QURANIC GRAMMAR AS-SARF “Morphology of the words” Lesson 18 Lessons from the book MABADE” ALA’RABIYAH – basics of Arabic Grammar RASHEED SHARTOONI Compiled by: Sheikh Safdar Razi Ali

THE PAST TENSE The end letter of a past tense verb is indeclinable (MABNI or fixed) with: A. A fathah, for example ضَرَبَ (he hit) B. A Dummah, if it is connected to the wāw plural pronoun, for example ضَرَبُوا (they hit) C. A sukūn, if a nominative (SUBJECT) pronoun with a vowel sign is connected to the verb, for example ضَرَبتُ (I hit) The first and the last letter of the three letter past tense are fathahs. For example ضَرَبَ (he hit) The second root letter of single triliteral verbs can either have a fathah, dummah or kasrah. For example: ضَرَبَ (he hit) کَرُمَ (he honored) and عَلِمَ (he knew)

The glottal stop that is added to the beginning of the past tense verbs can be A. A qat‛ (cut) is a glottal stop with a fatha in four- letter verbs. For example: أکرَمَ (he honored) B. A wasl (connecting) is a glottal stop with a kasrah in five and six-letter verb. For example: اِنطَلَقَ (he was set free) For example: ضَرَبَ becomes يَضرِبُ then becomes اِضرِب (hit) or أحسَنَ becomes يُحسِنُ then becomes أحسِن (act well)

Pronouncing the prefix of command A qat  ‛ glottal stop is always pronounced in the beginning of a sentence, for example: أقبِل يارَجُلُ Accept, oh man. and in the middle of a sentence, for example: يا رَجُلُ أقبِل Oh man, accept.) A was  l glottal stop (HAMZA) is pronounced at the beginning of a sentence, for example: رَجُلُ يا اِجلِس Sit, oh man, but is not pronounced in the middle of a sentence, for example: رَجُلُ اجلِس يا Oh man, sit.

The imperative (AMR) The imperative verb is used to ask something from the listener in the present or in the future. For example: کُن (be) and اُکتُب (write) The imperative is taken from the present tense. The prefix letter ن - أ - ت - ي of the present tense must be replaced by a glottal stop (hamzah ( أ and the first letter (FAA ( ف of the verb should be given SUKOON (no vowel sign). For example; يَنصَرُ  اُنصُر Or TAA of command is added as prefix the word, for example: تَتَقَدَّمُ (she is preceding) becomes تَقَدَّم (precede).

Imperative or command verb There are two types of imperatives: imperative by form and imperative by lām. The imperative by form is only used with the second person in the active voice, for example: اِجتَهِد The imperative by lām is used with everything else in the active or passive voice, for example: لِيُکافإ المُجتهِدُ

The sign of the prefix glottal stop ( أ ) A. It is given a d  ummah if the second root letter of a three letter verb has a d  ummah in the present tense. For example: اُنظُر –ONZOR (look) B. It is given a fath  ah if it is a four letter verb. For example: أکرَم AKRAM (be generous) C. is given a kasrah in other than these two cases. For example: اِعلَم E’LUM (know) and اِضرِب (hit) and اِنطَلِق (begin) and اِستَعلِم (seek knowledge).

LAAM ALAMR (The imperative LAAM) The imperative used for the first or third person has a special form which is called the imperative by lām where a JAZIM lām is added to the beginning of the present tense verb then the LAAM takes a kasrah, for example: لِيَضرِب, لأُوَدِّب (He must hit, I must teach manners), except if it is after a fā’ or wāw, in this case the LAAM is given a sakūn, for example: نفسک فَلتَطِب (feel comfortable).

Command verb is MABNI with the SUKOON The sign of the last letter of an imperative is indeclinable (MABNI), it does not change. It is indeclinable or fixed with: A. a sakūn if the last letter is not a weak letter (vowel letter), for example: اُنصُر (help) (ONSOR) B. erasing the weak letter of defective verbs, for example يَرمي becomes اِرمِ (throw) or يُعطِي becomes أعطِ (give) C. erasing the nūn if the verb (was derived from one of the five verbs) is connected to the dual alif, the plural wāw or the yā’ personal feminine pronoun, for example: اُنصِرَا (you two people help) D. Fath  a; if it is connected to a nūn of emphasis; for example: اِسمَعَنّ (listen!)