The verb that encompasses additional letter(s) beyond its primary root is termed as الْفِعْلُ الْمَزِيْدُ الثُلاثِي. These verbs stem from the foundational triliteral roots, signifying their origin and complexity in the Arabic linguistic framework.
In the intricate tapestry of the Arabic language, the triliteral root verb, known as الْفِعْلُ المُجَرَّدُ الثُلاثِي, is fundamental. To enrich the language’s lexicon and meet its diverse expression needs, additional letters are incorporated to this base.
The act of augmenting the triliteral root verb with prefixes, infixes, or suffixes results in the birth of derived verbs. These derived verbs can either:
1. Retain a semblance to the original root meaning.
2. Transform from a transitive to intransitive nature, and vice versa, among other shifts.
For illustration, let’s dissect the verb قَتَلَ (to kill):
1. By introducing a prolonged alif ا after ق, the offshoot verb قَاتَلَ emerges, translating to “engage in combat with someone.”
2. When the verb’s second radical undergoes duplication, it morphs into قَتَّلَ, interpreted as “to slaughter or massacre.”
Arabic verbs are categorized into 15 distinct forms. The primary three-lettered form, فَعَلَ, serves as the foundational root, while the subsequent 14 forms are its derivatives:
– **Form I**: فَعَلَ – فَعِلَ – فَعُلَ.
– **Form II**: فَعَّلَ – Evolving from Form I with an added letter.
– **Form III**: فَاعَلَ
– **Form IV**: أَفْعَلَ
Introducing two letters to Form I yields:
– **Form V**: تَفَعَّلَ
– **Form VI**: تَفَاعَلَ
– **Form VII**: انْفَعَلَ
– **Form VIII**: اِفْتَعَلَ
– **Form IX**: إِفْعَلَ
Incorporating three letters to the first form, we obtain:
– **Form X**: اِسْتَفْعَلَ
– **Form XI**: إِفْعَالَّ
Each form holds its unique nuance and usage, reflecting the depth and flexibility of the Arabic language.
Derived from the triliteral root, the unique feature of this form is the doubling of its second radical. Notably, the imperfect tense – الْمُضَارِعُ of this pattern is adorned with a dammah -ُ, distinctively setting it apart.
Let’s explore the various forms:
– **Past Tense**: فَعَّلَ
– **Imperfect Tense**: يُفْعِّلُ
– **Imperative (Command)**: فَعِّل
– **Verbal Noun**: Two patterns emerge – تَفْعِيْلٌ and تَفعِلَةٌ.
– **Active Participle**: مُفَعِّلٌ, denoting someone or something actively engaged in the action.
– **Passive Participle**: مُفَعَّلٌ, referring to the entity the action is being done to.
– **Past Passive**: فُعِّلَ, indicating that the action was done to someone/something in the past.
– **Imperfect Passive**: يُفَعَّلُ, suggesting that the action is or will be done to someone/something.
**Points to Note**:
For example:
عَلِمَ = عَلَّمَ
To teach (to cause someone to know) – to know.
وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا
And He taught Adam the names – all of them. (2:31)
Intensifying an action or prolonging its duration can be expressed through this form.
قَطَعَ – قَطَّعَ
To cut – To sever into pieces.
قَتَلَ – قَتَّلَ
To kill – To massacre or slay extensively.
كَبَّرَ
To say “Allahu akbar.“
سَبَّحَ
To say “SubhanAllah.“
Conversion in Verb Forms: Form I verbs that are intransitive transform into transitive verbs in Form II.
نَامَ – نَوَّمَ
From “to sleep” to “to make/put to sleep.”
بَدَّلَ – بَدَلَ
To change – to change
فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ
But those who wronged changed [those words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them, (2:59)
In this form, verbs are derived from nouns.
هَوَّدَ
To convert to Judaism (from يَهُودٌ, denoting a Jew)
نَصَّرَ
To convert to Christianity (from نَصْرانِّيٌّ, referring to a Christian)
For example:
سَخَّرَ – سَخِرَ
To subjugate – to mock
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ
“Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. (43:13)
صَلَى – صَلَّى
To pray – to pray
كَلِمَ – كَلَّمَ
To speak – to injure
In the imperfect tense, the present tense marker takes a dammah, while the second radical receives a fatha.
In defective verbs, the verbal noun (المَصدَرُ) follows the pattern تَفْعِلَةٌ.
For instance:
زَكَّى translates to تَزْكِيَةٌ.”
Past tense – زَكَّى Imperfect tense – يُزَكِّي Imperative – زَكِّ Verbal noun -تَزْكِيَةٌ Active participle – مُزَكٍّ Passive participle – مُزَكًى Past passive – زُكِّيَ Imperfect passive – يُزَكَّى
وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.” (66:11)
يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
Satan promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion. (4:120)
Note: Some verbs, though not defective, have their verbal noun (مَصْدَر) following the pattern تَفْعِلَةٌ.
Examples include:
تَذْكِيْرٌ – تَذْكِرَةٌ = ذَكَّرَ
يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ
reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom (62:2)
أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا
Or add to it, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation. (73:4)
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Highest, (87:1)
وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ
but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief (49:7)
بَلْ جَاءَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَدَّقَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
Rather, the Prophet has come with the truth and confirmed the [previous] messengers. (37:37)
The form فَاعَلَ is derived by inserting an alif – ا between the first and second radicals of the triliteral root. This verb pattern’s imperfect tense typically carries a dammah on its initial radical.
Structure of فَاعَلَ:
In the passive voice of the past tense for this form, the intervening alif – ا typically changes to a و.
Illustration: فُوْعِلَ originates from فَاعَلَ.
Key Observations:
Verbs in the فَاعَلَ form often depict mutual or reciprocal actions, thus, they are transitive by nature.
For instance:
وَكَأَيِّن مِّن نَّبِيٍّ قَاتَلَ مَعَهُ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ translates to “And how many a prophet [fought and] with him fought many religious scholars.” (Quran 3:146)
Occasionally, the derived verb can bear a meaning distinct from its root.
For example:
الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا means “He whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him Our signs.” (Quran 17:1)
Case Study:
إِنِّي ظَنَنتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ
Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account.” (69:20)
وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ
Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah (2:193)
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ
Fighting has been enjoined upon you (2:216)
فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ
So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. (2:187)
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ
And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. (29:6)
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ
Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord (2:258)
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا
And [there are] those [hypocrites] who took for themselves a mosque for causing harm (9:107)
إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ قَالُوا نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ اللَّـهِ
When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, “We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah.” (63:1)
وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَىٰ مَا أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ
And I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; (11:88)
The form أَفْعَلَ is constructed by adding a prefixed hamza أ with a fatha (َ) to the base form فَعَلَ. Contrary to some other forms, this hamza is not the joining hamza (hamzatul wasl); therefore, it retains its pronunciation at all times. The imperfect tense of verbs in this pattern will always carry a dammah (ُ) on the first radical.
Table for أَفْعَلَ Pattern:
| Aspect/Form | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Past tense | أَفْعَلَ |
| Imperfect tense | يُفْعِلُ |
| Imperative | أَفْعِلْ |
| Verbal noun | إِفْعَالٌ |
| Active participle | مُفْعِلٌ |
| Passive participle | مُفْعَلٌ |
| Past passive | أُفْعِلَ |
| Imperfect passive | يُفْعَلُ |
Key Insight:
Examples to Illuminate the Causative Nature:
خَرَجَ means “to exit” or “to go out.”
نَزَلَ signifies “to descend.”
subtle variations in meaning due to morphological changes highlight the rich tapestry of the Arabic language and its capacity for nuanced expression.
وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ ۗ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
And with the truth, We have sent the Qur’an down, and with the truth, it has descended. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. (17:105)
Examples:
وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ
And they will say, “Praise to Allah, Who has removed from us [all] sorrow (35:34)
Examples:
إِن تُقْرِضُوا اللَّـهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا
If you loan Allah a goodly loan (64:17)
قَالَ أَلْقُوا ۖ فَلَمَّا أَلْقَوْا سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ
He said, “Throw,” and when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic. (7:116)
Examples:
Example:
وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَىٰ إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا
; and do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace “You are not a believer,” (4:94)
لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا هَلْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ
With their hearts distracted. And those who do wrong conceal their private conversation, [saying], “Is this [Prophet] except a human being like you? (21:3)
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ
And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message] (21:7)
ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَاهُمُ الْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَاهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَاءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرِفِينَ
Then We fulfilled for them the promise, and We saved them and whom We willed and destroyed the transgressors. (21:9)
وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ
And how many an unjust city have We shattered and produced after it another people. (21:11)
كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا
Every time they want to get out of Hellfire (22:22)
وَأَحَلَّ اللَّـهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا
But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest (2:275)
وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. (7:31)
يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ
Allah instructs you concerning your children (4:11)
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds.” (2:131)
The تَفَعَّلَ form is derived by adding the prefix Ta ت with a fatha -َ to the root فَعَلَ, and emphasizing the middle radical with a shaddah.
Breakdown of the Triliteral Root Form تَفَعَّلَ:
This structure emphasizes the action and often imparts a reflexive or intensive sense to the root meaning.
Examples:
إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ
when you are told, “Space yourselves” in assemblies, then make space (58:11)
وَاذْكُرِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا
And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion. (73:8)
For example:
For example:
يَتَجَرَّعُهُ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُ
He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it. (17:17)
For example:
وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقَاتِ
the charitable men and charitable women (33:35)
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا
And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind (2:234)
وَلَا تَتَمَنَّوْا مَا فَضَّلَ اللَّـهُ
And do not wish for that by which Allah hs made (4:32)
لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّـهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ
That Allah may forgive for you what preceded (48:2)
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (3:103)
وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَفَرَّقُونَ
And the Day the Hour appears – that Day they will become separated. (30:14)
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ
My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication. (14:40)
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
“Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. (2:127)
الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself (92:18)
When the prefix ‘ت’ is appended to the Form III ‘فَاعَلَ’, it transforms into ‘تَفَاعَلَ’.
Point to note:
Examples:
Examples:
تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ
They arise from [their] beds (32:16)
إِذَا تَرَاضَوْا بَيْنَهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
if they agree among themselves on an acceptable basis. (2:232)
وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ
And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. (49:11)
وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ
And cooperate in righteousness and piety (5:2)
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (103:3)
خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ
The last of it is musk. So for this, let the competitors compete. (83:26)
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ
And when they passed by them, they would exchange derisive glances. (83:30)
وَلَوْ تَوَاعَدتُّمْ لَاخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِي الْمِيعَادِ
If you had made an appointment [to meet], you would have missed the appointment (8:42)
وَلَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ
and would have disputed in the matter [of whether to fight], (8:43)
فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَتِ الْفِئَتَانِ نَكَصَ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ
But when the two armies sighted each other, he turned on his heels (8:48)
فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ
Then they approached one another, blaming each other. (68:30)
The form إِنْفَعَلَ is derived by attaching the prefix إنْ to the core triliteral root.
Structure of إِنْفَعَلَ:
Points to consider:
فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا
And there gushed forth from it twelve springs (2:60)
Observations Regarding the إِنْفَعَلَ Form:
Distinct Meaning:
Transition from Transitive to Intransitive:
This transformation not only enhances the linguistic richness of Arabic but also provides nuanced meanings tailored to various contexts.
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انفَطَرَتْ
When the sky breaks apart (82:1)
فَانبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا
and there gushed forth from it twelve springs (7:160)
مُنفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ
were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence (98:1)
ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ
Then return [your] vision twice again. [Your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued. (67:4)
انطَلِقُوا إِلَىٰ مَا كُنتُم بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ
[They will be told], “Proceed to that which you used to deny. (77:29)
The form اِفْتَعَلَ is derived by adding the prefix اِ and inserting ت after the first root letter ف of the base فَعَلَ.
Table of the اِفْتَعَلَ Pattern:
This pattern often carries a causative or “seeking” meaning. For example, seeking knowledge or trying to understand.
The اِفْتَعَلَ verb form is constructed by adding the prefix اِ and inserting ت after the first root letter ف from the base فَعَلَ structure.
Examples:
الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ
Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. (83:2)
Examples:
For example:
اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ
[The time of] their account has approached the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away. (21:1)
Examples:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ اصْطَفَىٰ آدَمَ وَنُوحًا
Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah (33:3)
قَالَ هَلْ أَنتُم مُّطَّلِعُونَ
He will say, “Would you [care to] look?” (37:54)
فَاطَّلَعَ فَرَآهُ فِي سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ
And he will look and see him in the midst of the Hellfire. (37:55)
أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَهْدًا
Has he looked into the unseen, or has he taken from the Most Merciful a promise? (19:78)
إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ
excepting that to which you are compelled (6:119)
Example:
For example:
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? (54:17)
For example:
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ
The example of those who take allies other than Allah (29:41)
Transformation of the Verb “وَصَلَ” to “اِتَّصَلَ”
The verb “وَصَلَ” undergoes a transformation when the weak letter و comes in place of the first radical ف. This results in the verb form “اِوْتَصَلَ”, which further simplifies to “اِتَّصَلَ”, signifying the actions of communication or connection.
Conjugation Table for اِتَّصَلَ (to communicate, to connect):
Table of اِلْتَقَى, to meet:
يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ
the day the two armies met (3:155)
Table of اِتَّقَى, to save oneself:
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
that you may become righteous (2:21)
وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ
And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined. (54:12)
وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ
And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request [or wish] (41:31)
وَلَحْمِ طَيْرٍ مِّمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
And the meat of fowl, from whatever they desire. (56:21)
وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ
And not equal are the good deed and the bad (41:34)
وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ
and they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves (21:28)
وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ
And [there are] others who have acknowledged their sins. (9:102)
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (3:103)
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. (2:286)
Verb Form “اِفْعَلَّ”: Expressing Colors and Defects
The verb form “اِفْعَلَّ” is crafted by prefixing “اِ” and doubling the ل of the root. This unique form is primarily utilized to convey colors and defects.
Structure of اِفْعَلَّ:
Given that this verb form is inherently intransitive (فِعْلُ اللَّازِم), it doesn’t accommodate a passive participle or passive voice.
Illustrations:
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ اسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ
As for those whose faces turn black, [to them it will be said] (3:106)
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ابْيَضَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ
But as for those whose faces will turn white, (3:107)
وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ
and his eyes became white from grief (12:84)
The verb form “اِسْتَفْعَلَ” derives from the root form “فَعَلَ” with the addition of the prefix “اِسْتَ”.
Structure of اِسْتَفْعَلَ:
Key Features:
Seeking or Asking: This form often denotes the act of seeking or requesting the essence of the root verb.
Perceptive Quality: It can express a perceived quality.
Reflective of اِفْعلَّ: This form acts reflexively in relation to “اِفْعلَّ”.
Variation with ‘ى’: When ‘ى’ replaces the ‘ل’, the pattern adjusts.
This form provides a rich layer of expression and depth to the Arabic language, allowing for intricate nuances and connotations.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
It is You we worship and You we ask for help. (1:5)
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ
Only those who hear will respond (3:36)
اسْتَجِيبُوا لِرَبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ
Respond to your Lord before a Day comes from Allah of which there is no repelling (42:47)
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. (2:186)
فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ
But if they do not respond to you (28:50)
لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ
I could have acquired much wealth (7:188)
وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا اسْتِكْبَارًا
covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance. (71:7)
وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدتُّهُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ فَاسْتَعْصَمَ
And I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly refused (12:32)
أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ
So will they not repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? (5:74)
وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ
and those who seek forgiveness before dawn. (3:17)
The verb pattern إِفْعَالَّ is derived by adding the prefix إِ, inserting an alif (ا) between the second (ع) and third (ل) radicals, and then doubling the third radical (ل). This specific pattern typically emphasizes the intensity of a color.
Table of Conjugation for إِفْعَالَّ:
Illustration:
For the root د-ه-م (indicating a dark hue), the verb in this form becomes: إِدْهَامَّ, which signifies “to become intensely dark green or black.
مُدْهَامَّتَانِ
Dark green [in color]. (55:64)
This lesson on Arabic nuances concludes here. Insha’Allah, our subsequent session will delve into the four-lettered verbs in Arabic.
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