Introduction
Verbs with fixed prepositions are some verbs which are found with prepositions attached to their object. Verbs with such prepositions sometimes convey different meanings.
Verbs with fixed prepositions – قَضَ
قَضَ means “to judge, to fulfill, to decree,” but when it comes with the proposition عَلَى, it means “to bring to an end, to kill.”
وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is (2:117)
فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيْهِ
so Moses struck him and [unintentionally] killed him (28:15)
Verbs with fixed prepositions – شَهِدَ
شَهِدَ means “to bear witness, to be present. When it comes with عَلَى it means “to bear witness against, give testimony against”.
فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; (2:185)
قَالُوا شَهِدْنَا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِنَا
They will say, “We bear witness against ourselves”; (6:130)
Verbs with fixed prepositions – تَابَ
تَابَ with or without إلى means “to repent” but when it comes with عَلَى it means, “o accept repentance, to forgive”.
فَمَن تَابَ مِن بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ
But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in forgiveness. (5:39)
Verbs with fixed prepositions – جَاءَ
When جَاءَ comes without any preposition it means “to come”. However, when it is used with the preposition بِ it means, “to get/to bring”.
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ
So when he came to him and related to him the story (28:25)
قُلْ مَنْ أَنزَلَ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَىٰ
Say, “Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought (6:91)
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The following table shows verbs with fixed prepositions with fixed prepositions:
| Verb with meaning | Preposition | Meaning with preposition |
| قَالَ He said, to speak, to inspire, to indicate | لِ | He said, to speak, to inspire, to indicate |
| وَهَبَ To give as a gift, to grant, to bestow on, dedicate | لِ | To give as a gift, to grant, to bestow on, dedicate |
| غَفَرَ To cover, veil | لِ | To forgive, pardon |
| شَكَرَ To realize or acknowledge one’s favor, to thank, be grateful | لِ | To realize or acknowledge one’s favor, to thank, be grateful |
| سَجَدَ To prostrate, to be submissive | لِ | To prostrate, to be submissive |
| اَذِنَ To bear, perceive, respond, listen, allow, give permission | لِ | To bear, perceive, respond, listen, allow, give permission |
| شَهِدَ Be witness, be present | لِ | Be witness, be present |
| عَلى | To bear witness, give testimony against | |
| عَفَا To pass over, to forget | عَنْ – لِ | To forgive, to pardon |
| عَنْ | To abound | |
| كَشَفَ To remove | عَنْ | To pull away, to remove, take off, to open up, lay open, to bare |
| نَهَى To forbid | عَنْ | To prevent, forbid, prohibit, restrain |
| ضَلَّ To go astray | عَنْ | To stray, disappear, go away, failed |
| تَلَا To follow | عَلَى | To recite |
| مَرَّ To pass, move, pass on | عَلَى | To pass on, by |
| بِ | To pass with, carry | |
| دَلَّ Indicated, showed, pointed at, guided, discovered | عَلَى | To indicate, point, show, guide, discover |
| قَضَى To fulfill, to judge, decide | عَلَى | To bring to an end, i.e. to kill |
| قَصَّ To communicate, narrate (a story), to follow one’s track | عَلَى | To communicate, narrate (a story), to follow one’s track |
| دَخَلَ To enter | عَلَى | To enter |
| عَرَضَ To happen, to take place | عَلَى | To show, to set before, propound a matter |
| لِ | To offer, to present | |
| تَابَ To seek forgiveness, to repent | إِلَى | To seek forgiveness, to repent |
| عَلَى | To accept repentance, to forgive | |
| وَصَلَ To reach a place, to arrive at, to seek friendship, to reconcile | إِلى | To agree, to make up, to reconcile, to arrive at, to reach a place |
| طَلَعَ To appear, rise, to ascend | عَلَى – عَنْ | To depart from |
| رَضِىَ To be pleased, satisfied, content, chosen, prefer | بِ – عَنْ | To be pleased |
| جَاءَ He came | بِ | He brought, he got |
| أَتَى He came, arrived | بِ | He brought, he got, he gave |
| هَمَّ To interest, regard, concern, worry, care | بِ | To have in mind, intend, desire |
| خَرَجَ To come out | بِ | To come out, produce |
| أَمَرَ To command | بِ | To command |
| عَاذَ To seek protection take refuge | بِ | To seek protection take refuge |
| كَفَرَ To be ungrateful, negligent, thankless | بِ | To hide, to refuse, to deny, reject, to disbelieve, denied ungratefully |
| ذَهَبَ He went, is gone | بِ | Took away |
| عَنْ | is gone away, departed | |
| رَغِبَ To long | فِي | to desire, long for |
| عَنْ | to have no desire, to be averse | |
| إِلى | to supplicate | |
| عَنْ – بِ | to prefer (one thing over another) | |
| بَاءَ Settled, incurred, earned | إِلى | To come back to, return |
| بِ | To bring, lead back, to bear | |
| بَغَى To seek, wish for, desire, oppress | عَلَى | To be unjust, to oppress |
| ضَرَبَ To strike, to beat | with مَتَلَا: to coin a similitude, give a parable, set an example |
Examples used in the Noble Quran
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)
فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ
but when We remove from him his affliction (10:12)
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا
Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. (2:259)
This Arabic lesson is now finished. The next one will be insha’Allah about the imperfect tense in Arabic.
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