QURANIC GRAMMAR AS-SARF “Morphology of the words” Lesson 12

1. QURANIC GRAMMAR AS-SARF“Morphology of the words”Lesson 12 Lessons from the book MABADE” ALA’RABIYAH – basics of Arabic Grammar RASHEED SHARTOONI Compiled by: Sheikh Safdar Razi Ali

2. Masculine / Feminine • A masculine noun is that which indicates a male person or animal, for example: أب . • A feminine noun is that which indicates femininity, for example: .أم • Indications of feminine noun: • some nouns ending with the feminine tā’ are masculine. For example: طلحة (a male name) • nouns that indicates femininity but do not have a feminine sign, for example: مريم , • noun that indicates femininity and has a feminine sign, for example: .لَطيفَة • The real feminine noun is applied to four cases: • feminine names, for example: مريم , • nouns that are exclusive for females, for example: ,أخت • names of cities, civilizations, and tribes, for example: الشام , • and the names of dual body parts, for example: .عَين

3. Signs of feminine noun • There are three feminine signs for converted (derived) feminine: • A. The feminine tā’: نعمة , عالِمَة (comfort), (suffixed with circle ta ) • B. Alif maqsūrah (ends with short Alif), : عَطشیَ (thirsty woman), سَلمیَ • C. Alif and hamzah or alif mamdūdah (with HAMZA at the end),: صَحراء (desert ), حَسناء

4. Notes on the signs of femininity • Nouns which end with Short Alif (Alif Maqsoora) are considered to be female أفعى (Snake),but the derived nouns that end with an alif maqsūrah which is part of its root verb (not an added) are not feminine. For example: هُدیَ (guidance) مصطفى (the chosen) . • The nouns that end with a hamzah preceded by an alif which is part of its root (not added) are not feminine. For example: بِناء (building) ALIF is original • Actual feminine, for example اِمرأة is like مريم (woman- the circle ta is not added) .

5. Real and metaphorical feminine • A. HAQEEQI-Literal (real feminine noun) : the one which does not have period or lay egg, or has both genders in its type, اِمرأة • B. MAJAZI- Figurative, there are no signs indicating its femininity. For example, شمس (sun) is not actually masculine or feminine, but was used by Arabs as feminine therefore it can be used with both pronouns

6. Exceptional forms for adjectives • Non adjective nouns are suffixed with a circle ta: For example: نَمِر (panther) becomes نَمرة (female panther). • Adjectives (SIFFAH) nouns are made feminine: • Either by adding circle ta: کاذب (male liar) becomes کاذبة (female liar). • or by three specific forms: A. The form: فَعلان form is made feminine by putting it into the فَعلیَ form. For example: عَطشان (thirsty male) becomes عَطشیَ (thirsty female). B. The form أفعل when the verb indicates color, defects, or character ,is made feminine by putting it into the فَعلاء form. For example: أحمَر (red) becomes حَمراء (red). C. The superlative and comparative form is made feminine by putting it into the فُعلیَ form. For example: أکبر (bigger) becomes کُبریَ (bigger)

7. Feminine adjectives used for both genders • The epithets that are used for both feminine and masculine noun in one form are: • فَعَّالة= علَّامة • مِفعَال = مِفضال • مِفعيل = مِعطير • فَعُول with the meaning of الفاعل like صَبور • فَعيلwith the meaning of المفعولقَتيل Note: Whenever فَعُول has the meaning of an object المفعول and فَعيل has the meaning of subject الفاعل the feminine tā’ is always used to define the feminine , for example .بَقرةٌحَلوبة Whenever فَعُول has the meaning of الفاعلthe subject and فَعيل has the meaning of an object المفعول the gender of the described noun is not defined. If the described noun is not mentioned then the gender must be defined by adding a feminine tā’ to it, for example: جريحةهذه

8. Plural by removal of Circle Ta • Some words are naturally plural. In order to make it singular a Circle Ta is added. • دجاج (plural-chickens)  دجاجة(This form is Singular and can be used used for Male/Female Chicken) • حمام(plural-pigeons)  حمامة(Singular used for Male / Female pigeon) The above singular nouns can be used for either gender.

9. 19- A noun ending with SAHEEH or GHAYR SAHEEH letter From the aspect of a noun ending with an ALIF or not, is divided into sound (SAHEEH) and unsound (GHAYR SAHEEH) SAHEEH ends with any regular consonant letter RAJOL(UN) (رجالٌ) GHAYR SAHEEH is a noun which ends with certain types of ALIF or YAA: MAQSOOR, MANQOOS and MAMDOOD.