns youth and ayla

are both sinular nouns0 both are accusati"e0 their sin of accusati"eness bein an implicit

fatha0 hidden due to the impossibility of realisation.

As for the bro3en plural0 and its nature too has already been discussed0 it ta3es a fatha /hen it

is accusati"e0 e.. V$@SyO#F اV$@S cQجرا 0 I sa/ the =inds0 I sa/ the men0 /here both

nouns are bro3en plurals0 both are accusati"e0 their sin of accusati"eness bein the eplicit

fatha0 e"en /hilst the first is masculine and the second is feminine. The fatha may also be an

implicit one0 e.. اY $Pو@' ODBا P Q {S BCاN # تر} P both nouns are accusati"e0 their sin of

accusati"eness bein an implicit fatha0 hidden due to the impossibility of realisation.

As for the imperfect "erb0 e.. KM nي nلي >' رxن P0 e /ill not cease bein its

/orshippers /here the "erb to cease is subjuncti"e due to the presence of the particle 0 itsن

sin of subjuncti"eness bein the eplicit fatha. The fatha may also be an implicit one0 e.. ن

Ydر $X CPا 0 the teacher /ill not be pleased0 /here the "erb to be pleased is subjuncti"e

due to the presence of the particleن

0 the sin of subjuncti"eness bein an implicit fatha.

If one of the pronouns0 such as of the dual0 plural or second person femine sinular0 suffies

to the imperfect "erb0 /hich subseuently underoes subjuncti"e inflection0 the sin of

subjuncti"eness is the elision of the letter an5!un. A full chapter dealin /ith this follo/s

shortly.

If the nun of corrorboration0 /hether it is the hea"y or the liht one0 suffies to the imperfect

"erb0 e..


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He said : The letter al$Alif is a sign of the subjuncti!e case in the 3i!e (ouns e"g" CD3#

&>3&F3+ I saw your father and your brother"

=e says K It has already been discussed that the 9i"e !ouns ha"e the letter /a/ as their sin

of the nominati"eness0 the letter alif as their sin of subjuncti"eness and the letter ya as their

sin of eniti"eness0 as ha"e the conditions pertainin to their inflection. In the follo/in

eamples0 all the 9i"e !ouns are accusati"e0 their sin of accusati"eness bein the alif

substitutin the fatha0 V$@S|ب@| k@و| =>و| وXوQT 0 and all are the first half of a

eniti"e construction0 ecept for Q 0 /hich is the second half of one.

He said : The !owel al$%asra is a sign of subjuncti!e case in the sound femine plural"

=e says K The nature of the sound feminine plural has already been discussed. The sound

feminine plural has the "o/el 3asra as its sin of accusati"eness0 e.. V$@SR = ل ;= ا} ل k c

وا~SPا O=; اRال > 0 I sa/ the :uslim /omen0 &od created the =ea"ens and the arth.

The nouns0 al5muslimt and as5Sama/t0 are both sound feminine plurals0 and are both

accusati"e. Their sin of accusati"eness is the 3asra substitutin the fatha. The noun0 al5Ardh0

has been included to sho/ clearly the difference bet/een the sinular noun and the sound

feminine plural0 /hilst both are in the accusati"e state.

He said : The letter al$


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=e says K The nature of the 9i"e )erbs had already been discussed. It is possible to detect the

effect of subjuncti"e inflection /hen the nun that is normally suffied to the 9i"e )erbs has

been elided0 e.. ت Hرب cت Hرب H$ c Oرب c Oت Hرب H$ cربن 0 they @dual

masculine /ill not stri3e0 you @dual masculine /ill not stri3e0 they @plural masculine /ill

not stri3e0 you @plural masculine /ill not stri3e0 you @feminine sinular /ill not stri3e0 the

"erbs here are all subjuncti"e0 their sin of subjuncti"eness bein the elision of the nun

substitutin the dhamma.

The Insignia of the 9eniti!e

He said : The geniti!e has three signs6 the !owel al$%asra the letter al$


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=e says K As for the 9i"e !ouns0 their nature and the conditions by /hich they undero

inflection ha"e already been discussed. They ta3e the letter ya as their sin in the eniti"e0

e.. RSرb يبl بRSر crv بQT 0 I met your father0 I met the possessor of /ealth0 both

nouns0 ab3 and dh5ml0 are eniti"e due to the presence of the preposition0 their sin of

eniti"eness bein the letter ya substitutin the 3asra.

The ya is also the sin for eniti"eness for the dual of the noun and the sound masculine

plural0 e.. RSريلجربRSر cي = ل ;= ب 0 I met the t/o men0 I met the :uslims0 the

difference bein in the "o/ellin0 /hich is identical to that in the accusati"e. ,oth nouns are

eniti"e due to the presence of the preposition0 their sin of eniti"eness bein the ya

substitutin the 3asra.

He said : The !owel al$3atha is a sign of the geniti!e in the semi$declinable noun"

=e says K As for the meanin of


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The Insignia of the ussi!e

He said : The jussi!e has two signs the sukun and elision" The suk>n is a sign of the

jussi!e in the imperfect !erb which has a sound ending"

=e says K The su3un indicates only one thin0 the jussi"e case of the imperfect "erb /hich has

a sound endin. As for the meanin of


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)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

did not stri3e0 you @dual did not stri3e0 they @plural did not sti3e0 you @plural did not stir3e0

you @feminine sinular did not stri3e0 each of the "erbs is in the jussi"e case due to the

presence of a particle /hich causes jussi"eness0 their sin of jussi"eness bein the elision of

the nun.

The Inflected

He said : The inflected are of two types6 those which undergo inflection through change

in the !owels and those which undergo inflection through change in the consonants"

=e says K The author0 may &od ha"e mercy upon him0 desired to further clarify inflection in

this summarisin chapter. =e has chosen to present the sub5chapters of inflection as bein of

eiht cateoriesH

i. the sinular noun

ii. the bro3en plural

iii. the sound feminine plural

i". the imperfect "erb /hich has no suffies

". the dual of the noun

"i. the sound masculine plural"ii. the 9i"e !ouns

"iii. the 9i"e )erbs0

all of /hich fall into t/o main cateoriesH those /hich undero inflection throuh chane in

the "o/els and those /hich undero inflection throuh chane in the consonants.

He said : Those which undergo inflection through change in the !owles are of four types6

the singular noun the broken plural the sound feminine plural and the imperfect !erb

which has no suffixes"

2(


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=e says K The "o/els are three0 the dhamma0 the fatha and the 3asra0 the su3un is anneed to

the "o/els as it sho/s "o/el5lessness.

i. the sinular noun0 e.. A M? U =D Cرا‚? يب 0 :uhammad /rote the letter

/ith his o/n hand. In this eample it is clear ho/ a sinular noun may undero

inflection from the nominati"e /ith its sin a dhamma0 to the accusati"e /ith its

sin a fatha0 to the eniti"e /ith its sin a 3asra0 /here the /ord :uhammad is

nominati"e0 ar5Eisalah is accusati"e and yadih is eniti"e.

ii. the bro3en plural0 e.. ƒK>`g„ اNو S? اA B ا 0 the students learnt their

lessons from the boo3s. In this eample it is clear ho/ a bro3en plural may

undero inflection /ith identical sins to the sinular noun0 /here at5tulb is

nomiti"e0 ad5durGs is accusati"e and al53utub is eniti"e.

iii. the sound feminine plural0 e.. …jkR # f= ا Rا O ل G ا 0 the belie"in

/omen had humilty in the prayers. In this eample it is clear ho/ a sound

feminine plural may undero inflection0 /here al5mu


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&eniti"eness al/ays ta3es as its sin 3asra0 e.. RSر? T =D= بQجراوR # f= او?=>@و 0 I

passed be :uhammad and the men and the belie"in /omen0 each of the nouns is eniti"e

sho/in its sin of eniti"eness0 the 3asra0 ecept for the semi5declinable noun /hich sho/s

eniti"eness by the fatha.

'ussi"eness only applies to the imperfect "erb0 /hich0 if it has no suffies and has a sound

endin0 /hen jussi"e ta3es as its sin the su3un0 e.. ;$? Uم k 0 Mhalid did not tra"el0

the "erb is jussi"e due to the presence of a particle /hich causes jussi"eness0 its sin bein

the su3un. If the "erb has a /ea3 endin0 then it sin of jussi"eness is the elision of its

terminal /ea3 letter0 e.. $! $ cJر $ cpر~م 0 he /as not pleased0 he did not hope0 he

did not jude0 each "erb is jussi"e0 its sin of jussi"eness bein the elision of its terminal

/ea3 consonant0 indictaed by the presence of the "o/el at the end of the "erb0 the fatha

sho/in the former presence of an alif0 the dhamma sho/in the former presence of a /a/

and the 3asra sho/in the former presence of a ya.

He said : Those which undergo inflection through consonantal change are four types6

the dual of the noun the sound masculine plural the 3i!e (ouns and the 3i!e 1ebs

which are G)'HDG)'HI G=!'HD G=!'HI $%!'HI "

=e says K The second cateory of inlection is that /hich underoes inflection throuh a

chane in its consonants0 the letters /hich are sins of inflection are four0 the alif0 the /a/0the ya and the nun. The types of /ords /hich undero inflection /ith these letters as their

sins of inflection are fourH

i. the dual of the noun0 e.. ag جراaب M c 0 the t/o men0 t/o boo3s0

ii. the sound masculine plura0 e.. aO= ل ;= اaو?F &= ا c 0 the :uslims0 the hard

/or3ers0

iii. the 9i"e !ouns0 e.. |O ب@|Ok@ c|O=> c|O cX cQT 0 your father0 your

brother0 your @female male relati"e throuh marriae0 your mouth0 possessor of

/ealth0i". the 9i"e )erbs0 e.. ag ع K$ag ع K ت caO لع K$ caO لع K ت cيلع K ت c 0they @dual are

doin0 you @dual are doin0 they @plural are doin0 you @plural are doin0 you

@feminine sinular are doin.

He said : The dual of the noun shows nominati!eness with an alif and shows

accusati!eness and gentii!enss with a ya"

%1


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)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

=e says K The first of the /ords /hich undero inflection throuh a chane in the consonants

is the dual of the noun. It sho/s an alif substitutin a dhamma /hilst in the nominati"e0 it

sho/s a ya substitutin a fatha or a 3arsa in the accusati"e and eniti"e respecti"ely. The

terminal nun0 /hich substitutes the nunation found in the sinular0 is not elided ecept if it

forms the first half of eniti"e construct. The dual of the noun therefore chanes from0 ag ج S0

t/o men0 in the nominati"e to0 . S0 in both the accusati"e and eniti"eجلين

He said : The sound masculine plural shows the waw as its sign of nominati!eness and

the ya as its sign of subjuncti!eness and geniti!eness"

=e says K The second of the /ords /hich undero inflection throuh a chane in the

consonants is the sound masculine plural. It sho/s a /a/ in the nominati"e0 and a ya in both

the accusati"e and eniti"e0 e.. aO= ل ;= ا 0 the :uslims chanes to 0 from theا ;= ل = ين

nominati"e to the accusati"e or entii"e. The nun0 aain0 is not elided ecpet if the sound

masculine plural forms the first half of a eniti"e construct.

He said : The 3i!e (ouns show the waw as their sign of nominati!eness the alif as their

sign of accusati!eness and the ya as their sign of geniti!eness"

=e says K The third type of /ord /hich underoes inflection throuh a chane in the

consonants is any of the 9i"e !ouns. All of the 9i"e !ouns ha"e the /a/ as their sin in the

nominati"e0 the alif in the accusati"e and the ya in the eniti"e0 e.. Y„n@|O ب@| k@ Cرا

rXQTن 0 your father a"e the letter from the possessor of /ealth to your brother. The

/a/ substitutes the dhamma0 the alif substitutes the fatha and the ya substitutes the 3asra.

He said : The 3i!e 1erbs show as their sign of nominati!eness the suffixing of the nun

and its elision in the subjuncti!e and jussi!e"

=e says K The fourth type of /ord /hich underoes inflection throuh a chane in the

consonants is any of the 9i"e )erbs. All of them are suffied by a nun /hilst in the

nominati"e0 the nun is elided in the subjuncti"e and jussi"e0 e.. ag ع K$ag ع K ت caO لع K$ cc

aO لع K تيلع K ت c 0 become0 ت Kعل cت Kعل K$ c Oعل c Oت Kع K$ cgع gم 0 /here the

first three eamples are jussi"e0 their sin of jussi"eness bein the elision of the nun

substitutin the su3un0 the latter t/o are subjuncti"e0 their sin of subjuncti"eness bein the

elision of the nun substitutin the fatha.

%2


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The 1erbs

He said : The !erbs are of three types6 perfect imperfect and imperiti!e e"g" "J K J LJ

"M K N O P DJ +J"P K N LP ا he struck he is striking and strike?

=e says K )erbs are di"ided into three cateoriesH

i. the perfect0 /hich denotes an action ha"in occured before the time of its bein

mentioned0 meanin in the past0 e.. d G' ce ر` c 0 he struc30 he helped0 he

opened.

ii. the imperfect0 /hich denotes an action occurrin /hilst it is bein mentioned orafter its mentionin0 e.. H$ G#$ ce K$ cر` 0 he is stri3in0 he is helpin0 he is

openin0 in all cases the meanin may also be he /ill be stri3in0 he /ill be

helpin0 he /ill be openin.

iii. the imperiti"e0 /hich denotes an action occurrin after the time of its bein

mentioned0 e.. cا ce ا' Gا dر` 0 stri3eL helpL openL

The @ules go!erning the 1erb

He said : The perfect !erb always terminates with a fatha the imperiti!e always

terminates with a sign of jussi!eness and the imperfect !erb is that which begins with

one of the four letters that are gathered in the acronym C%03 alif nun ya and ta it is

always nominati!e until a particle of subjuncti!eness or jussi!eness causes it to undergo

inflection"

=e says K After eplainin the cateories of "erbs0 the author0 has eplained the rules

o"ernin each of them.

=e has declared the perfect "erb to be in"ariable0 /ith a fatha as its terminal "o/el0 /hich

may be eplicit or implicit.

As for the eplicit fatha0 this is seen in the "erb /hich has a stron endin0 e.. d G' ccر`

e 0 also in "erbs /hich end in a /a/ or a ya0 e.. dS cور C .

%%


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)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

As for the implicit fatha0 this is of three typesH

i. implicit due to the impossibilty of realisation0 this is in the case of all "erbs

endin /ith the letter alif0 e..

nyY ع

C c 0 /here the alif is substitutin the fatha0

ii. implicit due to the suffiin of the /a/ of the plural0 e.. d cرب O M Oا 0 /here

the /a/ pre"ents the endin ha"in fatha0

iii. implicit due to the suffiin of any of the pronouns0 e.. V MV M cV M cc

M # M cن 0 I /rote0 you @masculine sinular/rote0 you @feminine sinular

/rote0 they @feminine plural/rote0 /e /rote0 /here the suffied pronouns

pre"ent the endins ha"in fatha.

The imperiti"e is in"ariable0 upon the jussi"e form of its imperfect. If its imperfect /as of

sound endin0 then the lam of the "erb has an eplicit su3un0 e.. cا ce ا' Gا dر` 0 or in

the case of the suffiin of the nun of corroraboration to the femine plural0 an implicit su3un0

e.. cا Mا dربن . If the imperiti"e /as of /ea3 endin0 then the elision of the terminal

/ea3 consonant occurs0 e.. yاJ_ا c . If its imperfect /as of the 9i"e )erbs0 then the

elision of the nun occurs0 e.. Mا O Mا c Mا c .

The imperfect "erb is reconised by the prefiin of the one of the four letters0 alif0 ta0 ya or

nun. The alif /ith ham?a denotes the first person0 e..م

F

@0 the ta denotes the second personand the third person feminine sinular0 the ya denotes the third person0 and nun denotes the

first person see3in self5manification or /hen spea3in on behalf of one /ith him other than

himself0 e..

first person sinular E ع @ Alif second person masculine sinular

third person feminine sinular

second person feminine sinular

second person dual

third person feminine dual

second person masculine plural

second person feminine plural

E ع K ت

E ع K ت

ت Kعلين

ag ع

K ت Kع agت

aO لع K ت

ت Kعلن

Ta

second person masculine sinular

second person masculine dual

second person masculine plural

second person feminine plural

E ع K$

ag ع K$

aO لع K$

علن

K$

a

%4


35/36

)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

first person plural E ع K' !un

If any of these aumented letters correspond /ith the initial letter of the "erb such as in0 EM† c

E!' 0 then it must be noted such "erbs do not ha"e the aumented letter prefied and are

therefore perfect "erbs0 not imperfect "erbs.

The imperfect "erb is able to undero inflection pro"ided that it is not suffied by the nun of

corroboration or the nun of the feminine0 e.. ا h G ر$ ي 'OBي ; ن P Q Rا? ا O او

. $ Pر dعن

If0 then it is able to undero inflection0 it is al/ays nominati"e0 unless it is preceeded by a

particle causin subjuncti"eness or jussi"eness0 e.. FK$ 0 is nominati"e0م $ FKن 0 is

subjuncti"e and0 $ FKم 0 is jussi"e.

%-


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)*+,-.+/01, 34 536 570,+ 589:+.

+ibliography

Abdul =amid0 :0 At-Tuhfa As-Saniyya bi Sharhi al-Muqadima Al-Ajrumiya0 :a3taba al5

Asiriya ,eirut 1((-

ad5;ar/ish0 :0 ‘Irāb al-#ur$an al-Kar&m wa 'ayānuhu0 ;ar Ibn Mathir 1(((

Carter0 :0 Studi"s in th" ist(ry (f Arabi) !in*uisti)s +(l ,0 'ohn ,enjamins Amsterdam

1(#1

Ibn ni"ersity Dress 1(#+

Bur8an Translations

Asad0 :0 Th" M"ssa*" (f th" #ur$an0 ;ar al5Andalus0 &ibraltar 1(#+

Arberry0 Th" K(ran Int"r8r"t"d 0 &eore Allen >n/in0 ondon 1(--

al5=ilali$Mhan0 Th" 4(bl" #ur$an0 :a3taba ;ar us5Salm Saudi Arabia 1((*

Dic3thall0 :0 Th" 7l(ri(us K(ran0 &eore Allen >n/in0 ondon 1(7*

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