العَطف — Conjunction
ʿAṭf (عَطف) is the grammatical linking of two nouns or verbs through a ḥarf ʿaṭf (conjunction). The two items in the pair are:
| Term | Arabic | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Maʿṭūf ʿalayh | مَعطُوف عَلَيه | The first word — the one being connected to |
| Maʿṭūf | مَعطُوف | The second word — the one connected via the conjunction |
The Core Rule
Maʿṭūf Follows Maʿṭūf ʿAlayh in Iʿrāb
The maʿṭūf always takes the same iʿrāb as the maʿṭūf ʿalayh:
- Maʿṭūf ʿalayh is marfūʿ → maʿṭūf is marfūʿ
- Maʿṭūf ʿalayh is manṣūb → maʿṭūf is manṣūb
- Maʿṭūf ʿalayh is majrūr → maʿṭūf is majrūr
جَاءَ حَامِدٌ وَمَحمُودٌ — both marfūʿ (both fāʿil) رَأَيتُ حَامِدًا وَمَحمُودًا — both manṣūb (both mafʿūl bih) مَرَرتُ بِحَامِدٍ وَمَحمُودٍ — both majrūr (both mudāf ilayh after bāʾ)
Common Ḥurūf ʿAṭf
| Particle | Meaning | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| وَاو | and | Most common; no sequence implied |
| فَاء | then (immediately after) | Implies uninterrupted sequence |
| ثُمَّ | then (after some time) | Implies delayed sequence |
| أَو | or | |
| بَل | but rather | Correction/replacement |
| لَكِن | but/however | Contrast |
فَاء vs ثُمَّ — Sequence Distinction
| Particle | Sequence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| فَاء | Immediate, uninterrupted | دَخَلَ بِلَالٌ فَأَخُوهُ — Bilāl entered, then his brother right away |
| ثُمَّ | Delayed, with a gap | دَخَلَ بِلَالٌ ثُمَّ أَخُوهُ — Bilāl entered, then after a while his brother |
This distinction is noted in Ibn Mālik's Al-Alfiyya: فَاء denotes tartīb (sequence) with immediacy; ثُمَّ denotes tartīb with faṣl (separation/delay).
Application in Sūrat Al-Ḥujurāt 49:6
...أَن تُصِيبُوا قَومًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصبِحُوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلتُم نَادِمِين
- تُصِيبُوا = manṣūb (within the maṣdar muʾawwal أَن تُصِيبُوا)
- فَتُصبِحُوا = maʿṭūf on تُصِيبُوا → manṣūb (because the maʿṭūf follows the maʿṭūf ʿalayh)
- Nothing directly before تُصبِحُوا makes it manṣūb — the reason is the ʿaṭf relationship
Session References
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 9: Introduced in iʿrāb of Āyah 6; فَتُصبِحُوا inheriting manṣūb from فَتُصِيبُوا via ʿaṭf; فَاء vs ثُمَّ distinction with reference to Al-Alfiyya.