Active participle in Arabic - اِسْمُ الفاعِل | Arabic Free Course

1. Introduction

In Arabic grammar, the term for the noun representing the doer of an action, also known as the subject, is اسم الفاعل (active participle). It is constructed by adding an ألف (alif) after the first radical of the verb (فعل), giving the middle letter a kasrah (ِ) and the last radical a tanween, resulting in the pattern فَاعِلٌ.

Examples:

سَجَدَ / سَاجِدٌ
One who prostrates / to prostrate

حَمِدَ / حَامِدٌ
One who praises / to praise

كَفَرَ / كَافِرٌ
A disbeliever / to disbelieve

Masculine Gender Active Participle Table

Nominative Case – حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ

Singular: فَاعِلٌ – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَانِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلُونَ – Doers

Accusative Case – حَالَةُ النَّصْبِ

Singular: فَاعِلًا – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَيْنِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلِينَ – Doers

Genitive Case – حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ

Singular: فَاعِلٍ – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَيْنِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلِينَ – Doers

Feminine Gender Active Participle Table

Nominative Case – حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ

Singular: فَاعِلَةٌ – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَتَانِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلَاتٌ – Doers

Accusative Case – حَالَةُ النَّصْبِ

Singular: فَاعِلَةً – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَتَيْنِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلَاتٍ – Doers

Genitive Case – حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ

Singular: فَاعِلَةٍ – A doer

Dual: فَاعِلَتَيْنِ – Two doers

Plural: فَاعِلَاتٍ – Doers

Examples of Active Participles in the Holy Quran

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ

Say, “O disbelievers,” (109:1)

وَلَا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ

Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. (109:4)

وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ

Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. (109:5)

فَيُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا أَسَرُّوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ نَادِمِينَ

And they will become, over what they have been concealing within themselves, regretful. (5:52)

وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا أَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally. (2:25)

2. Hamzated and Assimilated Verbs

Hamzated and assimilated verbs such as أَكَلَ, سَأَلَ, قَرَأَ, وَعَدَ, and يَسِرَ form their active participles using the pattern فَاعِلٌ.

Examples:

أَكَلَ / آكِلٌ
One who eats

سَأَلَ / سَائِلٌ
Questioner

قَرَأَ / قَارِئٌ
One who reads

وَعَدَ / وَاعِدٌ
One who promises

يَسِرَ / يَاسِرٌ
One who becomes easy

Quranic Example:

سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen. (70:1)

Certain active participles follow the pattern فَعِيلٌ. These participles often function as adjectives describing eternal or constant qualities.

Examples:

عَظِيمٌ – Great

حَسِينٌ – Good

كَبِيرٌ – Big

قَالَ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ

[Allah] said, “Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled.” (15:34)

إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ

This is none but a noble angel. (12:31)

الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (1:3)

3. Hollow Verbs

When the second radical of a verb is a weak letter (و or ى), the active participle follows the pattern فَاعِلٌ.

Examples:

قَالَ / قَائِلٌ
One who speaks

بَاعَ / بَائِعٌ
One who sells

4. Defective Verbs

When the third radical is a weak letter (و or ى), as in دَعَا and رَمَى, the active participle follows the pattern فَاعِلٌ but with a slight morphological adjustment.

دَعَا = دَاعٍ – One who calls

رَمَى = رَامٍ – One who throws

لَقِيَ = لَاقٍ – One who meets

This occurs because when و or ى bear a tanween dammah and are preceded by a kasrah, the weak letter is dropped, and the previous letter receives a tanween kasrah.

5. Double-Lettered Verbs — الْمُضَاعَفُ

According to the pattern فَاعِلٌ, the active participle of doubled verbs like ظَنَّ should theoretically be ظَانِنٌ. However, Arabic simplifies the form by merging the two identical radicals, resulting in a shaddah (ّ) and producing ظَانٌّ.

Examples:

ظَنَّ = ظَانٌّ – One who suspects

ضَلَّ = ضَالٌّ – One who goes astray

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray. (1:7)

Active Participle Table — Masculine Form (ظَنَّ)

Nominative Case — حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ

Singular: ظَانٌّ – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّانِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانُّونَ – Those who suspect

Accusative Case — حَالَةُ النَّصْبِ

Singular: ظَانًّا – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّيْنِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانِّينَ – Those who suspect

Genitive Case — حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ

Singular: ظَانٍّ – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّيْنِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانِّينَ – Those who suspect

Active Participle Table — Feminine Form (ظَنَّ)

Nominative Case — حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ

Singular: ظَانَّةٌ – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّتَانِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانَّاتٌ – Those who suspect

Accusative Case — حَالَةُ النَّصْبِ

Singular: ظَانَّةً – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّتَيْنِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانَّاتٍ – Those who suspect

Genitive Case — حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ

Singular: ظَانَّةٍ – One who suspects

Dual: ظَانَّتَيْنِ – Two who suspect

Plural: ظَانَّاتٍ – Those who suspect

Examples of Active Participles in the Holy Quran

تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّـهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ

The revelation of the Qur’an is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (39:1)

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ

Is one who is devoutly obedient during the night, prostrating and standing in prayer, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for his Lord’s mercy, like one who does not? (39:9)

وَأَرْضُ اللَّـهِ وَاسِعَةٌ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

And the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account. (39:10)

التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْحَامِدُونَ السَّائِحُونَ الرَّاكِعُونَ السَّاجِدُونَ الْآمِرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّاهُونَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّـهِ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshippers, the praisers, the travelers for His cause, those who bow and prostrate in prayer, those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits set by Allah. And give good tidings to the believers. (9:112)

Conclusion

We have learned the various forms and meanings of the Arabic active participle (اسم الفاعل). It describes the doer of the action and adapts to the verb’s pattern—strong, hamzated, hollow, defective, or doubled. In the next lesson, we will study the passive participle (اسم المفعول).

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