الاسم المقصور — The Maqṣūr Noun
The ismul maqṣūr (الاسم المقصور) is a noun that ends in a bare alif — either written as ى (alif maqṣūra, without dots) or as ا. Because alif is a vowel letter (ḥarf ʿillah), it cannot carry any ḥarakah on top of it.
The Problem: All Three States Look Identical
A regular noun shows its case through visible ḥarakāt: ḍamma = marfūʿ, fataḥ = manṣūb, kasra = majrūr. But an ismul maqṣūr ends in alif — which can carry no ḥarakah — so the word looks the same in all three states:
| State | Visible Form | Muqaddar (Implied) Ḥarakah |
|---|---|---|
| Marfūʿ | فَتَى | muqaddar ḍamma |
| Manṣūb | فَتَى | muqaddar fataḥ |
| Majrūr | فَتَى | muqaddar kasra |
The ḥarakāt are muqaddar (مُقَدَّر) — implied, assumed, known to the reader from context — but physically invisible on the alif.
How to Analyze Ismul Maqṣūr in Iʿrāb
When performing iʿrāb, do not say the ḥarakah is "missing." Say:
marfūʿ, wa ʿalāmatu rafʿihi al-ḍammatu al-muqaddara ʿalā al-alif Marfūʿ, and the sign of its being marfūʿ is the implied ḍamma on the alif, which fails to materialize because alif does not accept ḥarakāt.
Maqṣūr + Diptote
A noun can be both maqṣūr (alif-ending) and a diptote (ممنوع من الصرف). Examples:
- مُوسَى — alif-ending AND diptote (non-Arabic name)
- تَقوَى — alif-ending AND diptote (additional non-radical alif)
For a diptote, the majrūr case uses fataḥ instead of kasra. So: - Regular maqṣūr when majrūr → muqaddar kasra - Diptote maqṣūr when majrūr → muqaddar fataḥ (fataḥ is substituted for kasra — and that fataḥ is also muqaddar on the alif)
In both cases the written form looks the same — the distinction is only in the analysis.
The Ambiguity Problem
When both the subject (fāʿil) and object (mafʿūl bih) of a sentence are maqṣūr nouns, the grammatical case of each is invisible. This creates theoretical ambiguity:
قَتَلَ الفَتَى الأَفعَى The boy killed the snake? Or the snake killed the boy?
Context (a third element, or common sense) normally resolves this. Skilled Arabic writers never leave such ambiguity — avoiding it is part of balāghah (eloquence).
Common Examples
| Word | Root/Note | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| فَتَى | ف-ت-و (3rd radical wāw) | young man |
| أَفعَى | — | snake |
| هُدَى | ه-د-و | guidance |
| مُوسَى | non-Arabic (diptote) | Mūsā |
| تَقوَى | و-ق-ي (diptote) | piety |
Session References
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 5: Full iʿrāb exercises with maqṣūr nouns; ambiguity discussion; maqṣūr + diptote analysis with مُوسَى; applied to لِلتَّقوَى in Āyah 3.
- Selected Ayaat of Surah al-Israa Session 2: Deep explanation of why alif cannot take a harakah (alif is a pure vowel); contrast between mabnī and maqṣūr; iʿrāb of مُوسَى and عِيسَى; applied to كِلَا with a noun muḍāf. Poetry of Imam al-Shāfiʿī used as practice.