Surah An-Noor — Study Session 13
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Ayah 43 continued: bard (hailstone), min al-tabeediyya (partitive min), asāba and its ismu fāʿil/mafʿūl
- Vocabulary: musība, sanā (lightning flash), barq, Burāq
- Grammar: ba' al-taʿdiyya — making an intransitive verb transitive with ba'
- Grammar: Form IV ajwaf verbs — ismu fāʿil and ismu mafʿūl are identical in form
- Grammar: Kāda and its sisters — khabar must be a muḍāriʿ verbal sentence
- Grammar: Maqṣūr nouns — latent (muqaddar) iʿrāb on alif-ending words
- Grammar: ʿIbra / Iʿtibār and the ism al-maṣdar concept
- Grammar: Ūlū / Dhū — "possessor of," declining like jamʿ muzakkar sālim
- Grammar: Lām al-Muzaʿlaqa (skidding lam) — three levels of emphasis with Inna
1. Ayah 43 Continued — Bard and Min al-Tabeediyya
1.1 Bard — Hailstone
| Word | Vowelling | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| بَرَد (barad, with fatḥa on rā') | Hailstone | Solid, frozen water falling with rain |
| بَرْد (bard, with sukūn on rā') | Cold | The quality of coldness |
The two words may share the same root; one likely derives from the other.
1.2 Min al-Tabeediyya (Partitive Min)
مِن التَّبعِيضِيَّة (partitive min) means "some of." It restricts the meaning to a portion of the whole:
Recognising Min al-Tabeediyya
Replace مِن with بَعض (some). If the meaning remains intact and makes sense, the مِن is tabeediyya.
- فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاء → He sends some hailstones on whoever He wills (not all hailstones from all clouds every time; Allah sends some)
Types of Min
مِن has many uses. The most common: (1) ابتداء الغاية (starting point — "from"), (2) التبعيضية (partitive — "some of"), (3) الزائدة (extra, for emphasis/negation). Always identify which type applies.
2. Asāba — Form IV Ajwaf Verb
أَصَابَ / يُصِيبُ — root ص-و-ب (Form IV), ajwaf (hollow verb — second radical is wāw/ya').
2.1 Ismu Fāʿil and Ismu Mafʿūl of Derived Verbs (Forms II–X)
In the base Form I, the ismu fāʿil follows فَاعِل and the ismu mafʿūl follows مَفعُول. In derived forms (II–X), a different rule applies:
Ism al-Fāʿil/Mafʿūl for Derived Verbs: Follow the Muḍāriʿ
For verbs in Forms II–X: 1. Take the muḍāriʿ form. 2. Replace the muḍāriʿ prefix (ي/ت/ن/أ) with a مِيم مَضمُومَة (ḍamma on the mīm). 3. Ismu fāʿil: give the second-to-last radical a kasra. 4. Ismu mafʿūl: give the second-to-last radical a fatḥa.
Example with Form IV أَخبَرَ/يُخبِرُ:
- Muḍāriʿ: يُخبِرُ → replace ي with مُ → مُخبِرُ
- Ism fāʿil: kasra on second radical → مُخبِرٌ (one who informs)
- Ism mafʿūl: fatḥa on second radical → مُخبَرٌ (one who was informed / the news)
2.2 Ajwaf Complication — Haraka Transfer
In ajwaf (hollow) verbs, the weak letter (wāw or yā') cannot carry a ḥaraka. The ḥaraka is transferred to the preceding consonant:
يُصِيبُ (Form IV, ajwaf) → replacing ي with مُ: - Should be مُصيِبٌ (ism fāʿil) and مُصيَبٌ (ism mafʿūl) - But yā' + fatḥa (يَ) is incompatible — yā' with sukūn and the preceding consonant takes the ḥaraka - Result: مُصِيبٌ = ism fāʿil = مُصَابٌ = ism mafʿūl
Form IV Ajwaf: Ism Fāʿil = Ism Mafʿūl in Appearance
For Form IV ajwaf verbs, the ism fāʿil and ism mafʿūl look identical: مُصِيب/مُصَاب — context tells you which role a word plays.
2.3 Muṣība — Meaning and Spiritual Significance
مُصِيبَة is the ism mafʿūl feminine form: "that which afflicts / the affliction itself."
Muṣība Is a Form IV Act — It Has an Agent
Because أَصَابَ is Form IV (transitive, deliberate), every muṣība has an actor behind it — it is not random. Allah is the one who sends every trial. This understanding should bring: 1. Acceptance: it is deliberate, from Allah, not arbitrary 2. Trust: each muṣība is "custom-made" for that person's circumstances — calibrated to what they can bear 3. Hope: since Allah sent it, He has a way out prepared
3. Bā' al-Taʿdiyya — Making a Verb Transitive
بَاء التَّعدِيَّة is the preposition بِ used to make an otherwise intransitive verb take an object:
ذَهَبَ (he went — intransitive) + بِ + noun → ذَهَبَ بِالسَّيَّارَةِ (he went away with / took the car)
Bā' al-Taʿdiyya
When بِ is attached to an intransitive verb, it transforms the prepositional phrase into what functions like a direct object. The noun after the bā' becomes an indirect object that acquires the role of an "object being acted upon."
From Ayah 43: يَذهَبُ بِالأَبصَارِ — the lightning takes away the eyesight.
4. Kāda and Its Sisters — A Special Kāna Group
كَادَ / يَكَادُ (kāda yakādu) is a verb from the أَفعَال المُقَارَبَة (verbs of approximation/nearness) — a sub-group of Kāna and Her Sisters.
Kāda: Khabar Must Be a Muḍāriʿ Verbal Sentence
Unlike regular Kāna (where the khabar can be various forms), كَادَ requires: 1. Its ism is marfūʿ (like kāna) 2. Its khabar is always a verbal sentence with a muḍāriʿ verb (not māḍī, not noun phrase)
The meaning: "almost does / was about to do."
يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرقِهِ يَذهَبُ بِالأَبصَارِ — the flash of its lightning almost takes away eyesight.
5. Maqṣūr Nouns — Latent Iʿrāb
الاسم المقصور (maqṣūr noun) ends in a long alif (ـَى or ـَا). Since alif is a vowel letter, it cannot carry any ḥaraka:
All Three Iʿrāb Marks Are Latent (Muqaddar) on Alif
For maqṣūr nouns, the ḍamma, fatḥa, and kasra are all assumed/understood but not written or pronounced on the alif. When doing full iʿrāb, state: "the [case] is indicated by a muqaddar ḥaraka on the alif, prevented from appearing because the alif is a ḥarf ʿillah."
Example: سَنَا (flash of lightning) as ism of كَادَ:
→ "Marfūʿ; sign of marfūʿ is a muqaddar ḍamma on the alif."
6. Ism al-Maṣdar — The Short-Form Maṣdar
اسم المصدر (ism al-maṣdar) is a shorter alternative form of the maṣdar that often refers to the result/object of the action (not just the process):
| Full Maṣdar | Ism al-Maṣdar | Meaning of Ism al-Maṣdar |
|---|---|---|
| تَأذِين | أَذَان | The call to prayer (the call itself, not the act) |
| تَكَلُّم | كَلَام | Speech (the words spoken) |
| تَوَضُّؤ | وُضُوء | The state/act of ablution |
| اِعتِبَار | عِبرَة | A lesson (derived by observation) |
| اِمتِحَان (norm. maṣdar) | مِحنَة | The trial itself (not just the testing) |
Ism al-Maṣdar Can Have Both Meanings
Unlike the full maṣdar (which only means the process/action), the ism al-maṣdar can mean: 1. The action/process (like the maṣdar) 2. The result or instance of that action
أَذَان can mean "the act of calling" OR "the call itself."
كَلَام can mean "the act of speaking" OR "the speech that was said."
Form VIII Ism al-Maṣdar Pattern
For Form VIII verbs, the ism al-maṣdar follows the pattern فِعلَة (fiʿlah):
| Form VIII Verb | Meaning | Ism al-Maṣdar |
|---|---|---|
| اِعتَبَرَ (to draw a lesson) | → | عِبرَة (the lesson drawn) |
| اِمتَحَنَ (to test) | → | مِحنَة (the trial/ordeal) |
| اِخطَبَ (to seek hand in marriage) | → | خِطبَة (the engagement) |
| اِرتَدَّ (to apostatise) | → | رِدَّة (apostasy) |
| اِفتَدَى (to ransom) | → | فِديَة (the ransom money) |
7. Ūlū / Dhū — Possessor Of
أُولُو (ūlū) and ذُو (dhū) both mean "possessor of / one who has [X]." أُولُو is the plural form, used frequently in the Quran.
ūlū declines like jamʿ muzakkar sālim:
| Case | Form |
|---|---|
| Marfūʿ | أُولُو |
| Manṣūb / Majrūr | أُولِي |
Silent Wāw in Ūlū
The first wāw in أُولُو is silent (sākin); it is not pronounced as a separate vowel. In Quranic orthography, an alif is written after the wāw: أُولُوا — this alif is also orthographic, not pronounced. Read it as ūlū.
8. Lām al-Muzaʿlaqa — The Skidding Lam
Three Levels of Emphasis
| Level | Structure | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | بِلَالٌ مَرِيضٌ | Plain statement — no emphasis |
| 1 | إِنَّ بِلَالًا مَرِيضٌ | Inna adds moderate emphasis |
| 2 | إِنَّ بِلَالًا لَمَرِيضٌ | Inna + lam al-muzaʿlaqa = strongest emphasis |
The "Skidding" Lam
لام المزعلقة (lam al-muzaʿlaqa / "skidding lam") is named because it begins as lam al-ibtidā' (the lam that would stand at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis), but when inna occupies the beginning, the lam is "pushed" (skids) down to the khabar:
Where Does Lam Al-Muzaʿlaqa Attach?
It always attaches to the element coming later in the sentence. This is typically the khabar, but not always: - If the khabar comes first (muqaddam), the lam attaches to the ism of inna - If a ḍamīr al-faṣl is present, the lam attaches to the ḍamīr al-faṣl - If neither is present, it goes to the khabar
Rule of thumb: lam al-muzaʿlaqa attaches to whatever comes after the ism of inna.
9. Three-Letter Feminine Names Are Triptotes
Normally, feminine names (e.g. زَينَب، آمِنَة، فَاطِمَة) are diptotes — they do not take tanwīn and take fatḥa instead of kasra in the majrūr.
Exception: Three-letter feminine names with a sukoon on the middle letter (e.g. هِنْد، نَوْم، رِيم) are fully declinable triptotes:
| Case | Hind | Nawm |
|---|---|---|
| Marfūʿ | هِندٌ | نَوْمٌ |
| Manṣūb | هِندًا | نَوْمًا |
| Majrūr | هِندٍ | نَوْمٍ |
They take tanwīn and take kasra in the majrūr — unlike four-letter+ feminine names which do not.
10. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| بَرَد | ب-ر-د | Noun (fatḥa on rā') | Hailstone |
| بَرْد | ب-ر-د | Noun (sukūn on rā') | Cold |
| أَصَابَ | ص-و-ب | Form IV | To strike, to afflict |
| مُصِيبَة | ص-و-ب | Form IV ism mafʿūl (fem.) | Trial, affliction |
| سَنَا | س-ن-و | Maqṣūr noun | Flash of lightning/fire |
| سَنَاء | — | Noun (hamza) | Height, elevation (different word) |
| بَرْق | ب-ر-ق | Noun | Lightning |
| بُرَاق | ب-ر-ق | Noun | Burāq — the mount of Isrāʾ wa Miʿrāj (named for speed/flash) |
| عِبرَة | ع-ب-ر | Form VIII ism maṣdar | A lesson derived by observation |
| أُولُو | — | Plural noun | Possessors of (declines like JMS) |
11. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- Min al-tabeediyya (partitive) = "some of" — identified by substituting بَعض.
- For isms of derived verbs (Forms II–X): take the muḍāriʿ, replace the prefix with مُ; kasra on second radical = fāʿil; fatḥa = mafʿūl.
- Form IV ajwaf verbs: ismu fāʿil and ismu mafʿūl may look identical — context determines role.
- Bā' al-taʿdiyya makes an intransitive verb effectively take an object.
- Kāda: ism is marfūʿ; khabar is always a muḍāriʿ verbal sentence.
- Maqṣūr nouns have fully muqaddar (latent) iʿrāb on the alif — state: "muqaddar, prevented by the alif."
- Ism al-maṣdar = shorter form; can mean both the action AND its result/product.
- Lam al-muzaʿlaqa always attaches to what comes later after the ism of inna.
- Three-letter feminine names (e.g. هِنْد) are triptotes; longer feminine names are diptotes.
Next session will cover Ayahs 45–46 fully.