THE

GLOWING

GIFT

A Commentary on

the al-Muqaddimah al-Ajurrumiyyah

By Sh. Muhammad Muhyiddin AbdulHamid

2

The Author – popularly known as "

", born in the year 672 (AH) and died in the year 723 (AH) (May Allah have

mercy on him) – said:

I ( ) say:

The word has two senses: the first is lexical and the second is grammatical.

As for in the lexical sense, it is that through which a message is conveyed

whether it be an utterance ( ) or not, such as writing, signaling, etc.

As for in the grammatical sense, it is that which must comprise four things: (1) it

must be an utterance ( ), (2) it must be a compound ( ), (3) it must convey a

self-contained meaning ( ) and (4) it must be coined in Arabic words (

).

The meaning of it being an utterance is that it is a sound composed of some of the

letters of the alphabet which start with the and end with the , e.g. ,

and . Each one of these three words when utterred is a sound composed of four

letters of the alphabet. Hence, signaling, for example, is not called according to

the Grammarians due to it not being a sound composed of some of the letters (of the

alphabet), even though – according to the Lexicologists – it is called because of it

conveying a message.

The meaning of it being a compound is that it is composed of two or more words, e.g.

(Muhammad is travelling/a traveller), (Knowledge is

beneficial), (The hard worker will achieve glory),

is a compound utterance that conveys a complete and self-contained meaning

according to (Arabic) coinage and convention.

3

(Every hard worker will have a portion) and (Knowledge is the

best objective that you can strive towards). Each of these expressions is called

and each of them is composed of two or more words. A single word is not called

according to the Grammarians except when something else is joined to it whether it is

joined to it in the real sense like the previous examples or in the hypothetical sense

like when someone says to you: (Who is your brother?) and you say:

(Muhammad) then this word is considered because the hypothetical

construction is: (Muhammad is my brother). Thus, it is – hypothetically

speaking – composed of three words ( , and the pronominal suffix ).

The meaning of it conveying a complete and self-contained meaning is that the

silence of the speaker holds valid for it such that the listener does not have to wait for

anything else (like having to wait for the speaker to finish his sentence). So should

you say: (When the teacher is present ….) it is not called even

though it is an utterance composed of three words because the addressee is waiting for

what you are going to say after this as regards what will happen when the teacher is

present. Thus, should you say: (When the teacher is

present the students keep quiet) it becomes because of a complete and self-

contained meaning being conveyed.

The meaning of it being coined in Arabic words is that the words used in should

be from the words that the Arabs coined for denoting particular meanings. For

example: (was present) is a word which the Arabs coined for a particular

meaning, namely: the occurrence of being present in the past tense; the word

(Muhammad) the Arabs coined for a particular meaning, namely: the essence or

identity of the person called by this name. Therefore, should you say:

(Muhammad was present) you would have used two words each of which has been

coined by the Arabs. This is in contrast to when you utter an expression which non-

Arabs have coined like the Persians, Turks, Berbers or the Europeans, then it is not

called according to the technical definition of the Scholars of Arabic even though

speakers of another language call it .

Examples of that satisfies the conditions:

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(the air is clean), (the garden is bearing fruit),

(the crescent is rising), (The sky is clear), (the moon

shines at night), (the hard worker is successful), (the

lazy one will not prosper), (there is no god but Allah),

(Muhammad is the elite of the messengers), (Allah is our Lord),

(Muhammad is our Messenger).

Examples of single utterances:

(Muhammad), (Ali), (Ibrahim), (stood), (from).

Examples of compounds not conveying self-contained meanings:

(the City of Alexandria), (the servant of Allah, Abdullah),

(Hadramaut), (If people were just and fair ….),

(When winter comes ….), (Whatever the showy person

hides …), (If the sun rises ….).

5

The Author said:

I say:

The words which the Arabs used to use in their speech and which were transferred to

us and which we now utter in our conversations and lessons, read in our books and

which we write with to our family and friends, each of these words must belong to

one of three things: the (verb), (verb) and (particle).

As for the in the lexical sense: it is that which denotes the object designated or

named (by it), and in the technical terminology of the Grammarians: it is a word

denoting a meaning in and of itself unaccompanied by time e.g.

(Muhammad), (Ali), (a man), (a camel), (a river), (an

apple), (a lemon), (a stick). Each one of these words denotes a meaning

(in and of itself) and time does not enter its meaning, and is therefore an .

As for the in the lexical sense: it is an action, and in the technical terminology of

the Grammarians: it is a word denoting a meaning in and of itself accompanied by one

of the three tenses which are the past, present and future, like (wrote) for it is a

word denoting a meaning (in and of itself) which is "writing" and this meaning is

furthermore accompanied by the past tense, and like (write/s) for it also

denotes a meaning (in and of itself) which is also "writing" and this meaning is

accompanied by the present tense, and like (write!) for it also denotes a

meaning (in and of itself) which is also "writing" and this meaning is accompanied by

the future tense which occurs after the time of speaking.

Similar to these words are:

(to help)

(to understand)

(to know)

(to sit)

(to hit, beat)

Its constituent parts are three: (noun), (verb) and (particle) signifying

meaning.

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The is of three types: (perfect), (imperfect) and (imperative).

The is that which denotes an action occurring in the time before the time of

speaking, e.g. (wrote), (understood), (left, went out), (heard),

(helped), (spoke), (asked forgiveness) and (participated).

The is that which denotes an action occurring in the time of speaking or after,

e.g. (write/s), (understand/s), (leave/s, go/goes out),

(hear/s), (help/s), (speak/s), (ask/s forgiveness) and

(participate/s).

The is that which denotes an action whose occurrence is requested after the time of

speaking, e.g. (write!), (understand/s), (leave!, go out!),

(hear!), (help!), (speak!), (ask forgiveness!) and

(participate!).

As for the it is – lexically – equivalent to "periphery / margin", and in the

technical terminology of the Grammarians it is a word denoting a meaning in

something other than itself, e.g. (from), since this expression is a word denoting a

meaning, namely "commencing / starting", and this meaning furthermore is not

complete unless you join something else to this word such that you say:

(I went from the house/home), for example.

Examples of the : (book), (pen), (inkpot), (notebook),

(newspaper), (Khalil, friend), (Salih, pious, righteous),

('Imran), (paper), (predatory animal, beast of prey), (donkey),

(wolf), (cheetah), (tiger, leopard), (lemon), (orange),

(pear), (narcissus), (rose), (these) and (you masculine

plural).

Examples of the :

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(to travel)

(to say)

(to be safe and secure)

(to be pleased)

(to be truthful, speak the truth)

(to work hard, exert effort)

(to seek forgiveness)

Examples of the :

(from), (to), (away from, about, of), (on), (except), (but),

(indeed, truly, verily), (to), (indeed, yes "it is so"), (rather, instead,

but), (indeed, definitely), (will, shall), (until), (did not), (not),

(will/shall not), (if, were something to be the case), (when, did not yet),

(hopefully, with the hope, so that), (not), (not), (were that, how I

wish, if only), (if), (then) and (or).

8

The Author said:

I say:

The has signs such that it is distinguished from its two sister categories – the

and the – by the presence or acceptance one of these signs. Of these signs the

Author – may Allah have mercy on him – mentions four signs, namely: , the

, the entry of the and and the entry of one of the .

As for it is lexically the opposite of elevation and in the technical terminology

of the Grammarians it is the which the produces or whatever stands in

place of it, like the of the (letter) in (Bakr) and ('Amr) as when you

say: (I passed by Bakr) and when you say: (This is 'Amr's

book). and , therefore, are two due to the presence of the at the

ending of each of them.

As for the it is – lexically – equivalent to "whistling". You say (for example):

(The bird whistled), and in the technical terminology of the Grammarians it

is an unvowelled which follows at the end of the in articulation but is absent

from it in script due to the fact that the need for it (in writing) is obviated through

doubling the vowel mark when diacritically marking (the text), e.g.

(Muhammad), (book), (continue talking), (keep quiet),

(female Muslims), (Fatimahs), (at that time, when that happens),

(at that hour). These words are all on the evidence that the is found

at the ending of each of them.

The is identified and characterised by , the , the entry of the and the

and the , and they are: (from), (to), (about, of),

(on), (in), (often, perhaps), the (with), the (like) and the

(to, of), and (the entry of) the , and they are: the (by), the (by)

and the (by).

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The third sign from amongst the signs of the is the entry of at the beginning

of the word, like: (the man), (the servant/boy), (the horse/mare),

(the book), (the house), (the school). These words are all

due to the entry of the and at their beginning.

The fourth sign is the entry of one of the , like

(I went from the house to the school). Each of and

is an due to a entering on them and due to the presence of

at its beginning.

The are:

among its meanings is (commencing, starting), e.g. (I

travelled from Cairo).

among its meanings is (ending, finishing), e.g. (I

travelled to Alexandria).

among its meanings is (surpassing, going beyond), e.g.

(I shot the arrow from the bow).

among its meanings is (being elevated), e.g. (I

climbed on top of the mountain).

among its meanings is (inclusion/in-ness), (The water is in

the jug).

among its meanings is (rareness/infrequency),

(Maybe a generous person met me).

the among its meanings is (transitivity), (I passed by the

valley).

the among its meanings is (resemblance/likening) (Layla is

like the full moon).

and the among its meanings are (possession) (The money

belongs to Muhammad), (specificity) (The door is for the house)

and (worthiness) (All Praise is due to Allah i.e. Allah is worthy of

it).

01

Of the are the , and they are three :

The first is the (by) and only enters on a (substantive noun), like:

(By Allah) and like: (By the Mountain and) and like:

(By the Fig and the Olive and Mount Sinai).

the second is the (by) and is not used with one kind of word at the exclusion of

another but enters instead on the , like: (By Allah, I will work

hard) as well as on the (personal pronoun), like: (By You, I

will beat the lazy person).

the third is the (by) and enters only on the (Expression of Majesty),

e.g. [And by Allah, I shall plot a plan (to destroy) your

idols].

00

The Author said:

I say:

The is distinguished from its two sister categories – the and the – by

four signs such that whenever one is present in it or you see that it accepts it then you

know that it is a .

The first is , the second is the , the third is and the fourth is the

.

As for it enters on two types of , namely: the and the .

When it enters on the it denotes one of two meanings, viz.

(definitiveness i.e. it definitively happened) and (imminence i.e. it is about to

happen). An example of it denoting is the statement of the Most High:

(Indeed. The Believers are successfully) and His statement:

(Indeed, Allah is pleased with the Believers) and our statement:

(Muhammad has definitely arrived) and our statement:

(Khalid has definitely travelled). An example of it denoting is statement of the

one announcing the commencement of the prayer: (The prayer is

about to be established) as well as your statement: (The sun is about

to set).

When it enters on the it also denotes one of two meanings, viz.

(infrequency, rareness) and (frequency, regularity). As for it denoting it is

like when you say: (Sometimes a liar speaks the truth) or when you

say: (Sometimes a miser is generous) or when you say:

(Sometimes an unintelligent person passes). As for it denoting it is like when

The is identified and characterised by (indeed, sometimes), the

(indicating near future), (indicating distant future) and the

(unvowelled Ta' of Femininity).

02

you say: (Often the hard worker reaches his desired goal) or

when you say: (Often the pious person performs righteousness) or

when the poet says:

(Often the unhurried person fulfils some of his needs and often slips

accompany the hurried person)

As for the and they enter on the only and denote which

means "future" except that the is nearer in the future than . As for the

it is like the Most High's statement: (The fools

among the people will say) and (Those who failed to turn up

i.e. for the battle, will say to you). As for it is like the Most High's statement:

(And your Lord will give to you i.e. in the Hereafter,

and you will be pleased), and (We will make them fuel a fire)

and (He will give them their rewards i.e. in the Hereafter).

As for the it enters on the exclusively, and its function is

to indicate that the of which this is predicated is (feminine) whether it is

a (doer), like or a (agent/substitute of the doer),

like: .

What is meant [by it being (unvowelled)] is that it is according to its

original coinage, such that its vowelisation is due to the temporary cause of avoiding

the juxtaposition of two unvoweled letters in for example the Most High's statement:

(She said: Go you out to them), and

(Pharaoh's wife said) and (They said: We come in willing

obedience).

Based on the aforementioned it should become clear to you that the signs of the

that the Author has mentioned are of three categories: a category specific to entering

on the , which is the , a category specific to entering on the

, which constitutes the and , and a category shared between them,

which is .

03

He disregarded the sign of the , which is it denoting a request whilst

accepting the ( of the second person feminine singular) or

( of corroboration or emphasis), like: (stand), (sit), (write) and

(look). These four words denote the request for the occurrence of standing,

sitting, writing and looking, whilst accepting the in for example:

[Stand (feminine singular)] and [Sit (feminine singular)] or whilst accepting the

in for example: (Write and look at what will

benefit you).

04

The Author said:

I say:

The is distinguished from its two sister categories – the and the – by the

fact that the entry of one of the previous signs of the is not applicable to it just

as the entry of one of the previously explained signs of the is not applicable to it,

like (from), (question article) and (negative particle). These three words are

due to the fact that they do not take , nor the , nor is it allowed that

the enter on them (i.e. govern them). Therefore it is incorrect to say:

(the from) or to say: or to say: (to from) and the same applies to the

rest of the . Similarly, it is incorrect that the or or the

or or anything else which constitutes a sign indicating that a particular word

is a enters on them.

The is that for which the sign of the and the sign of the are not valid.

05

The Author said:

I say:

has two meanings: one which is lexical and the other technical.

As for its lexical meaning it is "to reveal, make known, clarify". You say:

(I expressed what is in my heart), when you reveal or make it

known.

As for its technical meaning it is what the Author has mentioned by saying: "changing

the endings of words … etc."

What is meant by "changing the endings of words" is changing the states or modes of

the endings of words. It is illogical and unreasonable to think that what is meant is

changing the very endings. Changing the states of the endings of words is changing

them from , to or in the real or virtual sense. This change is the result of

the alternation of , that is, from an necessitating on the basis of being

the (doer) for example to another requiring on the basis of being the

(object) for example and so on and so forth.

By way of illustration: when you say: (Muhammad was present), then

is because it is governed and operated on by an necessitating on

the basis of being the (doer) and this is , and if you were to say:

(I saw Muhammad) then the state of the ending of changes to that

of due to the alternating with another necessitating , which is

. When you say: (I enjoyed the favour of Muhammad) the state of

its ending changes to that of due to the alternating with another

necessitating , which is the .

When you consider these examples it becomes evident to you that the ending of the

word which is the of did not change but what changed instead was the states

(The Chapter on )

is changing the endings of words due to the alternation of the entering on

them (whether the change is) explicit or implicit.

06

or modes of its ending, for you saw that it was in the first example, in

the second example and in the third example.

This change from the state of , to the sate of and to the state of is

according to the Author and whosoever follows his view. These three vowel-marks

which are , and are merely a sign or indicator of .

Like the in this regard is the . Thus, were you to say:

(Ibrahim is tavelling or will be traveling), then is a that is

due to it being stripped of an necessitating its or an necessitating its

. Thus, when you say: (Ibrahim will not travel) the state of

changes from to due to the alternating with another which

necessitates its , which is . Thus, when you say: (Ibrahim did

not travel) the state of changes from or to due to the

alternating with another which necessitates its , which is .

Know that this change is divided into two types: (explicit and real) and

(implicit and assumed).

As for the it is a change whose pronunciation is not obstructed by any

obstruction as you have seen in the case of the vowel-markings of the of

and the vowel-markings of the of .

As for the it is a change whose pronunciation is obstructed by an obstruction

such as (i.e. the impossibility of vowelling an ), (i.e. the difficulty of

the vowelling a or with a or a ) or (the necessity of vowelling

the letter before the of the first person singular with a corresponding vowel which

is the ).

You say: (the young lad, the judge and my servant are

calling)

is because it is stripped of a and a .

07

is due to it being the .

and are because they are (conjoined) to the which

is .

However, the is not (apparent/subject to pronunciation) at the endings of

these words due to its impossibility in the case of , and its difficulty in the case of

and and due to correspondence with the of the first person singular in

the case of . Hence, the is (implicit and assumed) at the ending of the

word and what obstructs it from becoming apparent is , or the occupation of

the place (of declension) by the vowel of (correspondence).

You say: (The young lad, the judge and my servant

will not be pleased) and you say: (Indeed, the young lad and

my servant are victorious) and you say: (I passed by the

young lad, the judge and my servant).

That whose ending is a necessary and permanent has all the vowels obstructed

and assumed due to . The ending in an is called , like:

(young lad), (stick), (intellect), (mill-stone) and

(satisfaction).

That whose ending is necessary and permanent has the and obstructed

and assumed due to . The ending in the is called . The (on the

other hand) is apparent due to its lightness and ease of pronunciation, like:

(judge), (propagator), (warrior/battler), (striver),

(comer, coming, following) and (archer/thrower).

That which is (annexed) to the has all the vowels obstructed and

assumed due to , like: (my servant), (my book), (my

friend), (my father) and (my teacher).

08

stands in contrast to . Each of these two (concepts) becomes abundantly

clear with the explanation of the other.

The Author does not give any explanation of . However, we will explain it to you

in the manner in which we have explained .

Thus, we say: has two meanings: one which is lexical and the other technical.

As for its lexical meaning it is placing one thing on another in a way that is stable and

permanent.

As for its technical meaning it is the adherence of a word's ending to a single state or

mode which is not the result of an nor a change involving a weak letter. This is

like the adherence of (howmuch/howmany) and (who) to the , and the

adherence of (these), (Hathami) and (yesterday) to the , and

the adherence of (since) and (where) to the , and the adherence of

(where) and (how) to the .

From this explanation you know then that the title names of are four: , ,

and .

After having clarified all these things it should not be difficult for you to know (the

meaning of) and . The is that the state of whose ending changes either

explicitly or implicitly due to (different) and the is that whose ending

adheres to a single state which is not the result of an nor a change involving a

weak letter.

09

Types of

The Author said:

I say:

The types of that occur in both the and are four: the first is , the

second , the third and the fourth . Each of these four types has a

meaning lexically and a meaning in the technical terminology of the Grammarians.

As for it is lexically equivalent to exaltation and elevation, and technically it is a

specific change whose sign is the or what substitutes for it. You will know

shortly what substitutes for the in the section that follows – if Allah so wills.

occurs in both the and , e.g. (Ali is standing) and (the

nightingale is chanting).

As for it is lexically equivalent to levelling and evenness, and technically it is a

specific change whose sign is the or what substitutes for it. also occurs in

both the and , e.g. (I will never like laziness).

As for it is lexically equivalent to lowering or debasing, and technically it is a

specific change whose sign is the or what substitutes for it. It does not occur

except in the , e.g. (I feel pain regarding the lazy person).

As for it is lexically equivalent to severing, and technically it is a specific change

whose sign is the or what substitutes for it. It does not occur except in the

, e.g. (The lazy person was not successful).

Its types are four: , , and . Of these , and apply to

the , and does not feature in them at all, and of these , and

apply to the , and does not feature in them at all.

21

It is thus clear to you that the types of are divided into three categories: a

category shared between the and , viz. and , a category specific to

, viz. , and a category specific to , viz. .

20

The Author said:

I say:

You are able to know that a word is by the presence of one of four signs at its

ending: one of which is primary, viz. the , and three that are secondary, viz. the

, and .

Chapter on knowing and identifying the Signs of

For there are four signs: the , , and .

22

The Places of the

The Author said:

I say:

The is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of in four places:

The first place is the , the second place is the , the third place is

the and the fourth place is the which does not have an

, , , nor a (single or double) or suffixed to

it.

As for the , what is meant by it here is anything that is not (dual),

(plural), (affiliated) to the two of them and from the (five nouns). It

does not matter whether what is intended thereby is (masculine), like

(Muhammad), (Ali), (Hamzah) or what is intended thereby is

(feminine), like: (Fatimah), ('A'ishah), (Zaynab), nor does it

matter whether the is (explicit and real), like in (Muhammad

was present), (Fatimah traveled), or (implicit and assumed), like:

(the young lad, the judge and my brother were present) and

(Layla and Nu'ma got married). and are and

the sign indicating that they are is the (explicit ). and

likewise and are and the sign indicating that they are is the

(implicit ) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is .

is and the sign indicating that it is is the (implicit

) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is . is and the sign

indicating that it is is the (implicit ) on the letter before the

and what obstructs its explicitness is the vowel of .

As for the it is a sign of in four places: the , ,

and that does not have anything attached at its end.

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As for the (broken plural) what is meant by it is anything denoting more

than two masculine or feminine objects accompanied by a change in the structure of

its singular form.

The kinds of change found in (broken plurals) are six:

(1) A change through diacritical marking only, e.g. (lion) and (lions),

(tiger/leopard) and (tigers/leopards). The letters of the singular and the

plural in these two plurals are the same and the difference between the singular

and plural is only in their diacritical marking.

(2) A change through decreasing (the number of letters) only, e.g.

(accusation) and (accusations), (indigestion) and

(indigestions). You find that the plural has decreased in one letter in these two

examples, which is the while the rest of the letters are the same as in the

singular.

(3) A change through increasing (the number of letters) only, e.g. (one palm

tree from a group of palm trees joined by a single/same root) and (palm

trees joined by a single/same root) as in the Most High's statement:

(palms trees growing out of single roots or otherwise)

(4) A change through diacritical marking and decreasing (the number of letters),

e.g. (bed) and (beds), (book) and (books), (red

for singular) and (red for plural), (white for singular) and

(white for plural).

(5) A change through diacritical marking and increasing (the number of letters),

e.g. (cause) and (causes), (hero) and (heroes),

(Hind) and (Hinds), (hyena) and (hyenas), (wolf) and

(wolves), (brave person) and (brave people).

(6) A change through diacritical marking, increasing and decreasing (the number

of letters), e.g. (noble) and (nobles), (loaf) and

24

(loaves), (writer) and (writers), (prince/commander) and

(princes/commanders).

All of these kinds are with the and it makes no difference whether what is

meant by the word is , like (men) and (writers) or , like

(Hinds) and (Zaynabs), or whether the is as illustrated in these

examples or (implicit and assumed) as in for example: (drunkards) and

(wounded people) or for example (virgins) and (pregnant

women). You say: (The men and the Zaynabs stood) and you find

that they are with the , and you say: (the

wounded people and the virgins were present) such that each of and

is with a (implicit and assumed) on the with obstructing its

explicitness.

As for the it is anything that denotes more than two feminine objects

with the addition of an and a at its ending, e.g. (Zaynabs),

(Fatimahs), (hot baths). You say: (the Zaynabs

came and the Fatimahs travelled). and are and the sign

indicating that they are is the . The is not in the

except when it is annexed ( ) to the , e.g.

(These are my trees and my cows).

If the is not additional by being present in the (singular), like: (judge)

and (judges), (propagator) and (propagators), then it is not a

but is a instead.

Similarly, if the is not additional by being present in the , e.g. (deceased

person) and (deceased people), (house, poetry verse) and (houses,

poetry verses), (sound) and (sounds), then it belongs to the

and not to the .

25

As for the , it is like: (hit/s) and (write/s). Each of these two

verbs is and the sign indicating that they are is the (explicit

). Similarly, (call/s) and (hope/s), each of which is and the sign

indicating that it is is the (implicit ) on the and what

obstructs its explicitness is . Likewise are (judge/s) and (please/s), each

of which is and the sign indicating that it is is the (implicit

) on the and what obstructs its explicitness is . In like fashion also are

(is pleased) and (is strong), for each of them is and the sign indicating that

it is is the (implicit ) on the and what obstructs its

explicitness is .

By saying: "which does not have an , or suffixed to it"

we exclude that which has one of these three things suffixed to it. That which has the

suffixed to it is like (they masculine dual write) and (they

masculine dual help). That which has the suffixed to it is like (they

masculine plural write) and (they masculine plural help). That which has the

suffixed to it is like (you feminine singular write) and (you

feminine singular help). It (i.e. the ) is – then – not with the , instead it

is with the fixing or attachment of the , while the , or is a .

This will be explained (in greater detail) later.

By saying: "nor a (single or double)" we exclude the that has

one of the two suffixed to it, like the statement of the Most High:

(He will most certainly be imprisoned and be amongst the

humiliated ones). The – then – is (indeclinable and fixed) on a .

By saying: "or the " we exclude the that has the suffixed

to it, like the statement of the Most High: (The mothers should

suckle). The – then – is (indeclinable and fixed) on a .

26

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

The is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of in two places: the first is

and the second place is the .

As for the it is an denoting more than two masculine objects (i.e.

males) through an addition at its ending, capable of being stripped of this addition and

having its like conjoined ( ) to it, like: (Those who failed to

turn up i.e. for the battle, were filled with happiness),

(But those firmly grounded in knowledge amongst them and the

Believers), (Even though the sinners detest),

(if there twenty patient ones amongst you) and

(and others who acknowledged their sins). Each of , ,

, , and is a denoting more than

two masculine objects and has an addition at its end and is capable of being stripped

of this addition. Do you not see that you say: , , , ,

and . Each of these plural words that occur in these (Qur'anic) verses is and

the sign indicating that it is in a state of is the as a substitute for the . This

after the is a compensation for (the loss of) the in your saying:

and its sisters, which is an .

As for the they are these limited (number of) words which the Author

enumerated and they are: (your father), (your brother), (your

wife's in-laws), (your mouth) and (Possessor of Wealth). They are

with the as a substitute for the . You say:

As for the it is a sign of in two places: in the and in the

, they are: (your father), (your brother), (your wife's in-laws),

(your mouth) and (Possessor of Wealth).

27

(Your father, brother and wife's in-law were present, and your

mouth and a possessor of wealth uttered). Similarly, you say: (this is your

father) and you say: (your father is a pious man). Allah, the Most

High says: (And our father is an old man),

(from where their father ordered them), (And truly, He is one

possessing knowledge) and (Indeed, I am your brother). Each

thereof in these examples is and the sign indicating that it is in a state of is

the as a substitute for the . What comes after them in terms of the

(personal pronoun) or the word (wealth), or the word (knowledge) is a

(the to which a prior – the – is annexed).

Know that these are not declined in this way except with (certain)

conditions. Of these conditions some are stipulated for all of them (i.e. all of the

) and some are stipulated for some of them.

As for the conditions that are stipulated for all of them, they are four conditions: the

first is that they be (singular), the second that they be (non-diminutive), the

third that they be (annexed) and the fourth that they be to other than the

.

By stipulating being , we exclude the case where they might be or in the

form of the and . If they were then they would have

been declined with (explicit vowels). You say: (the

fathers raise their sons) and you say: (Your brothers are

your hand that you grasp with). Allah, the Most High says: (Your

fathers and your sons …), (Truly, the Believers are a single

brotherhood), (So you became through His Bounty brothers).

If they were then they would have been declined with the for , and with

the for and . An explanation thereof will follow shortly. You say:

(You parents raised you) and you say: (Be well-mannered

28

in the company and presence of your parents). Allah, the Most High said:

(And he lifted his parents on to the throne) and

(Make peace between your two brothers). If they were in the form of a

then they would have been with the based on the aforementioned, and

and with the . You say: (These are fathers and

brothers) and you say: (I saw fathers and bothers). None (of these

) have their plurals formed with the and the except the words and

. The rule is that none of them should have their plurals formed in this way at all.

By stipulating being , we exclude the case where they might be , for then

they would be declined with (explicit vowels). You say:

(this is a small father and a small brother) and you say: (I saw a small

father and a small brother) and you say: (I passed by a small father

and a small brother).

By stipulating being , we exclude the case where they might not be , for

then they would also be declined with (explicit vowels). You say:

(this is a father) and you say: (I saw a father) and you say: (I

passed by a father). The same applies to the rest. Allah, the Most High says:

(and he has a brother or a sister), (If

he had stolen then he had a brother who stolen before),

(He said: Bring to me a brother of yours from your father) and

(Truly, he has an old father).

By stipulating being to other then the , we exclude the case where they

might be to this , for then they would be declined with

(implicit vowels) on what is before the and what obstructs them from

becoming apparent or explicit is the occupation of the place (i.e. the letter subject to

declension) by the vowel of (correspondence). You say: (My

father and my brother were present) and you say: (I respect my

father and my elder brother) and you say: (I do

29

not speak in the presence of my father and my elder brother). Allah, the Most High

says: (Truly, this is my brother), (I am Yusuf

and this is my brother) and (And they threw it on my father's

face).

As for the conditions that are specific to some of them but not to the others, of them is

that the word (your mouth) is not declined having this declension except on

condition that it is stripped of the . Therefore, if the was attached to it then it

would have been declined with (explicit vowels). You say:

(This is a good mouth) and you say: I saw a good mouth) and you say:

(I looked at a good mouth). This condition applies to this word

specifically over and above the four conditions that have been mentioned previously.

Of them (i.e. these conditions) is that the word " " (possessor of …) is not declined

having this declension except on two conditions: the first is that it has the meaning of

(possessor, owner) and the second is that the to which it is should

be a non-descriptive substantive generic noun ( ). Therefore,

if it does not have the meaning of such that it is (a relative pronoun)

then it is (indeclinable). An example of it being a non-relative pronoun (

) is the statement of :

(The possessor of intellect feels miserable in pleasure with his intellect, while the

brother of ignorance rejoices in misery)

These two conditions apply to this word specifically over and above the four

conditions that have been mentioned previously.

31

Substitution of the for the

The Author says:

I say:

The is a sign indicating that the word is in a state of in one place and that is

the , like: (The two friends were present). is

and it is because it is a and the sign indicating that it is is the as

a substitute for the , and the compensates for (the loss of) the in your

saying: (friend) and it is an .

The is every denoting two masculine or two feminine objects with an addition

at its ending. This addition dispenses with the and the (conjunction and

the noun conjoined), e.g. (The two 'Umars and two Hinds

approached). is an utterance denoting two males each of whose name is

'Umar due to the presence of an addition at its ending. This addition is the and the

and dispenses with having to bring the (Waw of conjunction) and

repeating the such that you say: ('Umar and 'Umar were present).

Similarly, the is also an utterance denoting two females each of whose name is

Hind. The cause for it denoting that is the addition of the and the in the

example. The presence of the and the obviates the need for having to bring

the and repeating the by having to say: (Hind and

Hind were present).

As for the it is a sign of in the specifically.

30

Substitution of the for the

The Author says:

I say:

The is a sign indicating that the word, at whose ending it is, is in one place.

And that is the that is predicated of the or , predicated of the

or predicated of the .

As for (the ) that is predicated of the , it is like:

(The two male companions will travel tomorrow) and (The two of

you are travelling tomorrow). and likewise is a that is

due to it being stripped of a and a , and the sign indicating that it is

is the (fixing or attachment of the ). The is a and is

(indeclinable and fixed) on the in a place of .

You have seen that the that is predicated of the sometimes begins

with the to denote the third person as illustrated in the first example and sometimes

begins with the to denote the second person as illustrated in the second example.

As for (the ) that is predicated of the , it is like:

(The two Hinds will travel tomorrow) and (You two Hinds

are travelling tomorrow). in the two examples is a that is

due to it being stripped of a and a , and the sign indicating that it is is

the (fixing or attachment of the ). The ( ) is a and is

(indeclinable and fixed) on the in a place of .

As for the it is a sign of in the when a , a

or the is attached to it.

32

From this you know that the that is predicated of the does not

begin except with the to denote that the is feminine and it is the same whether

it is in the third person as illustrated in the first example or in the second person as

illustrated in the second example.

As for (the ) that is predicated of the , it is like:

(The sincere men are the ones who carry out their duty) and

(You, my people, are carrying out your duty). and

likewise is a that is due to it being stripped of a and

a , and the sign indicating that it is is the (fixing or attachment of

the ). The is a and is (indeclinable and fixed) on the in a

place of .

From this you know that the that is predicated of this sometimes

begins with the to denote the third person as illustrated in the first example and

sometimes begins with the to denote the second person as illustrated in the second

example.

As for (the ) that is predicated of the , it is like:

(You, O Hind, know your duty). is a that is

due to it being stripped of a and a , and the sign indicating that it is is

the (fixing or attachment of the ). The is a and is

(indeclinable and fixed) on the in a place of .

The that is predicated of this does not begin except with the which denotes

that the is .

Thus, it can be summed for you that (the ) which is predicated of the

begins with the or the , (the ) which is predicated of the similarly

begins with the or the and (the ) which is predicated of the does

not begin except with the .

33

Their forms or paradigms are: , , and . These forms

are called: (the five verbs).

34

Signs of

The Author said:

I say:

It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be when you find one of five signs

at its ending: one of which is primary, viz. the , and four that are secondary, viz.

the , , and .

For there are five signs: the , , , and .

35

The and its Places

The Author said:

I say:

The is a sign indicating that a word is in a state of in four places:

The first place is the , the second place is the , the third place is

the which is preceded by a and which does not have an ,

, , nor a (single or double) or suffixed to it.

As for the its definition has been mentioned before. The is at its

ending in for example: (I met Ali) and (I met Hind). and

are two which are because they are the (in each case) and

the sign indicating that they are is the . The first is and the

second is . The is in for example: (I met the young lad)

and (I spoke to Layla). and are two which are

due to each of them being a and the sign indicating that they are is the

and what obstructs its explicitness is . The first is and the second

is .

As for the its definition has also been mentioned before. The is

at its ending, e.g. (I accompanied the men) and (I took

care of Hind). and are both which are due to them

being the and the sign indicating that they are is the . The

first is and the second is . The is sometimes as in the statement

of the Most High: (You will see people drunk) and

(Marry the widows). and are two which are

As for the it is a sign of in three places: the , and

– when a enters on it – and it does not have anything attached at

its end.

36

due to them being the and the sign indicating that they are is the

and what obstructs its explicitness is .

As for the aforementioned , like the Most High's statement:

(We will continue to be devoted to it). is a which is

by means of (will not), and the sign indicating that they are is

the . The is sometimes as in: (It

pleases me that you are striving towards glory/nobility). is a which

by means of (that, to) and the sign indicating that they are is the

and what obstructs its explicitness is .

If the ' has a as in (they masculine dual will not hit or

strike), a as in (you masculine plural will not hit or strike) or the

as in (you feminine singular will not hit or strike) is attached

to it, then it is not with the . Instead, each of , and is

with and the sign indicating that they are is (dropping

or omission of the ) while the , or is a and is (indeclinable and

fixed) on the in a place of . You will know the explanation thereof in what

follows.

When a whether double as in (By Allah, you will not go) or

single as in (By Allah, you will not go) is attached to its ending, then it

is (indeclinable and fixed) on a in a place of .

When a as in (You will not achieve glory except

through chastity) is attached to its ending, then it is (indeclinable and fixed) on a

in a place of .

37

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

You know the from what has gone before and the conditions for their

declension with the for , the for and the for . Now, we will

inform you that the sign indicating that one of these words is is the presence

of the at the end, e.g. (Respect your father), (Help your

brother), (Visit your father-in-law), (Clean your mouth) and

(Do not respect the possessor of wealth for his wealth). Each of

, , , and in these examples is due to it

occurring as the therein, and the sign indicating that it is in a state of is

the as a substitute for the . Furthermore, each of them is (annexed to

another ) and what comes after it as regards the and is the

(the to which the is annexed).

As for the it is a sign of in the , e.g. (I saw

you father and your brother) and whatever resembles that.

38

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

You know the from what was mentioned before. Now, we inform you

that it is possible for you tell that this is in a state of through the presence

of the at its end. This is like when you say:

(the well-mannered lasses achieve glory). Each of and is a

and both are due to first being an of and the second a

(descriptive or qualifying adjective) of the (before it which is ), and the

sign indicating that they are is the as a substitute for the .

There is no place in which the substitutes for the except this place.

As for the it is a sign of in the .

39

Substitution of the YA' for the FATHAH

The Author said:

I say:

You know the from what has gone before and likewise you know the

. Now we want to tell you that it is possible for you to know that one of them is in

a state of through the presence of the . The difference between the two is that

the in the is preceded by a letter bearing a and followed by a letter

bearing a while the in the is preceded by a letter bearing a

and followed by a letter bearing a .

Example of the is: (I saw two sparrows on top of the

tree) and (My father bought two books, one for

me and the other for my brother). Each of and is due to

being the , and the sign indicating that they are is the preceded by a

letter bearing a and followed by a letter bearing a , because it is .

Furthermore, the is a compensation for the (that has been forfeited) in the

.

Example of the is: (Truly, the Believers

have earned the pleasure of their Lord) and (I

advised the hard workers to embark or get down to studying). Each of

and is due to being the , and the sign indicating that they are

is the preceded by a letter bearing a and followed by a letter bearing

a , because it is . Furthermore, the is a compensation for the

(that was forfeited) in the .

As for the it is a sign of in the and .

41

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

You know from what has preceded what the are. Now, we will tell you

that it is possible for you to know that each one of them is in a state of when you

find the , which is a sign of , dropped or omitted. Examples of the in the Case

of : (It pleases me that you are memorising your lessons)

and (It pains me that the lazy ones are neglectful

of their duties). Each of and is a that is with , and

the sign indicating that it is is the , and the is a that is

(indeclinable and fixed) on the in a place of '. The same applies to that

which is attached to the as in: (It is pleases me that you are

realising your wishes) and that which is attached to the as in:

(It pains me that you are showing slackness in your duty) and you

know how to decline and analyse them.

As for the it is a sign of in the which are with the

.

40

Signs of

The Author said:

I say:

It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be when you find one of three

things: the first is the which is the primary (sign) in . The second is the

and the third the , both of which are secondary to the . For each of these

three things there are places in which it occurs. We will mention for you their places

in detail in what follows.

For there are three signs: the , and .

42

The and its Places

The Author said:

I say:

For the there are three places in which it is a sign indicating that the is

.

The first place is Ism . You know the meaning of it being . The

meaning of it being is that the is suffixed to its end. The is the

as in: (I ran to Muhammad), (I am pleased with

'Ali), (I benefited from keeping company with Khalid) and

(Bakr's character impresses me). Each of and is due

to being entered on by a , and the sign indicating that it is is the

. Each of and is due to being the of what is

before it, and the sign indicating that it is is also the . Thus, ,

, and are (singular nouns) and are due the being

suffixed to them.

The second place is the . You know from what has gone before the

meaning of " " and you know from (a discussion of) the first place here (in

this section) the meaning of it being and that is like: (I

passed by honourable men) and (I am pleased with our

brave companions). Each of and is due to being entered on by a

, and the sign indicating that it is is the , and each of

and is due to being a (descriptive or qualifying adjective) of

the (before it), and the sign indicating that it is is also the

As for the it is a sign of in three places: the ,

and .

43

. Thus, , , and are (plurals) and are

due the being suffixed to them.

The third place is the . You know from what has gone before the

meaning of " " and that is like: (I looked at the

well-mannered young girls) and (I am pleased with female

devotee Muslims). Each of and is due to being entered on by a

, and the sign indicating that it is is the , and each of

and is due to being a (follower, in the form of a ) of the

(before it), and the sign indicating that it is is also the .

Each of , , and is a .

44

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

For the there are three places in which it is a sign indicating that the is .

The first place is the . You already know them and the conditions for their

declension from what has gone before, and that is like:

(Greet your father on the morning of everyday),

(Do not raise your voice above the voice of your eldest brother) and

(Do not love the possessor of wealth except if he is well-

mannered). Each of , and is , due to the entering

it, and the sign indicating that it is is the . The in the first two is the

(personal pronoun of the second person masculine singular), and it is

(annexed to) and on the in a place of . The word in the

third example is also and with the .

The second place is the and that is like: (Look at the two

soldiers) and (Greet the two friends). Each of and

is due to being entered on by the , and the sign indicating that it is

is the preceded by a letter bearing a and followed by a letter bearing a

. Furthermore, each of and is because it denotes two

(masculine) objects.

The third place is the , like (I am pleased with the

two Bakrs) and (I looked at the humble Muslims). Each of

and is due to being entered on by the , and the sign

As for the it is a sign of in three places: the , and .

45

indicating that it is is the preceded by a letter bearing a and followed

by a letter bearing a . Furthermore, each of them is .

46

Substitution of the for the

The Author said:

I say:

For the there is only one instance in which it is a sign indicating that the is

, namely: the that is not .

The meaning of it not being is that it does not take the which is the

. The that is not is: "that which resembles the in having two

(secondary common causes), one of which goes back to the (verbal form)

and the other to the (meaning), or it has one which stands in for two . The

(plural of ) which are found in the and which denote the secondary nature

(of the ) and go back to the are only two. The first is (being a proper

noun) and the second is (being a descriptive noun i.e. being of the type of

used for describing and qualifying). It is necessary that one of these two be found

in the (i.e. the noun debarred from the ) due to the presence

of two in it.

The which are found in the and which denote the secondary nature (of the

) and go back to the are six , and they are: (being feminine) not with

the ( or i.e. short or long), (being a foreign name),

(being a compound), (addition of the and the ),

(pattern of the verb) and (deviation from another pattern). It is necessary that one

of these (six) be found with in it (i.e. in the ). As for

with , only one of three out of these (six ) has to be present, and they are:

, and .

As for the it is a sign of in the that is not .

47

Examples of with other than with the are: (Fatimah),

(Zaynab) and (Hamzah).

Examples of with are: (Idris), (Ya'qub) and (Ibrahim).

Examples of with are: (Ma'dikarib), (Belbecca),

(Qadikhan), (Buzurjamihr) and (Ramahurmuz).

Examples of with are: (Marwan), ('Uthman),

(Ghatafan), ('Affan), (Sahban), ('Imran),

(Qahtan) and ('Adnan).

Examples of with are: (Ahmad), (Yashkur), (Yazid),

(Taghlib) and (Tadmur).

Examples of with are: 'Umar, (Zufar), (Qutham),

(Hubal), (Zuhal i.e. Saturn), (Jumah), (Quzah) and (Mudar).

Examples of with are: (Rayyan), (full) and

(awake, wakeful).

Examples of with are: (more generous, honourable),

(better), and (more beautiful).

Examples of with are: (twos), (threes), (fours) and

(other).

As for the two , each of which stands in place of two , they are:

(furthest plural form) and the which is (short) or

(long).

As for the rule for it is that the is and occurring

after its (i.e. the third additional ) are two letters as in

(mosques), (pulpits), (most respected ones), (most honourable

48

ones), (most exemplary ones), (menstruating women) and

(menstruating), or three letters the middle of which is (unvowelled) as in:

(keys), (sparrows) and (candleholders).

As for the short it is like: (pregnant lady), (furthest),

(nearest) and (claim).

As for the long it is like: (red), (), (good, becoming),

(white), (), () and (scholars).

All these nouns that we have mentioned and those similar to them are not allowed to

take the , and are with the as a substitute for the as in:

(May Allah send His Blessings on Ibrahim, His Friend) and

(May Allah be pleased with 'Umar, the Commander of the

Believers). Each of and is due to being entered on by the

, and the sign indicating that they are is the as a substitute for the

, because each one of them is an that is not . What blocks

from being (i.e. from having the or ) is and and what

blocks from being is and . Apply this to rest.

It is a condition for making the , that is not , with the that it be

void of (the definite article) and that it not be (annexed) to an after it.

If it is accompanied by or it is (annexed) it is made with the ,

as in the Most High's statement: (And you a in the

mosques) and as in: (I passed by the beautiful damsel of the

Quraish).

49

Two Signs of

The Author said:

I say:

It is possible for you to adjudge a word to be when you find in it one of two

things: the first is the which is the primary (sign) for . The second is

which is the secondary sign. For each of these two signs there are places in which we

will mention for you in what follows.

For there are two signs: the and .

51

Place of the

The Author said:

I say:

For the there is only one place in which it is a sign indicating that the is

, and this place is the (with the sound ending). The

meaning of it being " " is that its ending (i.e. its final letter) is not one of

the three (three weak letters) which are the , and .

Examples of the are: (play/s), (is/are

successful), (travel/s), (promise/s) and (ask/s). So when you say:

(Ali did not play), (no dim-witted person was successful),

(your brother did not travel) and (Ibrahim did not

promise Khalid anything), then each of these is because of the

(particle of ) preceding it, and the sign indicating that it is is the .

Furthermore, each of these is a .

As for the it is a sign of in the (with the sound

ending).

50

Places of

The Author said:

I say:

For there are two places in which it is a mark and sign indicating that the word

is . The first place is the (with the weak ending). The

meaning of it being " " is that its ending (i.e. its final letter) is one of the

three (three weak letters) which are the , and .

Examples of the whose ending is an : (strive/s), (is/are

pleased), (desire/s), (is/are distant) and (remain/s).

Examples of the whose ending is a : (call/s), (hope/s),

(test/s), (is/are elevated), (is/are hard) and (grow/s).

Examples of the whose ending is a : (give/s), (judge/s),

(cover/s), (revive/s), () and (guide/s).

Thus, when you say: ('Ali did not strive for honour), then is

due to it being preceded by a , and the sign indicating that it is

is the (dropping/omission of the ) and the before it is evidence for

it (i.e. that the was there before). Furthermore, it is a .

When you say: (Muhammad did not call except to the Truth),

then is that is due to being preceded by a , and the

sign indicating that it is is (dropping/omission of the ) and the

before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before).

As for it is a sign of in the (with the weak ending)

and the which are with the .

52

When you say: (Muhammad did not give except to Khalid), then

is that is due to it being preceded by a , and the sign

indicating that it is is the (dropping/omission of the ) and the

before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before).

The second place is the which are with the and an

explanation thereof was already given. Examples of them are: (they

masculine dual hit), (they feminine dual hit/ you dual hit), (they

masculine plural hit), (you masculine plural hit) and (you feminine

singular hit). You say: (they masculine dual did not hit), (they

feminine dual did not hit/ you dual did not hit), (they masculine plural did

not hit), (you masculine plural did not hit) and (you feminine

singular did not hit). Each one of these is a that is due to it

being preceded by a (particle of ) which is , and the sign indicating it

that it is is the . Furthermore, the , or is a and is

on the in a place of .

53

(Declinables)

The Author said:

I say:

The Author – May Allah have mercy on him – intends by this section to explain in a

general way the rule concerning what was previously discussed in detail in the places

of declension. The places – whose rules as regards declension were mentioned in

detail – are eight, and they are: the , , the ,

which does not have anything attached at its end, , ,

and . Furthermore, these types i.e. the places of , are divided

into two categories: the first category is declined by means of and the second

category is declined by means of . Each of these types will be discussed in

detail.

Section

The are two categories: a category declined by means of (vowel

markings) and a category declined by means of (letters).

54

(Declinable by means of vowel markings)

The Author said:

I say:

The are three: the , and . The is affiliated to them. You

know that the (declinables) are of two categories: the first category is declined

by means of and the second category is declined by means of . This

(here) is the onset of the discussion of the first category which is declined by means of

, and constitutes four things:

(1) the like: (Muhammad) and (the lesson) when you say:

(Muhammad revised the lesson). is a that is on

the with no place in (declension). is a and is and the

sign indicating that it is is the . is a that is

and the sign indicating that it is is the . Each of and is

an .

(2) the like: (pupils) and (the lessons) when you say:

(the pupils memorised the lessons). is a that is

on the with no place in (declension). is a and is

and the sign indicating that it is is the . is a that is

and the sign indicating that it is is the . Each of and

is an .

Section

That which is declined by means of (vowel markings) are four things:

, , the , which does not have anything

attached at its end.

55

(3) The like: (female Believers) and (the prayers)

when you say: (the female Believers are Allah-conscious in

the prayers). is a that is on the with no place in

(declension). is a and is and the sign indicating that it is is

the . is through and the sign indicating that it is

is the . Each of and is an .

(4) The which does not have anything attached at its end like

(goes/is going) when you say: (Muhammad goes/is going). is

that is due it being stripped of and a , and the sign

indicating that it is is the . is a that is and the sign

indicating that it is is the .

56

The general rule for the declension of the with , and what is

excluded from it

The Author said:

I say:

The general rule pertaining to the four things that are declined with is to be

with the , with the , with the and with the

.

As for with the all of them (i.e. these four categories of word) proceed

according to what is the norm for them, so that all of them are with the ,

e.g. (Muhammad, the friends and the female Believers

are traveling). is that is due it being stripped of and a

, and the sign indicating that it is is the . is a that is

and the sign indicating that it is is the and it is furthermore an

. is because it is (i.e. conjoined) to the (which

is ) and the sign indicating that it is is the and it is furthermore

a . is because it is also (i.e. conjoined) to the

(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is is the and it is

furthermore a .

As for with the all of them (i.e. these four categories of word) proceed

according to what is the norm for them except the for it is

Section

All of them are with the , with the , with the

and with the . Excluded from that (i.e. this general rule) are three

things: the is with the (instead of the ), the

that is not is with the (instead of the ) and the

is with the dropping of its ending (instead of the ).

57

with the as a substitute for the , e.g.

(I will not oppose Muhammad, the friends and the female Believers) ). is

that is by means of (will not), and the sign indicating that it is

is the . is a that is and the sign indicating

that it is is also the and it is furthermore an as you know.

is because it is (i.e. conjoined) to the (which is

) and the sign indicating that it is is the and it is furthermore a

as you know. is because it is also (i.e. conjoined) to the

(which is ) and the sign indicating that it is is the as a

substitute for the because it is a .

As for with the all of them (i.e. these four categories of word) proceed

according to what is the norm for them except the for it is not at

all and except for the that is not for it is with the as a

substitute for the , e.g. (I passed by

Muhammad, the men, the female Believers and Ahmad). is and and

the is a . is a with the and the sign indicating that it is

is also the and it is furthermore an as you know.

is because it is (i.e. conjoined) to the (which is

) and the sign indicating that it is is the and it is furthermore a

as you know. is because it is also (i.e. conjoined)

to the (which is ) and the sign indicating that it is is the

and it is furthermore a as you know. is because it

is also (i.e. conjoined) to the (which is ) and the sign indicating

that it is is the as a substitute for the because it is an that is not

and what bars it from the (i.e. the ) is (being a proper noun)

and (the pattern specific to the verb).

58

As for with the you know that is specific to the . Therefore,

if it is (of sound ending) the its is with the as is the norm for

, e.g. (Khalid did not travel). (did not) is a

(i.e. particle of negation, and transformation i.e. transforming the verb's tense

from the present or future to the past). is that is by means of

(did not), and the sign indicating that it is is the . is a that is

and the sign indicating that it is is the . If the is

then its is with the (dropping or omission of the weak

letter), e.g. (Bakr did not strive, invite and fulfill

what was incumbent upon him). Each of , and is a that

and the sign indicating that it is is the in and the

before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before), the in

and the before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there before) and the

in and the before it is evidence for it (i.e. that the was there

before).

59

(Declinable by means of letters)

The Author said:

I say:

The second category of the is the things that are declined by means of

(letters). The letters that act as a sign of are four: the , , and . That

which is declined with these letters is four things:

(1) The , and what is meant by it is the , e.g. (the two cities),

(the two Muhammads), (the two Bakrs) and (the two men).

(2) The , e.g. (the Muslims), (the Bakrs) and

(the Muhammads).

(3) The , and they are: (your father), (your brother),

(your in-law from your wife's side), (your mouth) and (a possessor of

wealth).

(4) The and they are: (they masculine dual hit), (they

feminine dual/you dual write), (they masculine plural understand),

(you masculine plural memorise/protect) and (you feminine singular stay up

the night).

An explanation of the declension of each one of these four things will follow in detail.

That which is declined by means of (letters) are four categories: the ,

, and and they are: , , ,

and .

61

(Declension of the Dual)

The Author said:

I say:

The first of the things that are declined with letters is the , which is the as you

know. You already know from what has gone before the definition of the .

The rule for it is that it is with the as a substitute for the , and

with the preceded by a letter vowelled with a and followed by a letter

vowelled with a as a substitute for the or . Further extended to it –

after the or the – is a which compensates for the that is in the

. This is not dropped except during (annexation).

An example of the that is is (the two judges

attended/came and two men said). Each of and is because it is

a and the sign indicating that it is is the as a substitute for the

because it is a , and the compensates for the (that was forfeited in) the

.

An example of the that is is (I like the two

well-mannered persons and detest the two lazy persons). Each of and

is because it is a and the sign indicating that it is is the

preceded by a letter vowelled with a and followed by a letter vowelled with a

as a substitute for the because it is a , and the compensates for the

(forfeited in) the .

As for the it is with the , and with the .

60

An example of the that is is (I looked at

the two horsemen on the two horses). Each of and is due to

the entering on it and the sign indicating that it is is the

preceded by a letter vowelled with a and followed by a letter vowelled with a

as a substitute for the because it is a , and the compensates for the

(forfeited in) the .

62

(Declension of the Masculine Sound Plural)

The Author said:

I say:

The second of the things that are declined with letters is the . You

already know from what has gone before the definition of the .

The rule for it is that it is with the as a substitute for the , and

with the preceded by a letter vowelled with a and followed by a

letter vowelled with a as a substitute for the or . Further extended to it

– after the or the – is a which compensates for the that is in the

. This is dropped during (annexation) like the of the .

Examples of the that is are (The Muslims

attended/came) and (Those ordering Good are successful). Each

of and is because it is a and the sign indicating that it is

is the as a substitute for the because it is a , and the

compensates for the (that was forfeited in) the .

Examples of the that is are (I saw the Muslims)

and (I respected those ordering Good). Each of and

is because it is a and the sign indicating that it is is the

preceded by a letter vowelled with a and followed by a letter vowelled with a

as a substitute for the because it is a , and the

compensates for the (forfeited in) the .

As for the it is with the , and with the .

63

Examples of the that is are (I got in

contact with those who order Good) and (May Allah be pleased

with the Believers). Each of and is due to the

entering on it and the sign indicating that it is is the preceded by a letter

vowelled with a and followed by a letter vowelled with a as a substitute for

the because it is a , and the compensates for the

(forfeited in) the .

64

(Declension of the Five Nouns)

The Author said:

I say:

The third of the things that are declined with letters is the . You already

know from what has gone before the meaning and essence of the .

The rule for it is that it is with the as a substitute for the , with

the as a substitute for the and with the as a substitute for the

.

Examples of the that are are (When your father

orders you than obey him) and (You brother came/arrived from

his travel). Each of and is because it is a and the sign indicating

that it is is the as a substitute for the because it is a ,

and the is a that is on the in a place of .

Examples of the that are are (Obey your

father and love your brother). Each of and is because it is a

and the sign indicating that it is is the as a substitute for the because

it is a , and the is a that on the in a place of

as in the previous case.

Examples of the that are are (Listen to your father)

and (Be kind to your brother). Each of and is due

to the entering on it and the sign indicating that it is is the

As for the they are with the , with the and

with the .

65

substitute for the because it is a , and the is a that

on the in a place of as in the previous case.

66

(Declension of the Five Verbs)

The Author said:

I say:

The fourth of the things that are declined with letters is the . You already

know from what has gone before the meaning and essence of the .

The rule for them is that they are with the fixing of the as a substitute for

the , and with the dropping of this as a substitute for the or

.

Examples of the that are are: (you masculine dual/they

feminine dual write) and (you masculine dual/they feminine dual understand).

Each one of them is a that is due to it being stripped of a and

and the sign indicating that it is is the . The is the

(personal pronoun denoting the dual) being a and is (indeclinable and fixed)

on the in a place of .

Examples of the that are are: (you masculine dual/they

feminine dual will not be sad) and (you masculine dual/they feminine dual

will not fail). Each one of them is a that is with (will not) and the

sign indicating that it is is the . The is the (personal

pronoun denoting the dual) being a and is (indeclinable and fixed) on the

in a place of .

Examples of the that are are: (you masculine dual/they

feminine dual did not study) and (you masculine dual/they feminine dual did

As for the they are with the , and with the

dropping thereof.

67

not understand). Each one of them is a that is with (did not) and the

sign indicating that it is is the . The is the (personal

pronoun denoting the dual) being a and is (indeclinable and fixed) on the

in a place of .

68

The and its types

The Author said:

I say:

The is divided into three types:

The first type is the , which is that which denotes the occurrence of something

before the time of speaking (of the speaker), e.g. (hit, beat, strike), (help,

aid), (open, conquer), (know), (reckon, think), (be noble,

generous), etc.

The second type is the , which is that which denotes the occurrence of

something during or after the time of speaking (of the speaker), e.g. (hit/will

hit, beat/will beat, strike/will strike), (help/will help, aid/will aid),

(open/will open, conquer/will conquer), (know/will know), (reckon/will

reckon, think/will think), (is/will be noble, is/will be generous), etc.

The third type is the , which is that whereby the occurrence of something after the

time of speaking (of the speaker) is requested, e.g. (Hit, Beat, Strike),

(Help, Aid), (Open, Conquer), (Know), (Reckon, Think),

(Be noble, Be generous), etc.

We mentioned this division (of the ) to you at the beginning of the book and we

mentioned together with it the characteristics or defining signs of each of these three

types.

(Chapter on the )

The are of three types: the , and , like: (beat, hit, struck),

(beat/will beat, hit/will hit, strike/will strike) and (Beat, Hit, Strike).

69

The Rules of the

The Author said:

I say:

After the Author mentioned the types of he commences with an explanation of

each type thereof.

The rule for the is to be on the , and this is either or

.

As for the which is it occurs in the ( ) [strong ending (verb)]

that does not have the nor the attached to it as well as in

every whose ending is a or a , like: (honoured), (forwarded,

placed before), (travelled) and like: (Zaynab

travelled and Su'ad came) and like: (was pleased), (was wretched) and

like: (was generous) and (was obscene, lewd).

As for the that is , it is of three types because:

it is either due to and this is in the case of every whose ending

(i.e. final letter) is an , e.g. (call, invite, supplicate), (strive,

run), for each of them is a that is on a on the what

obstructs its explicitness is ,

or the is due to and that is the case of every to which

the is attached, e.g. (they masculine plural write),

(Chapter on the )

The always ends in the , the is always and the is that which

has – at its beginning – one of the four additional letters grouped together in your

statement: (I matured, drew near) and it is always until a or

enters upon it.

71

(they masculine plural are happy), for each of them is a that is on

a on its final letter and what obstructs its explicitness is the

occupation of the place (of declension) by the vowel of

(correspondence) and the in each case is a that is on the

in a place of ,

or the is due to avoiding the repugnance of the consecutive

following of four vowelled letters (i.e. the intinterrupted sequence of four

vowelled letters) and that is in the case of every to which the

(vowelled personal pronoun occurring in the place of ) is

suffixed, like the ( indicating the ) or the ( denoting

feminine plural), e.g. (I wrote), (you masculine singular wrote),

(you feminine singular wrote), (we wrote) and (they

feminine plural wrote), for each of these is a that is on a

on its final letter and what obstructs its explicitness is the

occupation of the place (of declension) by a that appears temporarily for

the purpose of repelling the repugnance of the consecutive following of four

vowelled letters in what is similar to a single word, and the , or is a

that is on the , , or and occupies a place of .

The rule for the is that it is on the sign with which its is .

So if its is (i.e. of a strong ending) and with the then

the is on the . Furthermore, this is either or . The

that is has two places. The first is for it (i.e. the ) to be (i.e. of

a strong ending) and not have anything suffixed to it, and the second is for it to have

the ( denoting feminine plural) suffixed to it, e.g. (Hit!) and

(Write!) and likewise (Hit! feminine plural) and (Write! feminine

plural) being predicated of the . As for the that is it has one place

which is for it (i.e. the ) to have the whether the single or double like:

(Hit!!) and (Write!!) and like: (Hit!!!) and (Write!!!).

70

If the is then it is with the (dropping or

omission of the weak letter) and hence the thereof is on the ,

e.g. (Call!, Invite!), (Judge!, Spend!) and (Strive!).

If the is of the then it is with the (dropping or

omission of the ), and hence the thereof is on the , e.g.

(Write! dual), (Write! masculine plural) and (Write! feminine singular).

Furthermore, the characteristic sign of the is to have – at its beginning – an

additional letter out of four letters grouped together by your statement: (I was

slow), or your statement: (I was distant), or your statement: (they feminine

plural came) or your statement: (we come/will come).

The is for (signifying) the first person (speaker) masculine or feminine,like:

(I masculine or feminine understand), the is for (signifying) the first person

(speaker) who exalts himself or the first person with whom there is someone else,

like: (we understand i.e. a single speaker who exalts himself or a speaker with

whom there is someone else), the is for (signifying) the third person (absentee),

likle: (he stands/will stand) and the is for (signifying) the second person

(addressee) or the third person feminine singular (and dual),like:

(You understand, O Muhammad, your duty) and like:

(Zaynab understands her duty).

If these (four) letters are not additional but are from the root or stem of the , like:

(ate), (transferred, transport), and or the letter is additional but

does not signify the meaning that we have mentioned (for it), like: (honoured)

and (progressed, advanced), then the is and not .

The rule for the is that it is as long as the – whether it is single

or double – or the is not suffixed to it. If the is suffixed to it then it

(i.e. the ) is with it (i.e. the ) on the , like the Most High's

72

statement: (He will most certainly be imprisoned and

be amongst the humiliated ones) and if the is suffixed then it is (with it)

on the , like the Most High's statement: (The

mothers should suckle their children).

When it is then it is as long as it is not entered on (i.e. governed by) a

or , e.g. (Muhammad understands/will understand). is a

that is due to it being stripped of a and a and the sign

indicating that it is is the and is a that is with the

.

If it is entered on (i.e. governed by) a that makes it , like

(A hardworker will never be disappointed). is a (future

tense), is a that is and the sign indicating that it is is

the and is a that is and the sign indicating that it is

is the .

If it is entered on (i.e. governed by) a that makes it , like

(Ibrahim did not feel anxious). is a (i.e. particle of negation,

and transformation i.e. transforming the verb's tense from the present or future to

the past), is a that is and the sign indicating that it is

is the and is a that is and the sign indicating that it is is

the .

73

(Nasb-effectors of the Mudari')

The Author said:

I say:

The instruments (in this case particles only) after which the is are

ten particles and are threegroups: a group effecting by itself, a a group effecting

by means of that is optionally dormant or latent after it and a group

effecting by means of that is obligatorily dormant or latent after it.

As for the first group –that which effects by itself – it consists of four particles,

and they are: , , and .

As for (to, that) it is a (particle denoting the

infinitive or verbal noun, effecting and signifying the future tense), and an

illustation of it is the Most High's statement: (I desire Him to

forgive me), and His statement: (And I fear that the wolf

will eat him), and His statement: (Indeed, It saddens me

greatly that you are taking him) and His statement:

(They all agreed to place him into the depths of the well).

The are ten, and they are: (to), (will not, will never), (in that case,

therefore), (so that, in order to), (the denoting the meaning of

), (the which emphasises a previous negation), (until, up to, to

the point of), (the verbal compliment introduced by the ),

(the verbal compliment introduced by the ) and (until, unless, except).

74

As for (in that case, thus, therefore, hence) it is a

(particle denoting response, the consequence and ). Three conditions are

stipulated for the to be made by it:

The first is that must occur at the beginning of the (sentence

denoting the resonse).

The second is the occurring after it must denote the future tense.

The third is that nothing must separate between it and the except the

(oath), (addressing the listener), or the (negative ).

An example of meeting the conditions is like when one of your brothers says to

you: (I will work hard in my studies) and you say to him:

(In that case, you will pass). An example of where it is separated by means of a

is when you say: (In that case – by Allah – you will pass).

An example of where it is separated by means of a is when you say:

(In that case – O Muhammad – you will pass). An example of where it

is separated by means of the negative is when you say: (In that

case your effort and striving will not be in vain) or you say:

(In that case – by Allah – your work would not have gone to waste).

As for [to, (in order) to] it is a . It is required – in order to

make with it – that it be preceded by the ( of Causation) explicitly

(such that the is verbally expressed) as in (in order that you do not

despair) or that it be preceded by this implicitly (such that the is not verbally

expressed)