ظَنَّ وأخواتها — Ẓanna and Verbs with Two Mafʿūl
Certain Arabic verbs take two mafʿūl bih (accusative objects). The two most important groups are:
- Form II verbs of teaching/showing (e.g. عَلَّمَ, أَرَى)
- Verbs of belief, assumption, and perception — led by ظَنَّ
Group 1 — Teaching Verbs (Form II)
عَلَّمتُهُ كِتَابَةً — "I taught him (to) write" - First mafʿūl: هُ — whom I taught - Second mafʿūl: كِتَابَةً — what I taught
Group 2 — Ẓanna and Its Sisters
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ظَنَّ يَظُنُّ | to think / assume / believe |
| حَسِبَ يَحسَبُ | to consider / reckon |
| عَلِمَ يَعلَمُ | to know (with conviction) |
| وَجَدَ يَجِدُ | to find (something to be X) |
| رَأَى يَرَى | to see / consider |
These verbs say that someone believed/found/considered the first object to BE the second object:
هَل ظَنَنتَهُ طَالِباً؟ — "Did you think him [to be] a student?" - First mafʿūl: هُ (him — the thing thought about) - Second mafʿūl: طَالِباً (a student — what he was thought to be)
ظَنَّ — Two Meanings
ظَنَّ can mean either: 1. To assume — an uncertain belief 2. To be certain / have strong conviction
This is an example of Arabic words that can carry apparently opposite meanings. Context determines which meaning applies.
المصدر المُؤَوَّل Replacing Both Mafʿūls
Instead of two separate mafʿūl objects, أَنَّ + ism + khabar can replace both as a single maṣdar muʾawwal:
| Construction | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ظَنَنتُهُ طَالِباً | Two separate mafʿūls | "I thought him a student" |
| ظَنَنتُ أَنَّهُ طَالِبٌ | أَنَّ-clause as maṣdar muʾawwal | "I thought that he is a student" |
Classical grammarians describe this as:
المَصدَرُ سَادٌّ مَسَدَّ المَفعُولَيْن — "The maṣdar is blocking the place of the two mafʿūls."
أَن vs أَنَّ as Maṣdar Muʾawwal
| Construction | Equivalent | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| أَن + muḍāriʿ (manṣūb) | Like a maṣdar noun | As subject or mafʿūl bih |
| أَنَّ + ism + khabar | Like a maṣdar noun | As a single unit replacing both mafʿūls |
أُريدُ أَن تَكتُبَ = أُريدُ كِتَابَتَكَ — "I want your writing" (أَن-phrase = mafʿūl bih)
Session References
- Selections from the Glorious Quran Session 7: Full introduction; two types of verbs with double mafʿūl; ẓanna examples; maṣdar muʾawwal with أَنَّ replacing both mafʿūls; classical expression "sāddun masadda al-mafʿūlayn."