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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين In this lesson we will explore the etymology of the word الحمد. If your wandering what 'etymology' means then be ready to learn a new word in English: it is the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. Now, the word الحمد is what is known as a 'verbal noun' or a مصدر in Arabic. This is also known as the root word. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the original root word is the مصدر of a word or the base verb is the original root verb. The base verb which usually consists of three root letters (but can rarely have four) is the third person, masculine singular, this will make more sense as you read on. The branch of Arabic grammar which deals with this aspect of Arabic is referred to as صرف which is known as morphology. And as the name suggests, this branch deals with how Arabic words morph or change from the root. So the مصدر that we are going to look at is of course no other than الحمد. And the base verb of this word consists of three root letters. And if you haven't guessed it already then, the root letters are: ح م د and it is written as حمد (ha-mi-da), which literally means 'he praised'. Note, this verb is in the third person, is masculine and refers to a single action. This base verb is a past tense verb. Now we are going to focus on how this verb morphs and changes and how the meaning changes. So there are three main sets of verbs in Arabic. The past tense which is known as الماضي, the future and/or the present tense which is known as المضارع, and the command which is known as the الأمر. In this lesson, we will focus only on the past tense, as this is the base pattern and the base verb is the first of the past tense verbs. All the other verbs are derived from this base verb. Below is the morphological table: حَمِدَ (ha mi da) - He praised – [Base Verb] حَمِدَا (ha mi daa) - Them two praised حَمِدُواْ (ha mi duu) - They all praised حَمِدَتْ (ha mi dat) - She praised حَمِدَتَا (ha mi dataa) - Them two praised حَمِدْنَ (ha mid na) - They all praised حَمِدْتَ (ha mid ta) - You [m] praised حَمِدْتُمَا (ha mid tumaa) - You two praised حَمِدْتُمْ (ha mid tum) - You all praised حَمِدْتِ (ha mid ti) - You [f] praised حَمِدْتُمَا (ha mid tumaa) - You two praised حَمِدْتُنَّ (ha mid tunna) - You all praised حَمِدْتُ (ha mid tu) - I praised حَمِدْنَا (ha mid naa) - We praised Phew... I thank Allah for opposable thumbs! [painful to type all that] Well there you have it, all fourteen past tense verbs inflected. Note they all inflect from the base verb حمد which is a الماضي المذكر الغائب verb, or a third person, masculine, past tense verb. The first six are all third person, of which the first three are masculine and the next three are feminine. The next six are second person, of which the first three are masculine and the next three are feminine. And the last two are first person, of which the first is singular whilst the last is plural. Also note the pattern they fall under: singular, dual and then plural. In future lessons we will explore past, present and future tenses in more depth. Hope that was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both.
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بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين In the previous lesson, we studied that العالمين is in the جر case because it is مضاف إليه to the previous word, and the مضاف إليه is always in the جر case. Up till now we have said that a word that is مَجْرُور (in the جر case) will express itself with either a kasrah or a kasratayn. However, this is strictly true only for nouns that are singular. Grammatical cases such as the رَفَع (nominative) and the جَرّ (genitive) will express themselves with one of the vowels i.e. a dammah or a kasrah on their last letter when the noun is singular. However, if the noun is either dual or plural, then nouns will express themselves with suffixes other than the three base vowels. In this lesson, we are going to explore the dual and plural nouns. In order to fully understand this topic, we need to introduce the third and final grammatical case of nouns. This is the نَصَب (accusative) case. A noun that is نَصَب will be called مَنْصُوب and it will express itself with a fathah or a fathatayn. I know we haven’t formally come across this grammatical case in the Quran yet, but we need to bring it into this discussion to fully understand this topic. Therefore, we have three grammatical states that nouns can be rendered into: 1. The رَفَع case 2. The نَصَب case 3. The جَرّ case If a noun is rendered into anyone of these grammatical cases, it will express itself with either a dammah in the رفع case, a fathah in the نَصَب case and a kasrah in the جَرّ case. The fathah, dammah or kasrah will be applied to the last letter of the noun. Let’s try this with an example using the word مُسْلِم: 1. The رَفَع case – مسالمٌ (A Muslim) 2. The نَصَب case - مسلمًا (A Muslim) 3. The جَرّ case – مسلمٍ (A Muslim) Ok, so there are two things we need to clarify. I know you’re probably thinking, how comes in the نصب case the noun takes an extra alif in the end? This is because it is part of the script, every time you add a fathatayn, only a fathatayn, to a noun, then you will also add an alif. Just consider the alif as part of the fathatayn. Secondly, you’re probably wondering, how or when is a noun rendered into one of these cases. Well we have already discussed a couple of them. For example, if a noun is in the position of مبتدأ (subject) or خبر (predicate) then it will be in the رفع case; such as in محمدٌ رسولٌ. And if a noun is preceded by a حرف جرّ (genitive particle) or is مضاف إليه then the noun will be in the جرّ case; such as in فِيْ المسجدِ (in the mosque) or قلمُ زيدٍ (the pen of Zaid). We will look at examples of the نَصَب when we come across them in the Quran. Thus, we learn that by placing a noun in a particular grammatical position, it will be rendered into a specific grammatical case, and thus will express itself with a particular vowel, either a dammah, fathah or kasrah. Let’s break this down with some more examples:  Now, a noun that is singular will either take a dammah, fathah or kasrah depending on which grammatical case it is rendered into. But, if the noun is either dual or plural, well then, it’s a different story altogether. The dual noun If a noun is dual, and yes in Arabic nouns can be either dual or plural, then it will be suffixed with either of the following two: An alif & a nun preceded by a fathah: ـَانِ – if the noun is in the رفع case. Or, a yaa & a nun preceded by a fathah: ـَيْنِ – if the noun is either in the نصب or جر case. Now let’s try this with the noun مُسْلِم: The رفع case: مسلمَانِ (two Muslims) The نصب or جَرّ case: مسلمَيْنِ (two Muslims) Notice that when a noun is made dual it will no longer express itself with a simple fathah, kasrah or dammah, rather it will express itself with specific letters. Also, note that the meaning doesn’t change if you take one dual over the other. The sound plural noun This noun is called the sound masculine plural in order to differentiate it from the broken plural (الجمع المكسر) which is something we will explore when it pops up in the Quran. If a noun is a sound masculine plural, then it will be suffixed with either of the following two: A waw & a nun preceded by a dammah: ـُوْنَ – if the noun is in the رفع case. Or, a yaa & a nun preceded by a kasrah: ـِيْنِ – if the noun is either in the نصب or جر case. Now let’s try this with the noun مُسْلِم: The رفع case: مسلمُوْنَ (many Muslims) The نصب or جَرّ case: مسلمِيْنِ (many Muslims) The sound feminine plural If a noun is a sound feminine plural, then it will be suffixed with either of the following two: An alif preceded by a fathah and a taa with a dammah/dammatayn: ـَاتٌ – if the noun is in the رفع case. An alif preceded by a fathah and a taa with a kasrah/kasratayn: ـَاتٍ – if the noun is either in the نصب or جر case. Now let’s try this with the noun مُسْلِم: The رفع case: مسلمَاتٌ (many Muslim women) The نصب or جَرّ case: مسلمَاتٍ (many Muslim women) Note, if a feminine noun is made into a sound feminine plural and it has a taa marbuta (ة) then the taa marbuta will be completely dropped and replaced with the ات. For example, the word سَاعَة (clock) will be ساعاتٌ or ساعاتٍ. Memorise the following table as a summary:  Now with regards to العَالَمِين. It is مجرور because it is مضاف إليه, and since it is a sound masculine plural noun, it will not take a kasrah, rather it will take the suffix ـِيْنِ.
Finally, we have managed to cover the Arabic grammar of the first verse of Surah al-Fatihah: الحمد لله رب العالمين “All praise is due for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds [1:1].” Hope that was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted accept it from you and I both. بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَڪُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِ PURIFICATION WITH WATER As discussed in the previous lesson, Allah the Exalted commands the believers to wash the face, hands and arms up to the elbows, feet up to the ankles and to wipe the head; before performing their prayers. These four limbs are the essential parts of the body that need to be washed in order for one’s wudu to be valid. In order to perform wudu, one must wash these limbs with water that has the quality of purification. Purifying Water - طَاهِر مُطَهِّر Water must be pure itself and must have the quality of purifying (طَاهِر مُطَهِّر). The classical jurists considered ‘absolute water’ to be pure and purifying, this is called اَلْمَاء الْمُطْلَق. This includes the following types: Rain water: Allah the Exalted says in the Quran, “وَأَنزَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً طَهُورًا – And We send down form the heaves, purifying water [25:48].” Well water: The Prophet ﷺ performed wudu with water from the well of Zamzam [Ahmad]. Sea water: The Prophet ﷺ said regarding sea water, “it’s water is purifying [Tirmidhi].” It is also permissible to perform wudu with river water, spring water, and water that has melted from snow, ice or hail. Disliked water - طَاهِر مُطَهِّرمَكْرُوه This is remnant water in a container from which a cat, chicken or predatory bird has drunk from. This is because one would be unsure as to whether any one of these animals has an impurity remaining on their mouth or beak when drinking water from the container. Doubtful water - مَشْكُوك This is remnant water in a container from which a donkey or a mule has drunk from. If one has doubt that any of these two animals have drunk from a container and he/she has no access to any other water, then they are permitted to do wudu followed by tayammum. They may precede one over the other. Non-purifying water – طَاهِر غَيْر مُطَهِّر This is remnant water that is considered pure in and of itself, however it cannot be used to purify, thus it cannot be used for wudu. This is when someone is already in the state of wudu but intends to perform another wudu, knowing that it is a form of worship and to seek proximity with Allah the Exalted; and the water from his second wudu is collected in a container, this is known as remnant water. One cannot perform wudu with it, however it can be used to remove impurities. According to the Hanafi School; the moment water separates from the skin it is considered remnant. Whereas the Shafi’i School holds that once the water touches the skin it is considered to be remnant. Impure water This type of water has two categories: المَاء القَلِيْل – A small amount of water in which an impurity occurs, whether any sign of impurity remains or not. There are various opinions with regards to what is considered a ‘small amount’. Some Hanafi jurists have stipulated that water less than that which is in a pond where ripples from one side would not reach the other side, other Hanafi jurists have maintained that anything that is less than 10x10 with a depth deeper than a hand scoop. The Shafi’i and Hanbali jurists on the other hand have stipulated, anything that is less than قُلَّتَيْن which is estimated to be around 227kg (1000L). If an impurity falls into this quantity of water, the water itself will be considered impure and wudu will not be permissible with it. المَاء الكَثِير – A large amount of water in which an impurity occurs and one of its quality changes; either its colour, smell or taste then it will be considered impure. A large amount of water will be anything more than what has been stated above. Similarly, one cannot perform wudu with juice from fruits or dew/sap from trees, whether it is extracted or it naturally occurs. Inshallah in the next lesson we will look at what is considered to be impure and types of impurities. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
The Household of ‘Imrān ‘Imrān was a man of God, pious and noble, a servant of Allah the Exalted who dedicated his life in the service of God. He is honoured in the Quran alongside Prophets and Messengers. Allah the Exalted says, “Verily Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imrān above all people [3:33].” He was a man of noble lineage, from the lineage of Prophets Solomon and David all the way up to Abraham [Ibn Kathīr]. ‘Imrān was married to a pious woman named Hannah, she invoked Allah the Exalted to bestow upon her a child whom she could consecrate to the church, a boy who be dedicated into a lifelong servitude to the church. “‘Imrān’s wife said, my Lord I have dedicated what is in my womb entirely to you, so accept it from me, verily you hear all and you know all [3:35].” Hannah anticipated that she would be given a boy, and traditionally it was a boy that was consecrated to the church. However, Hannah gave birth to a girl, “So when she delivered the child, she said, my Lord verily I have delivered a female, it is Allah who is All Knowing as to what she had delivered, a male is not like a female, she said verily I have named her Mary, and indeed I seek refuge in you from Satan the accursed [3:36].” Hannah had given birth to Mary, confused as to how she would go about dedicating her child to the church, Allah the Exalted comforted her by informing her that a boy is not like girl, indicating that Mary had a role to play, a role that no boy could fulfil. The promise of Allah the Exalted to Hannah would actualise, as Mary was indeed dedicated for a higher purpose. Angels were sent to Mary to comfort her and convey the message of Allah the Exalted, “Allah, has chosen you and made you pure, he has truly chosen you above all women. Mary, be devout to your Lord, prostrate yourself in worship and bow down with those who pray [3:42-43].” Hannah took Mary, whilst she was still a baby, and placed her in the care of the church. The priests drew lots to decide who would be responsible for her. Eventually Mary was placed in the care of the high priest, Zachariah. “And her Lord graciously accepted her and made her grow in goodness, and He placed her in the care of Zachariah… [3:37].” Zachariah was a knowledgeable man, a religiously trained scholar and a Prophet of Allah the Exalted. “Zachariah, John, Jesus and Elias, all of them were righteous [6:85]”. He was married to Elizabeth who was the sister of Hannah, thus Zachariah was the maternal uncle of Mary. Allah the Exalted begins the Chapter of Mary with the mention of Zachariah, “This is an account of your Lords mercy towards his servant, Zachariah [19:2].” Zachariah had reached an old age and his wife was barren, unable to have children, yet he invoked Allah the Exalted to bestow upon him a child. His prayers were answered and he was given the glad tidings of a boy. “Zachariah verily we give you glad tidings of a boy, whose name will be John, we have chosen this name for non-before him [19:7].” Amazed, Zachariah implored his Lord for a sign, “…your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, so he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signalled to them to glorify their Lord morning and evening [19:10-11].” John would also be a Prophet, and at a young age he would display his good-judgment and carry the scripture to call his people to the worship of Allah the exalted. “John, hold onto the scripture firmly! While he was still a young boy, We granted him wisdom, affection from us and purity. He was god-conscious, dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobeying tyrant. Peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive [19:12-15].” “Verily… John, will be noble and chaste, a prophet, one of the righteous [3:39].” “…Whenever Zachariah entered to see Mary in her prayer chamber, he found her supplied with provisions. He said, Mary, how is it you have these provisions? She replied, they are from Allah, verily Allah sustains who He wills, without account [3:37].” Eventually when Mary was of age, angels appeared before her and said, “Mary, Allah gives you news of a word from Him, he will be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next… he will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood, he will be one of the righteous [3:45-46].” News of a son came as a great surprise to Mary, for she was a virgin and no man had ever touched her. “She said, my Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me? This is how Allah creates what He wills, when He ordains something he merely says Be, and it is [3:47].” And Allah the Exalted says, “…so We blew into her garment through our angel Gabriel, and we made her and her son a sign for the worlds [21:91].” Thus, Mary conceived Jesus. “So, she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place, and the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, Oh I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten [19:23-24].” Even as a child, Jesus performed miracles, he spoke to his mother offering words of comfort, “he called her from below her, do not grieve, your Lord has provided beneath you a stream, and shake toward you the trunk of the tree, it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So, eat and drink, and be contented. And if you see anyone, say, indeed, I have vowed to the most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to anyone [19:24-26].” Mary came forth with her miraculous child, born of virgin birth, honoured by the Lord himself. Upon seeing Jesus in the arms of Mary, her people assumed the worst and said, “you have certainly done a thing unprecedented [19:27].” Mary was daughter to righteous parents and her people could not envisage that such a person could commit an act unprecedented in her family. “Your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste! [19:28].” Remembering the miracle of her son and what he had said to her, she merely pointed to Jesus and he said, “Verily, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me a Prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and alms so long as I remain alive. And made me dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive [19:30-33].” Such was the character of the noble prophet Jesus, that even in his infancy, with the permission of Allah he spoke to the people to clear his mother’s name and to honour her when no one else would. Jesus would grow up to be a prophet and perform miracles with the permission of Allah, that non-before him had done so. He would mould a bird out of clay, breathe into it and watch it come to life and fly away. He would cure the blind and leper, and cause the dead to come back to life. He said to his people, “I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden [19:50].” Jesus ordered his people to obey Allah the Exalted and to obey him. He would call upon his people to help him, many disbelieved whilst his disciples devoted themselves for the work of God. Thus, Allah the Exalted said, “Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to me, I will purify you of the disbelievers. To the day of resurrection, I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved. Then you will all return to Me and I will judge between you [19:55].” Allah the Exalted confirms in the Final Testament that Jesus was not the son of God rather His messenger, “It is not befitting Allah to take a son, exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it Be, and it is. And Jesus said, verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path [19:35-36].” Allah the Exalted also confirms that Jesus was not crucified, “Regarding their statement, verily we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him. Rather, another was made to resemble him to them. Verily, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except following an assumption. And they did not kill him for certain [4:157].” The Household of ‘Imrān, is a noble household. The second largest chapter in the Quran is named after it and ‘Imrān and is family members are honoured by Allah the Exalted. My Allah the Exalted bless the Household of ‘Imrān, reward them and increase them in rank. May Allah the Exalted honour the final Messenger ﷺ and increase him in rank. All the good in this article is from Allah the Exalted and any mistakes are from me. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Introduction The science of Ḥadīth: is a study of the rules and principles which seek to explain the condition of the sanad (chain of narration) and the matn (text) of aḥādīth (narrations), and to verify its authenticity as to whether it is maqbūl (accepted) or mardūd (rejected). Ḥadīth (pl. aḥādīth) - الحديث: linguistically means ‘new’ or ‘speech’. From a technical discussion under the topic of hadīth sciences; it means a narration attributed to the Prophet ﷺ, either about what: 1. he said, or 2. he did, or 3. he tacitly approved. Other words such as khabar (الخبر) and athar (الأثر) can sometimes be used interchangeably with hadith, but different muḥadithīn (hadīth scholars) have different definitions. The word khabr (pl. akhbār) linguistically means news, and technically some have said it is a synonym of hadith, whilst others have maintained that a hadith is what is attributed to the Prophet ﷺ whilst a khabar is a narration attributed to other than him, such as his Companions. Yet others have said that a khabar can be attributed either to the Prophet ﷺ or to those other than him, such as his companions. Athar (pl. āthār) linguistically means remnant or residue. Technically, some have said that it is synonymous to hadith, whilst others have maintained that it is a narration attributed either to the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ or their tābi’īn (the following generation after the Companions). Sanad - السند: linguistically means support or pillar, and it is termed as such because the hadith is dependent on it and is supported by it. Technically it refers to a chain of individual narrators which attribute the matan of the hadith to the Prophet ﷺ. Isnād (الإسناد) on the other hand is the verbal noun from the same root as sanad; some have said that it refers to the actual chain of narrators and thus is synonymous to sanad, whilst others have said that isnād refers to attributing the hadith to its narrator by mentioning the chain of narration. Matan (pl. mutūn) المتن: linguistically means what is strengthened and surfaced from the earth. Technically it refers to the text of a hadith distinguished by the sanad. Musnid (with a kasrah on the nūn) - المسنِد: This is the active participle (اسم فاعل) from the same root as sanad, and it refers to the individual who narrates the narration with a sanad, such as Imām Bukhāri. Musnid is also synonymous with the term rāwi (narrator). Musnad (with a fatḥah on the nūn) - المسنَد: this is the passive participle (اسم مفعول) from the same root as sanad, and it refers to a hadith that is supported by a sanad which is connected from the beginning and end, and is muttaṣil (connected without any gaps in between) and marfū (elevated to the Prophet ﷺ). Musnad can also refer to book which is a compilation of narrations from each narrator separately. Others have said that it is synonymous to sanad and thus is a maṣdar mīmī (a verbal noun that begins with a mīm). Muḥaddith – المحدّث: refers to an expert of hadith sciences who has a deep knowledge of narrators and narrations. Ḥāfiẓ (pl. Huffāẓ) الحافظ: According to majority of the muḥadithīn, it is synonymous to the muḥaddith. Some have said that it refers to one who is more knowledgeable than the muḥaddith. Ḥākim - الحاكم: refers to the one who has encompassed all aspects of hadith sciences. Such as al-Ḥākim Abu ‘Abdillah an-Naysābūrī. Hope that was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين In the previous lesson, we studied that a noun can be rendered in to the جر case if it is preceded by a genitive particle, otherwise known as a حَرْف جَرّ; and a noun in the جر case will express itself with a kasrah or a kasratayn on its last letter. In this lesson, we will explore another way a noun can be rendered into the جر case. But first we will look at إعراب (declension) of the word رب. Here the word رب is also in the جر case. But this is not because it is being governed by another word, preposition or element. Rather, رب is in the جر case because it is a تَابِع (a follower) which will emulate it’s مَتْبُوع (the followed); and here the word before it, الله is the متبوع. This particular type of emulation is known as بَدَل. The بدل construct is where one word emulates another word completely, in gender, number (plurality), grammatical case, and in being definite or indefinite. But most importantly, in the بدل construct the تَابِع is such that it can replace the مَتْبُوع completely, or vice versa without distorting the meaning. Thus here, we understand that الله is رب and that رب is Allah. Another way of understanding this, is in the usage of semitic names, for example if I were to say Joseph bar Jacob; يوسف ابن يعقوب, we understand that the son of Jacob is Joseph, and Joseph is the son of Jacob, thus I could completely replace one with the other and it will not distort the meaning whatsoever. Thus, the word رب is in the genitive case because it is emulating the word before it, الله, which is in the جر case because of the prefixed حرف جر, the لِـ. However, a logical question that arises in the mind, is if رب is the بدل of الله then it should completely emulate it, but the Exalted word Allah is definite as it is a proper name, then what is making رب definite? We previously learnt that nouns could be definite either, because they are prefixed with the definite article ال or if a noun itself is a proper noun. However now we learn a third reason for a noun being definite. If a noun is the first component of a genitive construct, it will become definite. A genitive construct, unlike a complete sentence, is an incomplete compound or a phrase. It consists of two components: the first is the مُضاف (the possessed) and the second is the مُضاف إليه (possessor). The genitive construct, otherwise known as the اَلْمُرَكَّبُ الْإِضَافِي, indicates to a relationship of possession and gives the meaning of either ‘s (apostrophe s) or ‘of’, both of which signify some kind of possession. For example, if I wanted to say “Khalid’s pen” or “the pen of Khalid” (both meaning the same), the pen is being possessed by Khalid or Khalid has some kind of ownership over the pen. In Arabic, we will express it as follows: قَلَمُ خَالِدٍ; here the word قلم (pen) will be the مضاف and the word خالد (Khalid) will be the مضاف إليه. There are some basic rules regarding the اَلْمُرَكَّبُ الْإِضَافِي that we need to understand: Firstly, the مضاف will never accept the definite article ال nor a tanween (doubling of harakah/diacritics), but still it will be definite. I know what you’re thinking, it’s a bit difficult to grasp right? Let’s take it from the top: Remember, nouns in the Arabic language will either have a tanween or an ال, this is a very rare situation where the noun will have neither, but it will still be deemed to be definite. Now we understand that رب being the بدل of الله must emulate it completely even in being definite or indefinite. The word الله is definite because it is a proper noun and the word رب is definite because it is مضاف. There, you see, the word رب does indeed completely emulate the Exalted word الله. Now back to the اَلْمُرَكَّبُ الْإِضَافِي. We said that the مضاف will neither take ال nor tanween but will still be definite, also the مضاف can be rendered into any particular grammatical case, depending on what position you place it in, in the sentence. It can end with a fathah, a kasrah or a dammah (we will explore this further in future lessons). Here the مضاف has been rendered into the جر case and takes a kasrah because of what we said above, it is a تابع (follower( and is emulating the grammatical case of it’s متبوع (the followed) in a بدل construct. The مضاف إليه on the other hand will usually be definite either because of being prefixed with the definite article ال or by being a proper noun, and the مضاف إليه will always be in the جرّ case. In our example, قَلَمُ خَالِدٍ (the pen of Khalid), the word Khalid is the مضاف إليه and therefore it is definite by being a proper noun and has been rendered into the جرّ case which is why it expresses itself with a kasratayn. Now in the verse, رب is the مضاف which is why it does not take ال nor a tanween but is still definite, and the word العَالَمِيْنَ is the مضاف إليه which is why it is definite with an ال and is rendered into the جر case. Now, the confusing part is, if the word العالمين is in the جر case then why doesn’t it take a kasrah? Don’t fret, it is indeed in the جر case but the expression of this word will be explained in the next lesson. So, what have we learnt in this lesson: 1. The بدل construct consists of two components: i. The بدل (which is the تابع i.e. the follower) ii. The مُبْدَل مِنْهُ (which is the متبوع i.e. the followed) The بدل will always emulate the مبدل منه in four things: gender, number (being single, dual or plural), grammatical case, and being definite or indefinite. Also, the بدل can completely replace the مبدل منه without distorting the meaning whatsoever. 2. The اَلْمُرَكَّبُ الْإِضَافِي (genitive construct) is an incomplete compound, or a phrase which consists of two components: i. The مضاف which will never take an ال or a tanween, yet it will be definite. And it can be rendered into any grammatical case depending on which position it is placed within a sentence. ii. The مضاف إليه which is usually definite either with an ال or by being a proper noun, and it will always be in the grammatical case of جر. Hope that was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين In the previous lesson, we studied the basic nominal sentence; it consists of two components, the مبتدأ which is the subject of the sentence and the خبر which is the predicate that provides extra information about the مبتدأ. For example: محمدٌ رسولٌ (Muhammad is a messenger), here محمد is the مبتدأ. This is because it is the first noun of the sentence and fulfils all the necessary conditions of a مبتدأ. The first condition is that the مبتدأ is usually definite, here Muhammad is definite because it is a proper noun. Ah yes! we have just identified another way a noun can be definite; either by attaching the definite article ال to it or if the word itself is a proper noun, a name of a place or a person. The second condition is that the مبتدأ is always in the case of رفع, which is why it takes a dammah. The خبر on the other hand is رسول, it provides the extra information to the reader about the subject, in this case, Muhammad is a messenger. Now the conditions of the خبر is that it will be indefinite (which is why the word is devoid of the definite ال and is not a proper noun) and it will also be in the رفع case, which is why it also takes a dammah. That was a quick recap about the rules of a basic nominal sentence. Now to address the question that all of you have been waiting for, where is the خبر of الحمد in the first verse of surah al-Fatihah? Well… Brace yourselves for a complicated answer! After الحمد is لِلّهِ, believe it or not these are two words: لِـ meaning ‘for,’ which is a one letter genitive preposition attached to the Exalted word الله, written together as لِلّهِ. Thus, الحمد لله means “All praises are for Allah”. Now, it is important to understand that ‘genitive prepositions’ are small words usually consisting of one or two letters that are neither nouns nor verbs, they are dependent on nouns to give a complete meaning. The genitive proposition is also a governing agent; what this means is that if it precedes a noun or is attached to a noun it will render that noun into the جر (genitive) case. This is the second grammatical case that we have studied so far. A noun that is rendered into the جر case will usually express itself with a kasrah or a kasratayn (double kasrah), and one of the ways a noun can be rendered into the جر case, is if it follows a genitive preposition. Now comes the part of the خبر of الحمد, or at least I think so ;) A genitive preposition and the following genitive noun together are known as جار ومجرور. The جار ومجرور are usually attributed to another noun. Here the جار ومجرور is لِلّهِ, and it is attributed to the خبر of الحمد. So where is the خبر of الحمد? Well it has been dropped! Sorry, what!? (O my good I’m actually speaking to myself!!!) Yes, the خبر has been dropped. Believe it or not this happens quite a lot. So, if a خبر is dropped, a suitable interpretation would be employed. In this case the interpretation would either be ثَابِت or وَاجِب; so, what you get is something like this: الحمدُ (واجبٌ/ثابتٌ) لله that All praise are (obligatory/established) for Allah. Wow! I know right, it’s pretty cool huh! So here, the جار ومجرور which is لله is attributed to the dropped خبر of الحمد which we can safely assume to be واجب or ثابت. If its initially a lot to take in, read over this lesson a few times, think about it and let it sink in and then read it a couple more times. With the permission of Allah, it will soon make sense. So, what have we learned this lesson: 1) A nominal sentence consists of two components: i. The مبتدأ (subject) which is usually definite either because it is prefixed with the definite article ال or the word itself is a proper noun; and the مبتدأ is always in the grammatical state of رفع which is why it expresses itself with a dammah or a dammatayn (double dammah). ii. The خبر (predicate) which is usually indefinite, therefore it will be devoid of the definite article ال and will not be a proper noun; and it will also be in the رفع case so it will express itself with a dammah or a dammatayn (double dammah). 2) A genitive preposition is a word that usually consists of one or two letters such as لِـ (for), مِنْ (from), فِيْ (in), عَلَى (on), بِـ (with) etc. These prepositions are governing agents that cause the following noun to be in the جر case, which is why that noun will take a kasrrah or a kasratayn (double kasrah). 3) Two grammatical cases: i. A word in the رَفَع case is called مَرْفُوع and usually expresses itself with either a dammah or a dammatayn. ii. A word in the جَرّ case is called مَجْرُور and usually expresses itself with either a kasrah or a kasratayn. Hope that was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين In the previous lesson we learnt that words can be rendered into particular states depending on the grammatical position a word is in. And a grammatical position of a word will usually depend on a governing agent causing that word to be in a particular state. Our first state that we learnt was رفع (a word in the state of رفع is called مرفوع). A word that is مرفوع will be signified with a dammah ( ٌ ). The example we looked at was ُالحمد, and we found that الحمد is in the state of رفع, and the reason for this is because it's grammatical position is مبتدأ. So what causes a مبتدأ to be مرفوع is the mere fact that a مبتدأ occurs in the beginning of a nominal sentence, thus by virtue of being in the beginning it is مرفوع. So... Nominal Sentence: One that starts with a noun. The مبتدأ: is that noun at the beginning of a nominal sentence. Governing agent of مبتدأ: being at the beginning of a nominal sentence. Grammatical state of مبتدأ: is رفع. Sign on a مرفوع word: Dammah ( ُ ). Hence... Breakdown of الحمد: مبتدأ، مرفوع بالضمة الظاهرة Mubtada which is Marfoo' with an apparent Dammah. Phew... hope that makes sense. Now, what we must know is that every مبتدأ requires a خَبَر (Khabar). So in English we will say: every subject requires a predicate. A predicate or خبر is basicly the extra information about the subject or the مبتدأ. For example ٌالبيتُ كبير. Here the word البيت is the مبتدأ and كبير is the خبر. The house is big. The house is the subject of the sentence whilst big is the predicate, so you are providing extra information about the house by stating it is big. Another way of looking at it is that a typical مبتدأ and خبر construct performs the function of an 'is' construct. So the house 'is' big. Don't get this confused with an adjectival phrase, i.e. 'the big house'. In a مبتدأ and خبر construct we are not 'describing' the house as big we are merely stating that it 'is' big. Difference. We will look at adjectival phrases when they pop up in the Quran. Now, what do we learn about a typical مبتدأ and خبر construct: Rule 1: The مبتدأ must be a noun, whilst the خبر can either be noun or a verb. Also the خبر can be a single word, a sequence of words, or a sentence. We will study more complex versions later. Rule 2: usually the مبتدأ will precede the خبر. So the خبر will usually come after the مبتدأ. Rule 3: usually the مبتدأ will be definite whilst the خبر will be indefinite. How do we know that this مبتدأ, namely البيت is definite, exactly! Lesson 1 - an ال will make a noun definite (there are other signs of definite wihc we will study later). And how do we know the خبر is indefinite - the tanween. Rule 3: both the مبتدأ and the خبر are in the state of رفع so they will be مرفوع, and since the sign of رفع is a dammah, both will end with a dammah. However we learnt that the governing agent of the مبتدأ is the fact that it is in the beginning of the sentence which is what is making it مرفوع. But what is the governing agent of خبر? If you haven't guessed it already, it is the مبتدأ which governs the خبر causing it to become مرفوع and thus accept a dammah. Rule 4: both the مبتدأ and the خبر will agree in gender. So what ever gender the مبتدأ is the خبر will follow suite. Wow... I can imagine so many people thinking what the...?! How can words have a gender?! Well here's another thing you learn about the Arabic language, which infact is quite common in some other languages too. So let's look at some examples, the word البيت is a masculine word, how do we know this? Because it does not have any signs of femininty. So one sign of femininty is the ة (taa marbuta), there are others and we will explore them later. So take a look at the word المدرسة (al-madrasatu/the school) it is feminine as it ends with a ة, so the خبر will reflect the same gender: المدرسة كبيرة. Rule 5: both will agree in number/plurality. For example البيتان كبيران (al-baytaani kabeeraani /the two houses are big). Note: these rules are not set in stone. This is the basis for a typical مبتدأ and خبر sentence. With a good enough reason there are possible exceptions. So we've learnt the that الحمد is the مبتدأ, so where is the خبر? Look out for the next lesson and all shall be revealed. With the help of Allah of course. May Allah reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
Introduction to Purification Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَڪُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبً۬ا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ۬ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآٮِٕطِ أَوۡ لَـٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءً۬ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدً۬ا طَيِّبً۬ا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِڪُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُ ۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ [O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favour upon you that you may be grateful.] This is probably the most concise yet detailed verse in the Quran pertaining to rituals of religious purification. The verse begins by addressing those “…who have believed…” This indicates that the following action is directed specifically to Muslims. The following action is the religious action of performing the prayer, “when you rise to [perform] prayer.” Thereafter, Allah the Exalted stipulates the ritual act of ablution. Thus, before one stands for prayer he is required to be in the state of ablution; “wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.” This indicates that performing ablution by washing the four limbs as stated above, is a condition for the validity of ones Prayer. It can be further understood from a linguistic perspective. The address begins with إذا which is one of the prepositions that are used in the Arabic language to stipulate a condition, which is thereafter followed by a فـ which indicates the conclusion. For example, “if you do this” is a condition, its conclusion is “then I will do that.” Here the condition is, when you rise from prayer (إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ) and its conclusion is, then you must wash… (فَٱغۡسِلُواْ). Therefore, ablution is a condition for the validity of prayer. Introduction to Ablution - وضوء The first word in the verse with regards to the performance of ablution is اِغْسِلُوا (Wash!) which is a command by Allah the Exalted. Commands in the Arabic language are expressed in a specific etymological pattern (here اِغْسِلُوا which means Wash! Is etymologically derived from the present tense تَغْسِلُوْنَ). Usually, as a rule of thumb, a command indicates an obligation (fard), unless there is some other indicator which would change the legal classification of the action in question to a different legal status such as ‘mandub’ or ‘mustahab’. Here, the command اِغْسِلُوا illustrates that washing the limbs attributed to this command are obligatory i.e. fard (فرض) to wash before the prayer. Thus, the legal status of ablution before the prayer is fard, and the three limbs mentioned in the verse, namely the face, the hands and arms up to the elbows and the feet up to the ankles are also fard to wash. Similarly, the command with regards to wiping the head (اِمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ) also indicates to an obligation. Conclusion of lesson one So far what have we learnt? 1) Ablution is an obligatory condition for the validity of prayer 2) The legal status of Ablution in and of itself is fard 3) There are at least 4 fard acts in ablution: i. Washing the face ii. Washing the hands and the arms up to the elbows iii. Wiping the head iv. Washing the feet up to the ankles Note: according to Imam ash-Shāfi’i and others, there are more fard acts pertaining to ablution, these will be explored in future lessons. Also, details and difference of opinions will be explored in future lessons. I hope this was beneficial. May Allah the Exalted accept it from me and you. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين In the previous lesson we studied that the word الحمد is a noun. We know this because it has been prefixed with an ال. Now usually an indefinite (generic) noun will end with a tanween. [If your wondering what a tanween is, don't fret, it's either a double fathah ( ً ) or a double kasrah ( ٍ ) or a double dammah ( ٌ )] Now if you were to add an ال to a noun, then the tanween will be dropped and the last letter of that noun will retain a single diacritic (harkah). Hence the word ٌحَمْد will be written as ُالحَمْد. Thus do we learn another sign of a noun. Yes I know what your thinking. Tanween! Indeed the tanween is also a sign of a noun. So both tanween and the prefix ال are both signs of a noun. Now the question that arises is why does the word ُالحمد end with a dammah, why not a kasrah or a fathah. I suppose the easy answer is; that is how Allah (swt) revealed the Quran. Of course! But we are looking at an Arabic word from the linguistic perspective. So what I've just done is alluded to the fact that Arabic words can indeed end with different diacritics. I suppose this is one of the very first hurdles new students struggle to conceptualise. This is because this phenomenon is unique to Semitic languages, and yes Arabic is a Semitic language. This concept can loosely be called إعراب (I'raab). Different words, especially nouns, in Arabic will accept different diacritics on their last letters depending on the grammatical position that a word is in. A grammatical position is usually determined by a governing agent which renders it into a particular 'state'. And this state will be identified by a particular diacritic. Now let's make sense of all this with an example: the word الحمد has accepted a dammah on the last letter. We need to investigate why! Firstly this word is a noun in the beginning of a sentence, thus this is a 'nominal sentence'. Secondly; because of being the first noun of a nominal sentence, this word will be rndered into the grammatical position of مبتدأ (mubtda') i.e. the subject of the sentence. Thirdly, the مبتدأ will always be in the رفع (rafa') state, i.e. the accusative state. Fourthly, the رفع state is always signified with a dammah. Note the governing agent rendering the word into a مبتدأ is the mere fact that the word is in the beginning of the sentence. [Further rules pretaining to nominal sentences, grammatical states and positions will be discussed in future lessons]. So what have we learnt: if a sentence begins with a noun, then that noun will be in the grammatical position of مبتدأ. We also learnt our very first 'grammatical state,' the state of رفع. We then found, that the مباتدأ will always be in the رفع state. And finally the رفع state will be signified with a dammah. Hence, ُالحمد, is the مبتدأ (subject) of a nominal sentence, and is in the grammatical case of رفع, which is why it ends with a dammah: All praise are... I hope that was beneficial. We shall explore more interesting facts in the next lesson. May Allah reward you and I both. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين The word 'الحمد ' is a noun. How do we know it is a noun? It is prefixed with the definite article 'ال'. This is the first sign of a noun that we have learnt . (Note: there are different types of ال with different functions.) The word حمد means praise, when this type of ال is added then it gives the meaning of all encompassing. So الحمد means All praise. Now usually when ال is added it turns a generic word to definite. For example, بَيْتٌ means a house (generic), but when you add ال it becomes اَلْبَيْتُ which means 'the house' (definite). So remember when you see ال prefixed to a word then that shows two things, one that the word it is attached to, must be a noun; and two that the word has become definite. Hope that was beneficial. May Allah reward you and I both. |
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August 2018
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