Selections from the Glorious Quran — Study Session 7
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- الاستثناء — further recap with examples from Quran
- الواو المَعِيَّة — consolidation and Quranic examples
- القول والمقول — direct speech quotation in Arabic iʿrāb
- لا النافية للجنس — the absolute negation (La Nafiyah Lil-Jins); always manṣūb
- ظَنَّ وأخواتها — Ẓanna and verbs that take two mafʿūl bih
- المصدر المُؤَوَّل — أَنَّ + ism + khabar acting as a maṣdar (taking the place of two mafʿūls)
- لَمَّا الجازمة vs لَمَّا الحينية — the two types of Lamma
- كَم الخبرية — Kam used for astonishment/encouragement (not questioning)
- الفئة — group; modern meaning: denomination
- نون الجمع — nūn dropped in iḍāfah in sound masculine plural
1. الاستثناء — Further Examples
Drill for all four cases using the taxonomy:
| Sentence | Mustasna minhu | Same kind? | Sentence type | Arab of mustasna |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| يَغفِرُ اللهُ الذُّنُوبَ إلَّا الشِّركَ | الذنوب (mentioned) | Yes (shirk is a sin) | Affirmative | Manṣūb: الشِّركَ |
| مَا حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ إلَّا حَامِداً/حَامِدٌ | الطلاب (mentioned) | Yes (Hamid is a student) | Non-affirmative | Manṣūb OR follows Arab of mustasna minhu (choice) |
| لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءٌ إلَّا المَوتَ | الداء (mentioned) | No (death ≠ sickness) | Affirmative | Manṣūb: المَوتَ |
| مَا رَسَبَ إلَّا بِلَالٌ | Not mentioned (mufarra̩gh) | — | — | Analyze without إلّا → fāʿil → Marfūʿ |
2. القول والمقول — Quoting Direct Speech
When a verb of saying (قال، قالوا) introduces a direct quotation, the quoted speech is called المقول (maqūl) — the thing said.
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| القول | al-qawl | The verb of saying; the act of speech |
| المقول | al-maqūl | The quoted words — the exact speech repeated |
In Iʿrāb
The maqūl (quoted sentence) is the mafʿūl bih of the verb قال. As a sentence, it is in maḥall naṣb (since sentences are nakira, and it is in the position of a mafʿūl). It is stated as having "no iʿrāb" of its own in the principal sentence.
3. لا النافية للجنس — Absolute Negation of Genus
لا النافية للجنس is a special لَا that negates an entire genus — expressing absolute non-existence. It is the strongest form of negation with a noun.
| Type | Arabic | Following noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| لا نافية (ordinary) | + verb (marfūʿ) | — | "does not / is not" |
| لا ناهية | + muḍāriʿ (majzūm) | — | "do not!" |
| لا نافية للجنس | + noun | Always manṣūb | "there is absolutely no…" |
Pattern
لَا + NOUN (manṣūb, no tanwīn) → lā nafiyah lil-jins
لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا اليَومَ — "There is absolutely no power for us today…" (Al-Baqarah 2:249)
The noun طَاقَة is manṣūb with no tanwīn (like ism inna). This lā has the power of covering the entire genus — not just "we don't have power" but "there is absolutely zero power — the concept itself is denied."
Translation Nuance
Regular negation: "I am not a doctor" (لَستُ طَبِيباً) Lā nafiyah lil-jins: "There is absolutely no doctor" — the denial is universal and emphatic.
To convey the force in English, add "absolutely" or "whatsoever."
4. ظَنَّ وأخواتها — Ẓanna and Verbs with Two Mafʿūl
Verbs That Take Two Mafʿūl Bih
Certain verbs require two mafʿūl objects:
Category 1 — Form II verbs like ʿAllama:
عَلَّمتُهُ كِتَابَةً — "I taught him (to) write" - First mafʿūl: هُ (him — whom I taught) - Second mafʿūl: كِتَابَةً (writing — what I taught)
Category 2 — Ẓanna and its sisters (verbs of belief/assumption):
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ظَنَّ يَظُنُّ | to think/assume/believe |
| حَسِبَ يَحسَبُ | to consider/reckon |
| عَلِمَ يَعلَمُ | to know (with certainty) |
| وَجَدَ يَجِدُ | to find (something to be) |
Ẓanna — Two Meanings
ظَنَّ can mean either: 1. To assume (uncertain belief) 2. To be sure / have strong conviction
Arabic has words whose meanings can be apparently opposite. Another example: بَصِير = sighted person, but in some classical usage can also be applied to a blind person (from a related meaning). The preposition following a word can also change its meaning entirely (e.g. تَابَ إلى = to repent; تَابَ عَلَى = to accept repentance).
Using Ẓanna with Two Mafʿūl
هَل ظَنَنتَهُ طَالِباً؟ — "Did you think him [to be] a student?" - Verb: ظَنَنتَ - First mafʿūl: هُ (him) - Second mafʿūl: طَالِباً (a student)
5. المصدر المُؤَوَّل — The Interpreted Maṣdar
A maṣdar muʾawwal is a construction that functions like a maṣdar (verbal noun) but is built from a particle + verb/sentence rather than a single derived noun.
Type 1: أَن + Muḍāriʿ
أَن تَكتُبَ ≡ كِتَابَة (writing) أَن + verb behaves like a maṣdar
When أَن precedes a muḍāriʿ, it makes it manṣūb AND the entire construction (أَن + verb) functions like a maṣdar: - أُريدُ أَن تَكتُبَ = I want you to write / I want the writing (أَن-phrase = mafʿūl bih)
Type 2: أَنَّ + Ism + Khabar
The أَنَّ + its ism + its khabar together can function as a single maṣdar muʾawwal, and therefore can substitute for two mafʿūl objects with verbs like ẓanna:
هَل ظَنَنتَهُ طَالِباً؟ (two separate mafʿūls) ≡ هَل ظَنَنتَ أَنَّهُ طَالِبٌ؟ (أَنَّ-phrase replaces both mafʿūls)
Both sentences mean: "Did you think he is a student?" — but the second uses أَنَّ + complete clause as a single maṣdar muʾawwal.
الْمَصدَرُ سَادٌّ مَسَدَّ المَفعُولَيْن
Classical grammar books state: "The maṣdar is blocking the place of the two mafʿūls." When a maṣdar muʾawwal takes the position of two mafʿūl bih objects, it is described this way.
6. لَمَّا الجازمة vs لَمَّا الحينية — Two Types of Lamma
| Type | Arabic | Effect | Meaning | Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| لَمَّا الجازِمَة | Jazimah | Makes muḍāriʿ majzūm | "not yet" — negation with expectation | Muḍāriʿ (mostly) |
| لَمَّا الحِيْنِيَّة | Ḥīniyyah (temporal) | No effect on case | "when / as soon as" | Usually māḍī |
Lamma al-Jazimah — "Not Yet"
Functions like لَم but adds the nuance that the action is still expected/awaited.
لَمَّا يَدخُلِ الإيمانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُم — "Faith has not yet entered your hearts." (Al-Ḥujurāt 49:14)
The kasra on يَدخُلِ is to break the iltiqāʾ al-sākinayn (two sukūns colliding).
Lamma al-Ḥīniyyah — "When"
A temporal adverb meaning "when" or "as soon as." Does NOT cause jazm.
لَمَّا سَمِعتُ الأَذَانَ ذَهَبتُ إلَى المَسجِد — "When I heard the adhān I went to the mosque."
Key identification rule: - If the following verb is majzūm → lamma jazimah (meaning: "not yet") - If the following verb is māḍī or marfūʿ → lamma ḥīniyyah (meaning: "when")
7. كَم الخبرية — Kam of Astonishment
كَم has two uses:
| Type | Arabic | Meaning | Following noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| كَم الاستفهامية | Interrogative kam | "How many?" (question) | Tamyīz manṣūb (or with مِن + majrūr) |
| كَم الخبرية | Declarative kam | Expression of wonder / large number | — |
In this passage, كَم is used as Kam al-Khabariyyah:
وَكَأَيِّن مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَت فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذنِ اللهِ "How many a small company has overcome a large company by Allāh's permission!" (Al-Baqarah 2:249)
The sentence is not asking a question but expressing astonishment/encouragement: "[Look at] how many small armies have defeated large armies…"
When مِن is present after كَم, the following noun (تمييز) is majrūr (by مِن). Without مِن it would be manṣūb.
8. الفئة — Group / Denomination
الفِئَة (al-fiʾah) = a group, band, or party. Plural: الفِئَات.
Modern extended meaning: denomination of money (a group of monetary units). Example: لَدَيكَ فِئَة مِئَة دُولَار = "You have a hundred-dollar denomination."
9. النون في جمع المذكر السالم — Nūn in Iḍāfah
The nūn at the end of the sound masculine plural is dropped when the noun becomes muḍāf:
- مُسلِمُونَ → مُسلِمُو كَنَدَا (Muslims of Canada — nūn dropped)
- مُدَرِّسُو اللُّغَةِ العَرَبِيَّةِ — Arabic language teachers (nūn dropped)
This mirrors tanwīn being dropped in iḍāfah — the nūn in SMP serves a similar definiteness-marking function.
10. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- لا النافية للجنس → noun after it is manṣūb (like ism inna); means absolute universal negation.
- ظَنَّ and its sisters take two mafʿūl bih — or can use أَنَّ + sentence as a single maṣdar muʾawwal replacing both.
- المصدر المؤوَّل: أَنَّ + ism + khabar = a single maṣdar unit; described as "sāddun masadda al-mafʿūlayn."
- لَمَّا has two types: jazimah (not yet; majzūm verb) and ḥīniyyah (when; no jazm, usually māḍī).
- كَم الخبرية expresses wonder at a large number — not a question.
- Nūn of SMP is dropped in iḍāfah just as tanwīn is.
- القول والمقول: the maqūl (quoted speech) is the mafʿūl bih of قال — in maḥall naṣb as a sentence.
Next session: iʿrāb of Āyah 250 and Āyah 251 (the Tālūt–Jālūt battle and conclusion).