title: الماصدر والمضاف إليه — The Maṣdar's Muḍāf: Fāʿil or Mafʿūl bih? tags: - arabic-grammar - surah-alhujuraat
الماصدر والمضاف إليه — The Maṣdar's Muḍāf
When a verb is expressed as a maṣdar, its doer (fāʿil) often becomes a muḍāf ilayh of the maṣdar. However, the muḍāf ilayh could equally represent the mafʿūl bih (the object of the action). Only context can distinguish the two.
The Core Concept
A verb captures both action and time. A maṣdar captures only the action, with no information about when it occurred:
| Expression | Type | Information |
|---|---|---|
| ذَهَبَ حَامِدٌ | Verb | Hāmid went — past tense, action + time |
| ذَهَابُ حَامِدٍ | Maṣdar + muḍāf | Hāmid's going — action only, time-neutral |
Two Possible Roles of the Muḍāf Ilayh
| Role | Example | Translation | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fāʿil (doer) | ذَهَابُ حَامِدٍ | Hāmid's going | Hāmid is the one performing the going |
| Mafʿūl bih (object) | خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ | The creation of the heavens | The heavens are what is being created |
How to Distinguish — Context Only
There is no grammatical marker that tells you which role the muḍāf ilayh plays. You must rely on context:
Ambiguous Case: قَتْلُ بِلَالٍ
This phrase means either: - Bilāl's killing — Bilāl killed someone (muḍāf ilayh = fāʿil) - The killing of Bilāl — Bilāl was killed (muḍāf ilayh = mafʿūl bih)
Without context, both readings are grammatically valid.
Practical Technique: Convert Back to a Verb
Mentally reconstruct the maṣdar as a verb and place the muḍāf ilayh in its natural position:
جَهْرُ بَعْضِكُم لِبَعْضٍ → يَجْهَرُ بَعْضُكُم لِبَعْضٍ
("some of you speak loudly to others")
Now بَعْض is clearly the fāʿil of the verb — so in the maṣdar form, بَعْضِكُم is the fāʿil of جَهْر.
Quranic Application
In Āyah 2 of Sūrat Al-Ḥujurāt:
كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُم لِبَعْضٍ — like the loudness of some of you to others
بَعْضِكُم is the muḍāf ilayh of جَهْر (maṣdar of جَهَرَ). Converting to a verb: some of you speak loudly to others → بَعْض is the doer → so here the muḍāf ilayh is the fāʿil.
Connection to Maṣdar's Own Mafʿūl
Just as verbs take mafʿūl bihs, maṣdars can also take their own mafʿūl bihs — but these come after the maṣdar separately (not as muḍāf). This is a more advanced topic.
Session References
- Surah Al-Hujuraat Session 3: Fāʿil vs mafʿūl bih as muḍāf ilayh of maṣdar — introduced through the example of جَهْرُ بَعْضِكُم in Āyah 2, with auxiliary examples (dhahābu Ḥāmidin, khalqu al-samāwāt, qatlu Bilālin).