Surah An-Noor — Study Session 11
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Tafseer of Ayah 41 (all creation makes tasbih; birds with outstretched wings) and Ayah 42 (kingdom belongs to Allah)
- Grammar: Alam Tara — morphological analysis of يَرَى (the reduced form of يَرْأَى)
- Grammar: رَأَى with two mafʿūl bihi (vision of the mind's eye)
- Grammar: Maṣdar muʾawwal (أَنَّ + sentence) — blocking two mafʿūl bihi positions
- Grammar: Ṣāffāt — jamāʿ muʾannath sālim; kasra in manṣūb is not majrūr
- Grammar: Qad particle with māḍī and muḍāriʿ — three meanings
- Grammar: Firʿ vs. ʿAmala — subtle meaning difference
- Grammar: Sāra/Yasīru — "to become" (kāna sister) vs. "to return" (with ilā)
- Grammar: Kullun — treated as singular (word) or plural (meaning)
- Concept: Balāgha (rhetoric) and how to develop an Arabic ear
1. Alam Tara — Morphological Analysis
أَلَمْ تَرَ (alam tara) = "do you not see/ponder?"
Morphological history of يَرَى:
- Root: ر-أ-ي → māḍī: رَأَى
- Muḍāriʿ: originally يَرْأَى
- The 'alif (weak letter) turns to 'alif in muḍāriʿ → يَرَى
- Over centuries of very frequent use, the hamza dropped because hamza + 'alif are heavy → the word simplified to يَرَى
Samāʿī Reduction
The reduction from يَرْأَى → يَرَى is not governed by a rule — it happened because of the extreme frequency of usage. Such organic phonetic simplification is classified as samāʿī.
Making it majzūm (after لَم): the alif at the end drops → تَرَ (the alif had sukūn, so it is simply removed).
2. Rā'ā — Two Types of "Seeing"
The verb رَأَى has two distinct uses:
| Use | Arabic | Meaning | Objects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical sight | رَأَى مَلَكًا | He saw a boy (physically) | 1 mafʿūl bihi |
| Mental/epistemic | رَأَى إِبرَاهِيمَ عَالِمًا | He considers Ibrahim a scholar | 2 mafʿūl bihi |
Mental Rā'ā Takes Two Objects
When رَأَى means "to think/consider/perceive mentally" (رَأَى القَلبِيَّة), it takes two mafʿūl bihi, just like ظَنَّ and حَسِبَ.
3. Maṣdar Muʾawwal Blocking Two Mafʿūl Bihi
When رَأَى (mental sense) would normally take two objects, a maṣdar muʾawwal (أَنَّ + sentence) can take the place of both objects simultaneously:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ... is a maṣdar muʾawwal that blocks the place of both mafʿūl bihi of أَلَمْ تَرَ. Think of it as a box that holds both objects together:
Maṣdar Muʾawwal Blocking Two Positions
أَنَّ + sentence (maṣdar muʾawwal) can substitute for two mafʿūl bihi in one shot, effectively saying: "Did you not consider [all of this — the entire fact] that Allah is glorified by all things?"
Two types of maṣdar muʾawwal: - أَن + muḍāriʿ manṣūb → replaces a simple maṣdar (e.g. أَن تَصُومَ = fasting) - أَنَّ + full sentence → replaces a more complex nominal/verbal clause
4. Ṣāffāt — Jamāʿ Muʾannath Sālim in Manṣūb
صَافَّاتٍ is the plural of صَافَّة (one with outstretched wings), on the pattern of jamāʿ muʾannath sālim:
JMʾS in Manṣūb Ends in Kasra — Not Majrūr
Jamāʿ muʾannath sālim ends in ات with kasra in both manṣūb and majrūr. So صَافَّاتٍ could be either — context disambiguates: - No preposition (ḥarf jarr) before it → not majrūr - No muḍāf structure → not muḍāf ilayh → Must be manṣūb (ḥāl — circumstantial clause: "while they have wings outstretched")
The root is ص-ف-ف (to spread in a row). The verb صَفَّ means to spread wings, ism fāʿil = صَافٌّ (with idghām of doubled root) → feminine صَافَّة → plural صَافَّات/صَافَّاتٍ.
5. Kullun — Singular Word, Plural Meaning
كُلٌّ is grammatically singular and masculine, but its meaning is plural (every/each/all). This creates a grammatical choice:
| Treatment | Basis | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Follow the word (singular) | كُلٌّ itself is singular | كُلٌّ آمَنَ — each one believed (singular verb) |
| Follow the meaning (plural) | Refers to a group | كُلٌّ قَانِتُونَ — each one is devoutly submissive (plural) |
Both are found in the Quran, often in adjacent āyāt about the same subject.
6. Particle Qad — Three Distinct Meanings
قَد can precede both māḍī and muḍāriʿ with very different effects:
With Māḍī:
قَد + māḍī = past perfect meaning — "has already happened"
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| هَبَطَتِ الطَّائِرَةُ | The plane landed |
| قَد هَبَطَتِ الطَّائِرَةُ | The plane has already landed |
The nuance: certainty + time elapsed; corresponding to English "has/have + past participle."
With Muḍāriʿ — Three Meanings:
| Meaning | Arabic Term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Possibility / Doubt | شَك / احتمال | قَد يَمطُرُ اليَومَ — it may rain today |
| 2. Rarity | نُدرَة | قَد يَنجَحُ الكَسُول — a lazy student sometimes passes |
| 3. Certainty (Quran only) | تَحقِيق | وَقَد تَعلَمُونَ — you know for certain |
Third Meaning Is Quranic
The "certainty" meaning of قَد + muḍāriʿ is found in the Quran (e.g. Surah Al-Ṣaff 61:5: وَقَد تَعلَمُونَ) and is extremely rare or absent in non-Quranic Arabic. This is one of the unique grammatical features of Quranic Arabic.
7. Firʿ vs. ʿAmala — A Subtle Distinction
| Verb | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| فَعَلَ | فَعَلَ | To do (generic; can be intentional or unintentional) |
| عَمِلَ | عَمِلَ | To work/do (intentional, purposeful action) |
When to Use ʿAmala
For jobs, occupations, deliberate acts → use عَمِلَ (and from it عَمَل = work/deed).
For generic actions including accidental ones → فَعَلَ is appropriate.
8. Sāra/Yasīru — Two Different Verbs
The root س-ي-ر produces two grammatically distinct uses depending on what follows:
| Construction | Meaning | Grammatical Category |
|---|---|---|
| سَارَ + إِلَى | To go/return to somewhere | Regular transitive verb |
| سَارَ (without ilā) | To become [X] | Sister of Kāna (takes ism marfūʿ + khabar manṣūb) |
المَاءُ صَارَ جَلِيدًا — the water became ice. (kāna-sister use)
إِلَى اللَّهِ المَصِيرُ — to Allah is the return. (regular "return to" use)
9. Mulk, Malik, Milkun — Three Derivatives
From root م-ل-ك:
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Maṣdar | مُلك | Kingdom, dominion |
| Ism fāʿil | مَالِك | Owner, possessor |
| Ism maṣdar | مِلك | Possession, ownership (one's own will) |
مَا أَخلَفنَا مَوعِدَكَ بِمَلكِنَا (Surah Ṭā Hā) — "We did not break our promise with you of our own will." Here مَلك/مِلك = one's own volition/will.
10. Balāgha — How to Develop an Arabic Ear
The Four Steps to Mastering Balāgha
- Language acquisition — get comfortable with Arabic through exposure (children's books, podcasts, simple texts)
- Grammar — learn the rules so you can analyse sentences
- Read literature — read poetry and prose extensively to develop a taste for good speech
- Study balāgha rules — only after the above; rules alone cannot replace exposure
The teacher's key point: grammar tells you if a sentence is correct; balāgha tells you if it is eloquent. The distinction between ما زَهَبَ and لَم يَذهَب (both negate the past, but the latter is more eloquent) can only be felt through immersion, not rules alone.
11. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| يَرَى | ر-أ-ي | Muḍāriʿ (reduced) | To see / to consider |
| صَافَّة / صَافَّات | ص-ف-ف | Ism fāʿil (geminate) | Bird with outstretched wings |
| مُلك | م-ل-ك | Maṣdar | Kingdom, dominion |
| مَالِك | م-ل-ك | Ism fāʿil | Owner |
| صَارَ | ص-ي-ر | Form I (nāqiṣ) | Became (kāna-sister) |
12. Key Lessons
Summary of Lessons
- Rā'ā (epistemic/mental) takes two mafʿūl bihi; maṣdar muʾawwal (أَنَّ + sentence) can replace both at once.
- Qad + muḍāriʿ has three meanings: possibility, rarity, certainty (last only in Quran).
- Kullun can take singular or plural agreement depending on whether word or meaning governs.
- Sāra without ilā = kāna-sister meaning "to become"; sāra + ilā = "to return to."
- JMʾS endings in kasra can be manṣūb — always check context before assuming majrūr.
Next session begins with Ayah 43.