Selected Ayaat of Surah al-Israa — Study Session 5
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Note: Session 5a was cut short due to technical issues; Session 5b contains the full content
- Completion of iʿrāb of Ayah 25 — جُملَة شِبه and hidden words
- صِيغَة المُبَالَغَة — five patterns in depth (فَعَّال, فَعُول, فَعِيل, مِفعَال, فَعِل)
- الفَعَّال pattern used for professions
- آتِ — the Form IV imperative and its hamza analysis
- الأَسماء الخمسة — the five special nouns and their declension
- ذُو / ذَا / ذِي and its exclusive use with a muḍāf
- الْقُربَى — ممنوع من الصرف with additional alif
- بَذَّرَ / تَبذِير vs. إِسراف — two types of excess spending
- Ayaat 26–27: commands to spend on kin, the needy, and travelers; prohibition of squandering
1. Completing the Iʿrāb of Ayah 25
1.1 الجُملَة الشَّرطِيَّة — Conditional Sentence
إِن تَكُونُوا صَالِحِينَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ لِلأَوَّابِينَ غَفُورًا "If you are righteous, then He is forgiving to those who repeatedly return to Him."
| Term | Analysis |
|---|---|
| إِن | حرف شرط (conditional particle) |
| تَكُونُوا | فعل الشرط — originally تَكُونُونَ; noon dropped because the verb is مجزوم (jazm) after إِن; وَاو is فاعل; ألف وقاية protects the wāw |
| صَالِحِينَ | خبر كان — manṣūb |
| فَإِنَّهُ | جواب الشرط — جواب يأخذ الفاء because the جواب is a nominal sentence |
| كَانَ لِلأَوَّابِينَ غَفُورًا | الجملة الاسمية — خبر إِنَّ |
1.2 الجُملَة الشِّبهِيَّة as Khabar
The شِبه جُملَة (prepositional phrase or ẓarf) functions as the khabar. When it does, a hidden مُستَقِرّ or كَائِن is understood as the actual khabar, and the شبه جُملَة is the خبر in form.
رَبُّكُم أَعلَمُ بِمَا فِي نُفُوسِكُم — The شبه جُملَة "فِي نُفُوسِكُم" functions as the muḍāf ilayh of ما, and the whole "بِمَا..." is the thing with which Allah is most knowing.
1.3 أَلِف الوِقَايَة — The Protective Alif
When the plural verb form (e.g., كَتَبُوا) has wāw as the sign of the plural, an alif is written after the wāw to mark that the wāw belongs to the word and is not a separate letter. This alif carries no sound and has no iʿrāb — it is purely a protective/distinguishing alif.
كَتَبُوا — not كَتَبُو — the alif after wāw prevents the wāw from being mistaken for a separate word.
2. صِيغَة المُبَالَغَة — Five Patterns
صِيغَة المُبَالَغَة = the intensified/hyperbolic form. It derives from a verb and shows that the quality is either: 1. Repeated many times (كثرة — frequency) 2. Of great magnitude/intensity (شِدَّة — intensity)
This parallels Form II of the verb (which similarly intensifies or multiplies the action).
2.1 Pattern 1: فَعَّال
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| غَفَّار | غ-ف-ر | the Most Forgiving (of great/repeated forgiveness) — Name of Allah |
| أَكَّال | أ-ك-ل | a glutton (one who eats excessively/repeatedly) |
| عَبَّاس | ع-ب-س | one who frowns a lot → name given to lions (who perpetually frown/wrinkle) → title for the brave |
عَبَّاس and Lions
The Arabic name عَبَّاس (al-ʿAbbās) literally means "the one who frowns a lot." Arabs gave this title to lions because lions have perpetually wrinkled brows. Over time it became a title for the courageous — not because they frown, but because they are like lions. This is also the name of the Prophet's uncle ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib.
فَعَّال is the ONLY pattern used for professions:
| Arabic | Profession | Root verb |
|---|---|---|
| بَقَّال | greengrocer | بَقَلَ (to sell greens) |
| طَبَّاخ | chef/cook | طَبَخَ (to cook) |
| خَبَّاز | baker | خَبَزَ (to bake) |
| حَلَّاق | barber | حَلَقَ (to shave/cut hair) |
Why Professions Use فَعَّال
A professional does something repeatedly as their livelihood — which is exactly what mubālaghah shows. A baker bakes, again and again; that repetition defines the profession.
2.2 Pattern 2: فَعُول
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| غَفُور | غ-ف-ر | very forgiving (both repeated and great magnitude) |
| كَفُور | ك-ف-ر | extremely ungrateful |
| شَكُور | ش-ك-ر | extremely grateful, appreciative |
| عَبُوس | ع-ب-س | always frowning, sullen |
عَبُوس is also used as a name for the Day of Judgment:
إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًا قَمطَرِيرًا — Surah al-Insān 10 "We fear from our Lord a Day frowning (عَبُوس) and extremely malignant (قَمطَرِير)."
The Day itself is called "frowning" because it will make everyone frown with fear and anguish.
رَحِيم (from رحم) combines both ṣifat mushabbaha (permanent quality) and mubālaghah (intensification), giving it a double force — always merciful AND greatly merciful. This is why رَحِيم is one of Allah's most hopeful Names.
2.3 Pattern 3: فَعِيل
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| رَحِيم | ر-ح-م | greatly merciful (also ṣifat mushabbaha) |
| سَمِيع | س-م-ع | all-hearing (intensified) |
2.4 Pattern 4: مِفعَال
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مِذعَار | ذ-ع-ر | one who is very cautious, always on guard |
| مِزعَار | ز-ع-ر | one who tears excessively — e.g., in Arabic poetry about someone shredding a person's honor/reputation |
From classical poetry (about those who tear apart one's reputation):
بَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُم مَزَاعِيرُ عِرضِي — "It has come to my knowledge that they are shredders of my honor."
2.5 Pattern 5: فَعِل (also مِنعَال / مِفعَل)
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مِنحَار | ن-ح-ر | one who slaughters many camels (for guests — a sign of extreme generosity) |
| طَعَّان | ط-ع-ن | one who repeatedly pierces/stabs; also: one who slanders (piercing honor) |
The root connection: طَعَنَ = to pierce with a spear → to stab at someone's honor → to slander. Arabic roots carry their story.
عَطَاء — an Exception
عَطَاء (giving, granting) comes from Form IV (أَعطَى), yet appears on the mifʿāl-like pattern. It is an exception — most words on this pattern come from Form I. (عَطَى Form I itself means something different; the form IV أَعطَى is the primary verb of giving.)
3. The Imperative آتِ — Form IV Analysis
آتِ is the imperative of آتَى يُؤتِي (Form IV: to give, to grant, to bestow).
| Form IV verb | Muḍāriʿ | Amr (imperative) |
|---|---|---|
| آتَى | يُؤتِي | آتِ |
The hamza analysis: 1. Muḍāriʿ: يُؤتِي — the hamza of Form IV is present 2. To make the amr: take the second-person form → drop the muḍāriʿ prefix → give the last letter sukūn 3. Because the verb is nakis (3rd radical = yāʾ), the yāʾ drops when given sukūn 4. Now we have: ءت (hamza with sukūn + tāʾ) 5. But the verb's original hamza (of Form IV) + a hamza from the amr formation = two hamzas 6. Two hamzas: one with fatḥa + one with sukūn → combine to produce a madd: آ 7. Result: آتِ
Form IV Imperatives
Whenever you see a madd alif (آ) at the start of an imperative, that is Form IV. No other form produces this pattern in the amr.
آتَى vs. أَتَى:
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| أَتَى يَأتِي (Form I) | to come (intransitive) |
| آتَى يُؤتِي (Form IV) | to give, to bring, to grant (transitive) |
4. الأَسماء الخمسة — The Five Special Nouns
The five nouns that take و، ا، ي as case signs (instead of ḍamma/fatḥa/kasra) when they are muḍāf:
| Noun | Marfūʿ | Manṣūb | Majrūr |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَب (father) | أَبُوكَ | أَبَاكَ | أَبِيكَ |
| أَخ (brother) | أَخُوكَ | أَخَاكَ | أَخِيكَ |
| حَم (father-in-law) | حَمُوكَ | حَمَاكَ | حَمِيكَ |
| فَم (mouth) | فُوكَ | فَاكَ | فِيكَ |
| ذُو (possessor of) | ذُو | ذَا | ذِي |
Conditions for the Special Declension
These nouns only take the و/ا/ي case signs when: 1. They are muḍāf (have a muḍāf ilayh after them) 2. The muḍāf ilayh is not the yāʾ al-mutakallim (not "my father" — أَبِي takes normal kasra)
ذُو never occurs alone — it is always muḍāf. Its muḍāf ilayh must be a noun (not a pronoun).
5. ذَا الْقُربَى — Grammar of Ayah 26
وَآتِ ذَا الْقُربَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسكِينَ وَابنَ السَّبِيلِ "And give the kinsman his due, and the needy, and the wayfarer."
| Word | Analysis |
|---|---|
| ذَا | manṣūb form of ذُو — مفعول به أول (first mafʿūl bih) of آتِ |
| الْقُربَى | مُضَاف إِلَيه of ذَا — الاسم المقصور AND ممنوع من الصرف |
| حَقَّهُ | مفعول به ثانٍ — آتَى takes two objects |
| الْمِسكِينَ | معطوف على ذَا الْقُربَى (manṣūb) |
| ابنَ السَّبِيلِ | معطوف على ذَا الْقُربَى (manṣūb) |
آتَى takes two mafʿūl bihs, like أَعطَى: I gave [whom] [what].
5.1 الْقُربَى — ممنوع من الصرف
الْقُربَى ends in alif but is NOT a nakis noun (i.e., the alif is not the third radical). The alif is additional — added to form the abstract noun of kinship. Because the alif is additional (like the tāʾ marbūṭa that makes feminine nouns), the word is ممنوع من الصرف (diptote).
| Type of alif-ending | Category | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Third radical (من ص ر) | Nakis (اسم مقصور) — not diptote | فَتَى (fa-ta-wāw) |
| Additional alif (مزيد) | ممنوع من الصرف (diptote) | القُربَى، فَتوَى |
5.2 ابن السَّبِيل — Son of the Road
ابن السَّبِيل literally "son of the road" = a traveler who is away from home and in need of help. The iḍāfa uses "son of" as Arabic does for many categories: ابن اللَّيل (child of the night), ابن البَلَد (son of the town), etc.
6. بَذَّرَ / تَبذِير — To Squander
Root: ب-ذ-ر | Form II | Maṣdar: تَبذِير
Original meaning: بَذَرَ (Form I) = to sow/scatter seeds — the old farming method of throwing seeds by hand across a field.
Meaning evolution: - Scattering seeds → scattering things indiscriminately → wasting/squandering money
وَلَا تُبَذِّر تَبذِيرًا — "And do not squander a squandering" تَبذِيرًا is مفعول مطلق (for emphasis: absolutely do not squander at all)
6.1 إِسراف vs. تَبذِير
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| إِسراف | Spending too much on something permissible (e.g., extravagant food when moderate food would suffice) |
| تَبذِير | Spending on something impermissible altogether — throwing money away without any valid purpose |
Some scholars say they are interchangeable synonyms; others distinguish them as above. The Quranic use of تَبذِير in this context suggests spending without any valid purpose — pure waste.
6.2 The Severity of Isrāf/Tabdhīr
إِنَّ المُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ — Surah al-Isrā 27 "Indeed, the spendthrifts are brothers of the shayāṭīn."
Allah balances the commands: - Give to kin, the needy, travelers (Ayah 26) - Do not squander wastefully (Ayah 26)
Neither miserliness nor wasteful extravagance — the middle path of purposeful generosity.
7. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| غَفَّار | غ-ف-ر | فَعَّال | Most Forgiving (Name of Allah) |
| أَكَّال | أ-ك-ل | فَعَّال | glutton |
| خَبَّاز | خ-ب-ز | فَعَّال | baker (profession) |
| حَلَّاق | ح-ل-ق | فَعَّال | barber (profession) |
| غَفُور | غ-ف-ر | فَعُول | very forgiving (Name of Allah) |
| كَفُور | ك-ف-ر | فَعُول | extremely ungrateful |
| شَكُور | ش-ك-ر | فَعُول | extremely grateful |
| عَبُوس | ع-ب-س | فَعُول | always frowning; name for Judgement Day |
| آتَى | أ-ت-و | Form IV | to give, grant, bestow |
| آتِ | أ-ت-و | Form IV amr | give! |
| قُربَى | ق-ر-ب | فُعلَى | kinship; relatives (diptote) |
| مِسكِين | م-س-ك | مِفعِيل | needy person |
| ابن السَّبِيل | — | iḍāfa | wayfarer, traveler |
| بَذَّرَ | ب-ذ-ر | Form II | to squander, scatter wastefully |
| تَبذِير | ب-ذ-ر | تَفعِيل maṣdar | squandering |
| إِسراف | س-ر-ف | إِفعَال maṣdar | extravagance; spending excessively on the permissible |
8. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- صِيغَة المُبَالَغَة has five main patterns; فَعَّال is the only one used for professions.
- رَحِيم combines ṣifat mushabbaha (timeless quality) and mubālaghah (intense magnitude) — making it uniquely powerful as a Name of Allah.
- Form IV imperatives are identified by the madd alif آ at the beginning (two hamzas combine: آتِ, آخُذ).
- The five special nouns (أَب، أَخ، حَم، فَم، ذُو) take و/ا/ي as case signs only when muḍāf.
- الْقُربَى is ممنوع من الصرف (diptote) because its alif is additional — not the third radical.
- تَبذِير = wasting money on the impermissible; إِسراف = excess spending even on the permissible. Both are prohibited but تَبذِير is graver.
- The spendthrift (مُبَذِّر) is called "a brother of the shayāṭīn" in Ayah 27 — one of the strongest prohibitions in the passage.
Next session: Ayah 28 onwards — when you cannot give (the gracious turning away), and beginning of the prohibition of killing children out of poverty.