Surah Al-Hujuraat — Study Session 12
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- بَدَل — extended revision: mubdalminhu terminology, four combination types, tawābiʿ concept
- بَدَل اِشتِمَال (the hardest type) — extensive Quranic examples, including from Sūrah Al-Mumtaḥana
- Grammar rules for بَدَل: follows iʿrāb but NOT definiteness/indefiniteness of the mubdalminhu
- Āyah 10 grammatical analysis — إِنَّمَا, إِخوَة vs إِخوَان, dual with dropped nūn
- لَعَلَّ — hope and fear; structure like إِنَّ
- الأَجوَف (Hollow Verbs) — ism fāʿil with hamza; plural reversion to original wāw/yāʾ
- قَوم — etymology: from قَامَ (to undertake); originally men, then extended to all people
- Start of Āyah 11 — the six personal-level social prohibitions
1. بَدَل — Extended Revision
1.1 Terminology: مُبدَل مِنه
The word being substituted FOR is called the مُبدَل مِنه (mubdal minhu = "the one substituted from"). The substitute itself is the بَدَل.
جَاءَ أَخُوكَ مُحَمَّدٌ - أَخُوكَ = مُبدَل مِنه (the original word) - مُحَمَّدٌ = بَدَل (the substitute)
1.2 التَّوَابِع — Words That Follow in Iʿrāb
بَدَل belongs to a category of grammar called تَوَابِع (tawābiʿ, sing. tābiʿ) — words that follow another word in its iʿrāb:
- نَعت/صِفَة (adjective) — follows the noun it describes
- عَطف (conjunction) — the maʿṭūf follows the maʿṭūf ʿalayh
- تَوكِيد (emphasis word) — follows the word emphasized
- بَدَل — follows the mubdal minhu
All tawābiʿ follow their head word in marfūʿ/manṣūb/majrūr.
1.3 The Two Rules for Badal
Two Rules for Badal
Rule 1 — iʿrāb: The badal ALWAYS follows the iʿrāb (marfūʿ/manṣūb/majrūr) of the mubdal minhu.
Rule 2 — definiteness: The badal does NOT need to match the definiteness/indefiniteness (maʿrifa/nakira) of the mubdal minhu. The mubdal minhu could be definite while the badal is indefinite, or vice versa.
1.4 Four Combination Types
Beyond the four semantic types (kullun min kullin, baʿḍ min kullin, ishtimāl, mubāyin), the structural form of the substitution can vary:
| Substitution Form | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ism for ism | One word substitutes for another word | جَاءَ زَيدٌ أَخُوكَ |
| fiʿl for fiʿl | One verb substitutes for another verb | يَلقَ أَثَامًا / يُضَاعَف (verb substitutes for verb) |
| jumlah for jumlah | One clause substitutes for another clause | أَمدَّكُم بِمَا تَعلَمُونَ / أَمدَّكُم بِأَنعَامٍ وَبَنِين |
| jumlah for mufrad | A clause substitutes for a single word | أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبِلِ / كَيفَ خُلِقَت |
2. Quranic Examples of بَدَل اِشتِمَال
The badal ishtimāl type (associative substitution — something related to, but not identical to or part of, the first word) is the most common type in Quranic text and the most difficult to identify.
2.1 Sūrah Al-Baqarah — Fighting in the Sacred Month
يَسأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهرِ الحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ "They ask you about the sacred month — fighting in it."
- الشَّهرِ الحَرَامِ = mubdal minhu (majrūr after عَن)
- قِتَالٍ = badal (also majrūr) — badal ishtimāl
Fighting is not the month itself, nor a portion of the month — but it is related to / associated with the month (the question is specifically about fighting during the sacred month).
2.2 Sūrah Al-Furqān — Doubled Punishment
مَن يَفعَل ذَٰلِكَ يَلقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَف لَهُ العَذَابُ "Whoever does this will meet a penalty — it will be doubled upon him."
- يَلقَ = jawāb al-shart (majzūm, from يَلقَى; alif dropped because majzūm nāqiṣ verb)
- أَثَامًا = mafʿūl bih (the penalty/sin consequence)
- يُضَاعَف = badal ishtimāl for يَلقَ أَثَامًا — verb substituting for verb
The doubling of the punishment is not the same as "meeting a penalty" — it is something related to it (it describes what the penalty entails).
Majzūm Nāqiṣ Verb
يَلقَى (a nāqiṣ verb) becomes يَلقَ when majzūm — the final alif (standing for the weak yāʾ) is dropped. The pattern for majzūm nāqiṣ verbs: drop the ending weak letter.
2.3 Sūrah Al-Ghāshiyah — The Camel
أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبِلِ كَيفَ خُلِقَت "Do they not look at the camel — how it was created?"
- الإِبِلِ = mubdal minhu (majrūr)
- كَيفَ خُلِقَت = badal ishtimāl — a full sentence substituting for a single word
"How it was created" is not the camel itself; it is not a portion of the camel; but it is something deeply associated with the camel in this context. Allah does not just want you to look at the camel — He wants you to contemplate how it was created.
2.4 Sūrah Al-Mumtaḥana (60:8-9) — Badal in Complex Sentences
لَا يَنهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَم يُقَاتِلُوكُم فِي الدِّينِ... أَن تَبَرُّوهُم "Allah does not forbid you regarding those who did not fight you... that you treat them kindly."
- الَّذِينَ = mubdal minhu
- أَن تَبَرُّوهُم = badal ishtimāl — "treating them kindly" is not the same as "those people" but is associated with them (it is the action you are or are not forbidden to do regarding them)
إِنَّمَا يَنهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُم... أَن تَوَلَّوهُم "Allah only forbids you regarding those who fought you... that you befriend them."
- أَن تَوَلَّوهُم = badal ishtimāl for الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُم
Spotting Badal Ishtimāl
When you see a phrase that seems to explain what is meant by the first word — not by being it, and not by being a portion of it, but by being a related aspect or consequence — you are likely looking at badal ishtimāl. The helpful mental test: can you insert "that is to say" in the translation? If yes, it is likely a badal.
3. Tafseer and Grammar of Āyah 10
إِنَّمَا المُؤمِنُونَ إِخوَةٌ فَأَصلِحُوا بَينَ أَخَوَيكُم وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُم تُرحَمُون
"The believers are nothing but brothers. So make peace between your two brothers, and be mindful of Allah — perhaps you will receive mercy."
3.1 إِخوَة vs إِخوَان — Two Plurals of أَخ
أَخ has two distinct plurals with different implications:
| Plural | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| إِخوَان | إِخوَان | friends, companions, people in a fraternity; NOT necessarily blood brothers |
| إِخوَة | إِخوَة | real brothers; specifically blood brothers or those in a genuine kin-like bond |
Why Allah Used إِخوَة Here
Allah chose إِخوَة — the word for real brothers — not إِخوَان. This packs maximum force into the statement: the believers are not just a club or fraternity; they are like actual blood relatives to each other. Combined with إِنَّمَا's exclusive restriction, the meaning is: "The believers are NOTHING BUT real brothers to each other — no other relationship describes them."
3.2 أَخَوَيكُم — Dual with Dropped Nūn
أَخَوَيكُم = "your two brothers"
Formation: 1. أَخ — singular (root: ا-خ-و or خ-و; the third radical wāw is hidden) 2. أَخَوَانِ — dual (the hidden wāw returns: أَخ + wāw = أَخَوَ + ان) 3. When muḍāf: nūn drops → أَخَوَيْ 4. With attached pronoun: أَخَوَيكُم
Dual + Muḍāf = Nūn Drops
Both duals (ending in ـانِ/ـيْنِ) and sound masculine plurals (ending in ون/ين) drop their nūn when they become a muḍāf. This is a firm rule: اِسمٌ مُثَنَّى مُضَاف = نُون مَحذُوفَة.
أَبَوَانِ — Parents (Not 'Two Fathers')
The dual of أَب is أَبَوَانِ — and this word means parents (father AND mother), not "two fathers." The dual of the masculine incorporates both parents. Similarly, the five special nouns' hidden third radicals emerge in the dual form.
3.3 لَعَلَّ — Hope (and Fear)
لَعَلَّ is one of the حُرُوف المُشَبَّهَة بِالفِعل (letters resembling a verb, like إِنَّ and its sisters) — it takes: - ism → manṣūb - khabar → marfūʿ (or jumlah fiʿliyya, in which case fī maḥalli rafʿ)
Meaning: لَعَلَّ conveys hope or fear depending on context.
In Āyah 10: لَعَلَّكُم تُرحَمُون — here it conveys hope: "so that perhaps you will be blessed with mercy."
لَعَلَّ + كُم (ism, manṣūb — attached pronoun) + تُرحَمُون (khabar, jumlah fiʿliyya, fī maḥalli rafʿ)
3.4 Treating Allah's Name with Respect in Iʿrāb
When doing grammatical analysis and the word اللَّه appears as a fāʿil, instead of saying "its fāʿil is الله" using the term مَفعُول (one who does), classical grammar books say:
وَفَاعِلُهُ لَفظُ الجَلَالَة — "its doer is the majestic name [of Allah]"
This shows proper adab (respect) in linguistic analysis.
4. الأَجوَف — Hollow Verbs: Ism Fāʿil Pattern
4.1 The Ajwaf Verb Type
الأَجوَف (ajwaf = hollow) verbs have a weak second radical (wāw or yāʾ in the middle). The weakness affects conjugation — notably the ism fāʿil.
4.2 Ism Fāʿil of Ajwaf Verbs — The Hamza
When making the ism fāʿil (doer noun, pattern فَاعِل) from an ajwaf verb, the weak middle radical converts to hamza:
| Verb | Root | Expected Ism Fāʿil | Actual Ism Fāʿil | What Happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| قَامَ (to stand/do) | ق-و-م | قَاوِم | قَائِم | wāw → hamza |
| صَارَ (to become) | ص-و-ر | صَاوِر | صَائِر | wāw → hamza |
| زَارَ (to visit) | ز-و-ر | زَاوِر | زَائِر | wāw → hamza |
| سَافَرَ (to travel, Form III) | س-ف-ر | سَافِر | سَافِر | (Form III: no change needed) |
The wāw (or yāʾ) sandwiched between two vowels becomes unstable in the فَاعِل pattern and converts to hamza.
4.3 Plural Pattern — Reversion to Original Wāw/Yāʾ
When making the plural of these ism fāʿil nouns on the pattern فَعَل (faʿal), the hamza reverts to the original wāw/yāʾ:
| Ism Fāʿil | Plural (فَعَل) | Reversion |
|---|---|---|
| قَائِم | قَوم | hamza → wāw (original radical) |
| زَائِر | زُوَّار / زُوَّر | hamza → wāw |
| صَاحِب | صَحب | — (not ajwaf, same pattern) |
| رَاكِب | رَكب | — |
| سَافِر | سَفر | — |
This is why قَوم (the plural of قَائِم on the فَعَل pattern) shows a wāw — it is the original middle radical of the verb قَامَ returning in the plural.
5. Vocabulary: قَوم — Etymology and Meaning
5.1 Root and Derivation
Root: ق-و-م — verb: قَامَ / يَقُومُ = to stand; to undertake, to carry out (an important task)
| Arabic | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| قَامَ / يَقُومُ | Form I (ajwaf wāwī) | to stand; to undertake, to carry out |
| قَائِم | ism fāʿil (with hamza) | one who stands; one who undertakes |
| قَوم | plural on فَعَل | those who undertake important tasks |
5.2 Historical Meaning and Semantic Extension
قَوم originally referred to men — specifically those who undertook important tasks (going to battle, providing for the community, leading affairs). The root concept: قَائِم بِالأَمرِ = one who stands up for/carries out the matter.
The Connection to قَوَّام
This same root gives us the Quranic concept of قَوَّامُون عَلَى النِّسَاء (men are qawwāmūn over women) in Sūrah Al-Nisāʾ — not "rulers" but those who stand up for and take responsibility for women's wellbeing.
Over time, قَوم extended in meaning to cover all people (men and women), just as many originally gender-specific words in various languages broadened.
In Āyah 11: The ayah explicitly distinguishes between قَوم and نِسَاء — which confirms that here قَوم is being used in the original, narrower sense of men specifically.
6. Start of Āyah 11 — Personal-Level Prohibitions
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسخَر قَومٌ مِّن قَومٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيرًا مِّنهُم
"O you who believe! Let not a group of people mock another group — perhaps they are better than them..."
After the community/state-level issues in Āyāt 9-10, Āyah 11 begins the section on six personal-level social sins:
- Men mocking other men
- Women mocking other women
- Defaming one another
- Calling each other by offensive nicknames
- (Āyah 12) Suspicion
- (Āyah 12) Backbiting
6.1 Verb سَخِرَ — To Mock
سَخِرَ مِن = to mock/ridicule someone (takes مِن after it)
Similar words for mockery: - ضَحِكَ مِن = to laugh at (to mock by laughing) - اِستَهزَأَ بِ = to mock, to ridicule (takes بِ)
6.2 لَعَلَّ in Āyah 11 — Conveying Fear
عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيرًا مِّنهُم — "perhaps they are better than them"
Here عَسَى (another word for "perhaps/maybe" similar to لَعَلَّ) conveys an element of fear and caution: what if the ones you are mocking are actually better in Allah's sight than you? The verse uses the possibility of the mocked being superior to shame the mocker.
7. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Pattern / Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| قَامَ / يَقُومُ | ق-و-م | Form I (ajwaf wāwī) | to stand; to undertake |
| قَائِم | ق-و-م | ism fāʿil (hamza for wāw) | one who stands/undertakes |
| قَوم | ق-و-م | plural فَعَل | people; originally "men who carry out tasks" |
| قَوَّام | ق-و-م | fāʿil with tashyīd | one who maintains, provides, protects |
| إِخوَة | أ-خ-و | plural | real brothers (blood kin) |
| إِخوَان | أ-خ-و | plural | friends, fraternal associates |
| سَخِرَ / يَسخَرُ | س-خ-ر | Form I | to mock, to ridicule (+ مِن) |
| سَخِرَ / يَسخَرُ | س-خ-ر | + بِ | to laugh at mockingly |
| لَعَلَّ | — | ḥarf mushabbah bi-l-fiʿl | perhaps; expressing hope or fear |
| عَسَى | — | fiʿl jāmid | perhaps; expressing hope or concern |
8. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Key Lessons
- The original word being substituted FOR is the مُبدَل مِنه; the substitute is the بَدَل.
- بَدَل is one of the تَوَابِع — it follows the iʿrāb of the mubdal minhu, but does NOT need to match its definiteness/indefiniteness.
- Badal can be: ism for ism, fiʿl for fiʿl, jumlah for jumlah, or jumlah for mufrad.
- بَدَل اِشتِمَال is the most common type in Quranic text — the substitute is neither the same as nor a part of the first word, but is related to it. Mental test: can you insert "that is to say"?
- إِخوَة = real/blood brothers; إِخوَان = friends/fraternal associates. Allah uses إِخوَة in Āyah 10 for maximum impact.
- Dual (مُثَنَّى) and sound masculine plural (جَمع مُذَكَّر سَالِم) both drop nūn when they become a muḍāf.
- لَعَلَّ (like إِنَّ sisters) takes ism manṣūb + khabar marfūʿ; it conveys hope or fear.
- Ajwaf ism fāʿil: the middle wāw/yāʾ converts to hamza (قَائِم from قَامَ). In the plural on فَعَل, the hamza reverts to the original wāw/yāʾ (قَوم).
- قَوم originally meant men specifically (those who undertake important tasks, from قَامَ); later extended to people generally.
The session announced a one-week break; the following session will continue from Āyah 11. Students are encouraged to find examples of بَدَل اِشتِمَال from the Quran independently before then.