البَدَل — The Grammatical Substitute
البَدَل is a grammatical construction where a second noun (the badal) follows a first noun (the matbūʿ) and refers to the same person or entity, providing a different name, description, or clarification. The badal always follows the iʿrāb of the matbūʿ.
Core Rule
Badal Follows the Iʿrāb of the Matbūʿ
Whatever case the matbūʿ has — marfūʿ, manṣūb, or majrūr — the badal takes the same case ending.
Example
"The brother of Bilāl — Hāshim — is a teacher."
أَخُو بِلَالٍ هَاشِمٌ مُعَلِّمٌ
- أَخُو بِلَالٍ is the mubtadaʾ → marfūʿ
- هَاشِمٌ is a badal for أَخُو → also marfūʿ
Badal in يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
When the vocative construction يَا أَيُّهَا is used:
- أَيُّ is the munādā (grammatically mabnī bid-ḍamma)
- The noun that follows (e.g., الَّذِينَ or الْمُسْلِمُونَ) is a badal for أَيُّ — not a second munādā
Grammatical Commentaries
In standard Quranic iʿrāb references, أَيُّ is always listed as the munādā and الَّذِينَ as its badal. Understanding this distinction is essential for accurate grammatical analysis.
Four Types of Badal
1. بَدَل كُلٍّ مِن كُلٍّ — Complete Substitution
The substitute refers to the entire first noun — both words point to exactly the same person or thing. This is the most common type.
جَاءَ أَخُوكَ مُحَمَّدٌ — "Your brother Muhammad came." - أَخُوكَ = marfūʿ (fāʿil) - مُحَمَّدٌ = badal — complete substitute, refers to the same person
جَاءَ زَيدٌ أَخُوكَ — "Zayd came, your brother."
2. بَدَل بَعضٍ مِن كُلٍّ — Partial Substitution
The substitute refers to part of the first noun — not the whole thing.
أَكَلتُ الدَّجَاجَةَ نِصفَهَا — "I ate the chicken — half of it." - الدَّجَاجَةَ = the whole chicken (manṣūb) - نِصفَهَا = half of it (also manṣūb) — the pronoun ها points back to the first noun
أَكَلتُ الخُبزَ ثُلُثَهُ — "I ate the bread — a third of it."
Pronoun Required
Badal baʿḍ min kullin typically includes a pronoun (ها, هم, etc.) pointing back to the first noun, confirming the partial relationship.
3. بَدَل اِشتِمَال — Associative Substitution
The substitute is neither the whole nor a part of the first noun — but something related to, associated with, or contained within it.
أَعجَبَنِي الكِتَابُ أُسلُوبُهُ — "The book pleased me — its style." - الكِتَابُ = the book (marfūʿ) - أُسلُوبُهُ = its style (also marfūʿ) — the style is not the book itself, nor a physical part of it, but belongs to it
Quranic Example — Sūrah Al-Aʿrāf
يَسأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرسَاهَا "They ask you about the Hour — when is its arrival?"
- السَّاعَةِ = the Hour (majrūr after عَن)
- مُرسَاهَا = its arrival (also majrūr, badal ishtimāl) — the arrival is not the Hour itself, but is associated with/contained within the concept of the Hour
4. بَدَل مُبَاين / بَدَل غَلَط — Error Correction
You said one thing by mistake and then replaced it with what you actually meant.
أَعطِنِي الكِتَابَ أَعنِي الكُرَّاسَةَ — "Give me the book — I mean the notebook."
Contested Type
Classical Arabic grammarians treated this simply as a mistake (ghalat), not a formal grammatical category. Modern grammar books include it as the fourth type of badal, but many scholars note it is a later addition and some argue the classical Arabs would not have treated it as a formal badal.
Summary Table
| Type | Arabic Name | Relationship | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | بَدَل كُلٍّ مِن كُلٍّ | Complete = same thing | جَاءَ زَيدٌ أَخُوكَ |
| 2 | بَدَل بَعضٍ مِن كُلٍّ | Partial = part of the thing | أَكَلتُ الدَّجَاجَةَ نِصفَهَا |
| 3 | بَدَل اِشتِمَال | Associated = related to the thing | أَعجَبَنِي الكِتَابُ أُسلُوبُهُ |
| 4 | بَدَل مُبَاين / غَلَط | Correction = mistake replaced | أَعطِنِي الكِتَابَ أَعنِي الكُرَّاسَةَ |
From Session 12 — Extended Coverage
Mubdal Minhu Terminology
The word being substituted FOR = مُبدَل مِنه (mubdal minhu). The substitute = بَدَل. These terms appear in classical iʿrāb books and are worth learning for reading advanced texts.
التَّوَابِع — Badal as a Following Element
بَدَل is one of the تَوَابِع (tawābiʿ) — words that follow another in iʿrāb: - نَعت/صِفَة (adjective) - عَطف (conjunction partner) - تَوكِيد (emphasis) - بَدَل (substitute)
All tawābiʿ follow their head word in marfūʿ/manṣūb/majrūr.
The Two Rules
- Badal follows the iʿrāb (case) of mubdal minhu — always
- Badal does NOT need to match the definiteness/indefiniteness (maʿrifa/nakira) — the two can differ
Four Structural Combinations
| Form | What substitutes what |
|---|---|
| ism for ism | Word for word |
| fiʿl for fiʿl | Verb for verb (يُضَاعَف substituting يَلقَ أَثَامًا) |
| jumlah for jumlah | Sentence for sentence |
| jumlah for mufrad | Sentence for single word (كَيفَ خُلِقَت for الإِبِل) |
More Quranic Examples of Badal Ishtimāl
يَسأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهرِ الحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ — fighting is the badal ishtimāl for the sacred month
أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبِلِ كَيفَ خُلِقَت — "how it was created" (full sentence) is badal for "the camel" (single word) — jumlah for mufrad + badal ishtimāl
لَا يَنهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ... أَن تَبَرُّوهُم — "treating them kindly" is badal ishtimāl for "those people"
Identifying Badal Ishtimāl
Mental test: can you insert "that is to say" between the mubdal minhu and the badal? If yes, it is likely badal ishtimāl. Also: this type is the most common in Quranic texts — and the most difficult to spot.
Note: بَدَل مُبَاين / غَلَط (error correction) does not appear in the Quran — Allah does not make mistakes, and even when quoting others' speech in the Quran, this type has not been observed.
Session References
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 2: Badal introduced to explain why الَّذِينَ in يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا is not the munādā but a badal for أَيُّ.
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 11: All four types with detailed examples; Quranic example of badal ishtimāl (السَّاعَة / مُرسَاهَا); note on contested status of fourth type.
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 12: Extended coverage — mubdal minhu terminology; tawābiʿ concept; two rules (iʿrāb follows, definiteness need not); four structural combinations; multiple Quranic examples of badal ishtimāl.
- Surah An-Noor Session 6: مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا as badal ishtimāl for مِنَ السَّمَاءِ in Ayah 43 — the mountains of clouds are associated with (contained within) the sky, making this an associative substitution.