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


(diligence),

( success, passing), etc.

( word) can consist of:

The
( in, with) in
(1) one letter, like the
( In the Name of Allah), and

the
( question article) in

[ Have we not open for
you (your bosom)],
(2) two letters, like: "

" (from, of), "

" (in, at),
(3) three letters, like: "

" (grapes), " " (trees),

(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).

2

The Types of Word (

)

: " " :
" "
" " "
" "
"



" " " " "
" :
" " " " " " : " "

) are divided into three types:

They (i.e. the
a typed called "
( " wrote), "
" (verb), like: " ( " write/will
( " Write!),
write), and "
a type called "
( "noun), like: "


" (Muhammad), "

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

a type called "

" (particle), like: " " (question article), "

" (in)
( "did not)
and "

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) ( write/will write) ( Write!)

( rolled)
( roll/will roll)



(Roll!)

(went)
(go/will go)

(Go!)

(extracted)



(extract/will extract)

(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:

3
" ( "apple), "( "earth), "


" (Muhammad), "

" (sparrow), "

" (heaven, sky), " " (sun), "
" (moon), and other examples which we

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), "
( "did not), "
" (in, at), " " (from, of), "( " to,

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

4

The Categories of Verb (
)

" :
"
:


" " : " " :

The is divided into three categories:

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

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

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

Explanation:

are limited to three types:

You have learnt previously that all the
(verb),

(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

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

( "extracted).
The
is that which denotes the occurrence of an action in the present tense (

)or future tense (
), like: " ( " write, will write), "

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

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

5
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)].

6

Masculine and Feminine (
)

"
" :
:


"

"
"

" :
"
" "
"
" "

The
is divided into two categories:

(masculine), like: "

" (Ali), "

" (camel) and "

"
(stallion), and

(feminine), like: " ( "she-camel) and "
" (Aishah), " "
Explanation:

You already know that:

is of three types:
the
(verb),
( noun) and
(particle),
and
the in turn is of three types:

(past),


(present or future) and

(command).

Know now that the

is of two types:

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

" (Ali), "
" (Husain), " " (camel), " ( "mule), " " (stallion), "
" (donkey), " " (cat), etc.
(feminine), which is every that denotes a female, like: "
"
(Aishah), " " (Fatimah), "
" (Azizah), " ( "she-camel), " "
(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
in form only, like " ( "book), "
" (pen), etc.

Similarly, the
can either be

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


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

7


The Singular, Dual and Plural (
)

:

:


"
" " " :




" " : " " " "
"
"
"
"

The
is also divided into three (more) categories:

(singular), like: " " (a very good man), and
(a very

good woman),

(dual), like: " " (two very good men in the nom. case) or "


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

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

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

(plural), like: "
" (very good men in the nom. case) or "




" (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),

8


(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).

9

The Categories of Plural (
)

: :
:
"" "" " "


" "
" " " "

" "
" "

The is further subdivided into two categories:

(broken plural), like: " " (very good people), "

( " books), " ( "pens), and



(sound plural), like: "
" or " " (very
good men) and " " (very good women), and when it refers to
masculine it is called "

" (sound masculine plural),
and when it refers to feminine it is called "

" (sound
feminine plural).

Explanation:

can be
You have learnt previously that the
, 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:

(a)


(sound masculine plural), like: " " (in the nom.
case) or "

" (in the acc. and gen. cases), and " " (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,
and
(b)



(sound feminine plural), like: " " and "





" , as regards every
which has an and suffixed to its
singular form.
10
 The Composition of Speech ( )

" "

"
From words informative sentences are constructed, and they are called "
(Speech)

Explanation:

do not exceed three types: the

We know from what has gone before that all the

, the and the . It is clear that to understand what is
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: "

" (Ali is coming
or approaching) or a verb and a noun, like: "

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

[Note that the occurrence of a

(particle) before the or the
does

not affect the status of the as a



or a




]

11

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
you come?), for the
( throughout) in
in " "adheres strictly to the
it is not allowed for it (i.e. the ) to ever part from the no matter
how the constructions might change, and

of them there is that whose ending exists in different modes and states, and is called "
" (declinable), like: the word " ( "heaven, sky) in your statement:
"
( "The sky is clear), "
" (The
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 ( "did not),
like "
the
like " " (where),
the like "
( "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

exceed four: the , the

, the and the
.

whose ending adheres strictly to the

Every
is said to be: "

" (built or fixed on the ( "did not), "

) , like " ( "will
not), " " (from), "

" (of, about), "
" (in), etc.

whose ending adheres strictly to the

Every
is said to be: "


" (built or fixed on the

), like "

" (where), "

( "we), "

" (since, from), etc.

whose ending adheres strictly to the

Every is said to be: "

" (built or fixed on the ), like " ( " hoping,

( "where), "
hopefully, perhaps), " ( "then, thereafter), etc.
Every is said to be: "
whose ending adheres strictly to the

" (built or fixed on the ) , like the and in your

statement: " ( "Progress is/comes with diligence) and "

" (For every diligent person there is a share/portion).
That a particular is on a
, or a , or a , or 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.

"is
When someone says to you: By what means do you know that "
on the
and the on the

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

on the
for example?
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)

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

(indeclinable words) in
comparison to the

(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 are all the

( particles) and like wise 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) "


( "relative pronouns), like "
{ "that which, who (masc.
sing.)} and " { " that which, who (fem. sing.)}, and some of which is called "
( "indicative/demonstrative pronouns), like "
" {(this
(masc. sing.)} and "
" {this (fem. sing.)}, and some of which are called "

( "conditional pronouns),like " " (whosoever) and "
" (whatever).
Explanation:

are not all

You already know that the (indeclinable) nor all


(declinable). Rather, some of them are

and some of them are

. Also, it has

are of three types:
been mentioned to you previously that the ( verbs),



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

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?)

( composed of three letters), like: "
(3) ( "all of a sudden, suddenly), " "
( "to), "
(Alas!), " ( "indeed, verily), "
" (will, shall), "
" (on, on top
( " I wish) and "
of), "
( "yes), like:





( 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]
( Yes) in response to someone saying: "

( " Will you
spend it in the way of Good?)

(4)

( composed of four letters), like: "
( " if), " ( " except, excluding), "

( "as for), " ( "either/or), "

" (until, up to including, even), " ( " as if) and "

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

( It was only revealed to me that
your Lord is One God)





( Yusuf is wealthy but he is stingy)
As for the

( verbs):

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:


I
Me
We Us

You (masc. sing.) You (masc. sing.)

You (fem. sing.) You (fem. sing.)

You (masc. fem. dual) You (masc. fem. dual)

You (masc. pl.) You (masc. pl.)

You (fem. pl.) You (fem. pl.)

He
Him
She Her
They (masc. fem. dual) Them (masc. fem. dual)
They (masc. pl.) Them (masc. pl.)
They (fem. pl.) Them (fem. pl.)

These are called "


( "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
, then its change is by means of the

, the

and the .

The change:
by means of the
",
is called "
by means of the
( is called) " ",
by means of the ( is called) "
" and
by means of the ( is called) " "
The

, the , the
and the

are said to

be the "



" (primary signs of
declinability).

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.
these modes or states) are four: the

, the , the
and the

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

by means of the ( is called) "
".

21
Hence, it is said that the types of declinability (

)are:
, ,
and
, and the
, the , the
and the
are

said to be the "


" (primary signs of declinability).

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

just as

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 (





)

.


.






.

."

"

( dual) is:

The


(i.e. declined in the case of ) with the and

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

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

The



(sound masculine plural) is:

with the and

and with the .
The




(sound feminine plural) is:



with the .
[As for being
and


it takes the standard declension, that is,
with the and

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

" (secondary signs).

Explanation:

You already know that:

the


(primary sign of ) is the ,
,
the
) ) (primary sign of ) is the
) is the
The ) ) (primary sign of and
) is the
The ) ) (primary sign of .
Moreover, there exist also


(secondary signs)which take the place of
these (primary) signs in certain types of the as will be mentioned.

23
Thus:

is:

(1) the

with the in place of the

( i.e.





) ,

like: " " (two men were present here)
and with the in place of the and the
(i.e.




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

(2) the


is:
with the
in place of the ( i.e. ) ,
like: " " (The engineers left / went out)
and with the in place of the and the
(i.e.



), like: "

" (I bid the engineers farewell) and
" ( " I looked at the engineers).
(3) the




is

in place of the
with the

(i.e.


) like: "

" (I planted trees). As for its and , it is declined with the two

primary signs: the and the , like: " ( " The
trees are ripe) and "

" (I brought other trees).

24

Declining the Weak Verb (


)

"

"



." "
" " " ":



.

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

is an
, 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
throw/cast).
As for it is apparent (i.e. or uttered and pronounced) on the


and implied (i.e.
and
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), "
"
(strive/will strive) and " ( " meet/will meet), or
a , like: "
( " call/will call), "
( "rise/will rise) and " ( " play/will

play) or
a , like: "

( " throw/will throw), "


( "disobey/will disobey) and "

( "walk/will walk),
then, it is called "


" (the weak ending verb).
The of the

is not by means of the

(which is the standard declension) but rather by means of dropping of its (weak) ending in
place of the
( i.e. ) . The dropping of the ending (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).
[Note that in these examples the at the end of "

" , " "and "

" indicates that an
has been dropped, the

at the end of ", "

25

""and " " indicates that a has been dropped and the at the end
of "
", " " and " "indicates that a has been dropped].
As for it being


and
, it is (so) by means of the


except that:

(the two primary signs): the

and the

the is

(implicit i.e. implied and assumed to exist in the mind of the
Arabic user only) in the case of the

due to


( i.e. the
impossibility of vowelling it, that is, vowelling the ) but is (explicit
i.e. uttered and pronounced) in the case of the and the ( due to the ease
with which the is pronounced on these two letters), and

the
is (implicit) in the case of the due to ( i.e.

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



)

The

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:

with the attachment of the
( i.e.
) in

place of the

and



and


with the dropping thereof (i.e.


) in place of the and the

.

Explanation:

When the
is predicated of:



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


men write/will write) and " ( " You two write/will write), or
the (i.e. of the masculine plural), like:


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

the ( i.e. of the second person feminine), like: "
( " you write/will write fem. sing.)
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.)

These

( verbs) and their likes are called "

( "the five
forms / patterns).
Moreover, the and the

are among 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.

from among the

Every

(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 , the change of the is confined to , and
, 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 every sentence (
) in which it occurs after one of the following
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

"
"like: "

" (I came in order to learn)
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
in every

(sentence) in which it occurs after one of the
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: [


(Allah has given you relief), " ( " Our garden bears
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


(declinable
words).

34
 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 (

"
" :
"


" "

"

) is every construction like: "

The first (place of






( " Muhammad memorised the book) and "




( "The intelligent person seeks knowledge), and the , then, is
called " " (doer/subject of verbal sentence).

Explanation:

When you see someone called "

" , for example, cutting ( )a branch (
) from a tree, and you want to state or report that event, you say: "
" (Mahmud cut the branch). Now, the word "
" which denotes
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
is called a " " (doer/subject of a verbal sentence), and it is necessary for it to be
, and the word " "which indicates the thing onto which the action
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) in "


" (Muhammad
memorised the book),
" ( "intelligent person) in "

( " The intelligent
person seeks knowledge),
"( "Allah) in "
" (Allah created humanity),
"( "the wolf) in "
( " The wolf eats/is eating the flock),

( " the Prophets) in "
"
( " The Prophets guided the
people) and
" ( "the people) in "
( " The people hate the
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 (
)

"
"
"
:

"
"



"

The second (place of

) is every construction like: "

"

(The book was memorised) and "
( " Knowledge is sought or
acquired), and the
is, then, called "
( "Agent/Deputy of
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).
Thus, you drop the and you put in its place the word denoting that onto which

the action occurred which is the word "

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

"
occupying the place of the ) that it (i.e. "

) "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
(past tense verb), its initial letter is vowelled with a and the
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 book) in "
the word "

" (The book was memorised),

" ( "knowledge) in "

( " Knowledge is sought or acquired),

" ( " humankind) in " " (Humankind was created),
" ( "the sheep) in " ( "The sheep is being eaten),
" ( "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.
the ) are transformed into the constructions of the second place (i.e. the

) by dropping the and vowelling the first letter of the
with

37
a or a
and the second last letter with a
based on what you know
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
is called "

" (Subject) and the second " " (Predicate).
Explanation:

The complete sentence is either (a) composed of a

and an
and the latter is
either the or 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 "

" (subject) and the second " " (predicate), and it is necessary that
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


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


as we know already. However, when "

" enters upon them the is called "

( "Noun) of " " and the
is called "
" (predicate) of " " . Moreover it is necessary that the first be
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
Similar to " " (in terms of function and its effect on the
and
) are "

" (became) and all the ( verbs) mentioned after it, like:
" " (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



" (Truly, the garden is bearing fruit) and the first is called "
( "Noun) of " ". Similar to "
( "truly, indeed) are:
"
( "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:

We know that when " " or any of the

mentioned with it enters upon the

and , then the first is

and the second


.
Know now that when "
"enters upon them (i.e. the and
) , then the
first is


and the second
, the exact opposite and converse of " ",

and the first is also called "
"but of " . Thus, you say
"and the second its
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 "
( "in terms of function and its effect on the and
) are
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

) is like "
" in "






( " Muhammad memorised the book) and is called "



"
(direct object).
Explanation:

Every action that occurs in the world has to have a (doer / agent) doing and

executing it, and sometimes this action is transferred and made to occur on something-else.

The word denoting the one from whom the action occurs is called " " (doer / agent)

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 "

"a

because
( i.e. the action of cutting)
occurs on it (i.e. "
) ".

Similar to " "in this example are:

" in "
" " (Muhammad memorised the book),
" "in " ( " The intelligent person seeks knowledge),
" " in " " (Allah created humankind),

( " The wolf is eating the sheep),
" "in "
"
"in "
( " The prophets guided the people) and
" "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
which the action of the occurs) is a

instead and it is necessary
for it to be
as was discussed previously.

45

The Absolute / Unqualified Object (

)

" "
"
:
"

"

"

The second (category of

) is like "

" in "








( " Muhammad really memorised the book) and is called "
" (Absolute / Unqualified object).
Explanation:

When you say: "

" (The guard killed the thief), the listener

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

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


" (The guard really killed the thief). The word "
"
is called "
" and it is necessary that it be

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

" " in "

" (Muhammad really memorised
the book),
" " in "
( " The Prophets really guided
the people),
"
" in "


( "The intelligent person proceeds
in a praiseworthy fashion),
as well as whatever resembles these examples as regards every denoting the very
action that the is performing (in the real and not metaphorical sense).

46
 The Object of Reason (


)

" " "

:
"
" "

The third (category of

) is like "
"in

"



" (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),
" " in "
( " The city was beautified 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 "
" and "

"in
"






" (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.

The word " ( "adverb of time) and the word "

" is called "

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

" and it is necessary that they be


.
Similar to "

" is:
"

" (late afternoon / evening),
"
( "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 / while / indefinite period),
"

" (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

) is like "
"in "






" (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.

Each of the words " "in the first example and "
"in the second example is

called "




" (object of accompaniment) and is

and the
which is before it is called "

" (the Waw of Accompaniment).
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
occurring after " " is called "


" (excluded / excepted) and is


.
Similar to "

" in the first example are:

"
" in "




" (Muhammad memorised the
book except / excluding one page) and
" "in "



( "All metals rust except /
excluding gold).

occurring after the word " " which is not preceded by

Such is the case with every
negation.

51
 )
The State or Condition (

" "
" " "
:



" " " " "

The seventh (category of

) is like "
" or "

" in
"




" (Muhammad memorised the book
sitting) or "


" (He memorised it while it is correct) and
is called "
" (State or Condition).

Explanation:

When you say: "


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

However, when you say: "

" (Amin drank the water
standing), you have in fact clarified the state or condition in which Amin was at the time of
drinking, and when you say: "


" (Muhammad drank the

water in pure form), you have in fact also clarified the state or condition of the water at the
time of drinking. Thus, the word " " or " "is called a " " (state or
condition) and it is necessary for it to be


.
Similar to these two examples are:

"
" or " " in "




" (Muhammad
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

) is like "

"in "


( "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]
"



( "I bought

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

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 (

"
"

" " "
:


"
"
"
" "

The ninth (category of

) is like "
"and "


"in "

"
(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 second and "

"in the third is called "

" (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


(particle of
addressing).

54
 The Predicate of " "

) " ")

"


"
"

"
:


.("
" )

The tenth (category of

) is like "

" in "




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

Two


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

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

) is like "
" in "



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

Two


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


and
is called " ( "Noun of " " ) and the second is 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 .
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
occurs after a
(particle) from among these

(particles) called "


" (particles of / genitive particles / prepositions),
and they are:

"

" (from, of), like: "






" (Mahmud travelled
from Cairo) and "

( " The rain descended or fell
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 "
( " By
Allah! Falsehood will not be supreme).

58

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
to anyone. So when he says: "
" (The servant of the emir
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 "
" and the word " "is called "


".
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 ( )

: " "
:

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

,
except that the declension (
and )of a
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 (



)of words. As for the
secondary declension (


), 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 "
" (and others like it) is called a " "or " " (qualifying or attributive
adjective) and it is necessary that it be due to following the word " "
which is
on account of it being a . Should the first be 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 and "
" is a qualifying it being

(as a result).
Similarly in the case of , like: "


( "I am asking or
enquiring about a small bag); the word " " is
by means of " " and "
" is a qualifying it being (as a result).
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 ( )

": "

" " " "

"


"



." "" " " " " "" "" " :

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


"in: "



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

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

once and then mention the two ( nouns) thereafter separated by a
(meaning and), such that we say: "
( " The pen and
inkpot broke). That which occurs after the is called " " (conjoined word)
and that which is before it is called "
" (word to which the
is conjoined).

It is necessary for the to follow that which comes before it in the formers

specific type of

. Thus, the word "

":
in this example is

due it following the word " "which is

as a ,

in "


( "I broke the pen and the inkpot)


due

to it following " "which is


as a


and
in "




" (I was surprised at the breaking of
the pen and the inkpot) due it following "
"which is


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
Commander himself came) and " "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
spoke with such-and-such a person) without stating the word "
"after the persons

name. The reason for this (i.e. the use of "
"in the case of the Sultan but not so in the
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
from the mind of the listener he adds the word " "in order to convey thereby that he
had spoken with Sultan himself and not one of his subordinates. It is for this reason that this
word is called "
( "corroboration / intensification).
The

follows what is before it in the latters
. Thus, the word "
":

in the previous example is

due to it following the word "
"
which is


as a
,
in "
" (The Sultan himself was present)

because what is before it is as a and
in "


( "I entered the residence of the Sultan
himself)
because what is before it is as a .
"
"with respect to what was discussed is the word "
Similar to the word "
like: "


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

"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),

"


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

"


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

"or "
Thus, the word "
" follows what is before it in the latters
and
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 "

( "substitute), like: "

" in: "






( "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. "

" ) is (i.e.
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
place of
, , or
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
 ["

" is a

and indeclinable and built on a in a place of
] ,

"
" :
(




"
"

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

"








":
("

"



" "
(

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

" , " is a and the is a 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 comprise the , the
and 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:

"




( " Let no one postpone todays work until
tomorrow):

:" "
.
.
" "



:" "


:" "
:" "
:" "




:" "

. " "

and likewise you extend the rule to other similar cases.

70