Quantcast
Channel: The Aajurroomiyyah Blog
Viewing all 49 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Back to Basics: The Types of Definite Nouns Part 2

January 14, 2012, 10:39 am
$
0
0
In our last post we introduced the definite and indefinite articles. In this post I want to cover the six categories of al-Ma’rifah (the definite nouns). They are the following:

One: The pronoun also known in Arabic as الضّمِير. Examples of the pronoun are words such as هُوَ هِيَ أنْتَ أنَا.

Two: The proper noun known as العَلَمُ. Examples of the proper noun include مُحَمَّدٌ القَاهِرَةُ فَاطِمَة.

Three: The demonstrative pronoun known as إسْمُ الإشَارَةِ. Examples are هَذَا تِلْكَ أُولاَئِكَ.

Four: The relative pronoun known as الإسْمُ المَوْصُولُ. Examples of these are الَّذِي الَّتِي الَّذِيْنَ.

Five: The noun that has the definite article connected to it المُعَرّفُ بِأَلْ. This one we covered in the last post so refer to it if needed.

Six: The possessive noun or the noun connected to a definite noun known as المُضَافُ إلَى مَعْرِفَة. Examples of these include كِتَابُ اللّهِ بَابُ البَيْتِ نُورُ الدِّيْنِ.

There is a seventh known as the vocative المُنَادَى, but we will focus on that one in a separate post Allah willing, as it is tied into another aspect of Arabic grammar and I don’t want to cause confusion.

I will go in detail for each type one by one since it is essential to properly understand the Arabic in the Quran and in the Ahaadeeth. In the next post we will cover the first type; the Arabic pronoun, Allah willing. In the meantime you can review the chart below as reference.

↧
Search

Back to Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (A)

January 15, 2012, 1:02 pm
$
0
0
In our last post, I introduced the six types of definite nouns. In this post I’m going to elucidate further by explaining each category, Allah willing. I mentioned the first type which was the pronoun. The pronoun in Arabic is called الضّمِير. The root of this word means to be hidden or separate, the plural form is الضَّمَائِرُ. Another technical term used by the scholars of Arabic grammar is مُضْمَر, which means the same thing.

The pronoun is complex so we will start with the basics. At first it may seem overwhelming but after hard work and diligence this issue will become easy with the help of Allah Most High.

I will be basing this post on two texts to explain this area of definite nouns as I found the benefit within them very pertinent to the beginning student of Arabic. The first is المُغْنِي فِي عِلْمِ النَّحْوِ al-Mughnee fee ‘Ilm an-Nahwi by al-‘Allaamah Aboo al-Makaarim Fakhr-ud-Deen al-Jaarabardee, may Allah have mercy upon him, (died in 664 A.H. / 1346 C.E.), from the major scholars of at-Tabreez. The second is مُتَمِّمَةُ الآجُرُّومِيَّةِ فِي عِلْمِ العَرَبِيَّةِMutammimah al-Aajurroomiyyah fee ‘Ilm al-‘Arabiyyah by al-‘Allaamah Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad al-Hattaab, may Allah have mercy upon him, (died in 945 A.H.) from the major scholars of Yemen. I have covered his bio briefly in this post.

I will start with al-Jaarabardee’s explanation as it is brief and to the point. He states under the sectionالضَّمَائِرُ وَ أقْسَامُهَا (the Arabic Pronoun and its categories) that the pronoun is reserved for one addressing himself such as saying أنَا (I or me), or when one is being addressed such as saying أنْتَ (You) or to one who is not present by addressing that person as هُوَ (him). It is used to address the one needing to be spoken of whether that is in the form of speaking to others or the one speaking or the one being spoken about.

He mentions that the pronoun consists of two examples the مُتَّصِلٌ Muttasil and the مُنْفَصِلٌMunfasil. Before we go further, I want to give just a little bit of linguistic background on these two words. In my short time seeking knowledge with some of the scholars I noticed in their lessons that whenever they teach a subject to their students they always give the linguistic background of the topic. For example in the classes of Shaykh Fawzaan, may Allah protect him from every harm and evil, he would give us an explanation of words covered in the text or concerning the topic. I remember once in our class on Mukhtasar Zaad al-Ma’aad he went into the linguistic meaning of the word ‘Aqeeqah so that we could understand it when he was explaining the text. I found this to be very beneficial and helped to understand the word anytime I happened upon it in Ahaadeeth or when used by the scholars in their books. Therefore if you understand the linguistic background of a word then you will understand the function of it grammatically, and Allah knows best, that is just my advice to you and I hope it will benefit.

The word Muttasil is from the root وصل Wasal, without getting too much into the science of Sarf (verb conjugation) the base of this word is such that the Waa is dropped and a Taa takes place of it and connects to the second Taa. It means something that is connected hence here the pronoun that has to be connected to a noun or verb in order to make sense.

The word Munfasil is from the root فصل Fasal which means to leave or separate. It also can mean to stand alone. Here it is referring to the personal pronouns that are independent and do not need to be connected to a verb or noun to make sense.

Al-Imaaam al-Jaarabadee then goes on to cite examples of the Muttasil occurring between the noun and the verbs. Examples of the Muttasil include:

أَخُوكَ
Your brother.

مَرَّ بِكَ
I passed you by.

ضَرَبَكَ
He hit you.

أفْعَلُ
I do.

The examples of the Munfasil are words such as:

هُوَ
He

هِيَ
She

أنْتَ
You

And إِيَّاكَ which means “You” (masculine) used when we address Allah five times a day saying in al-Faatihah:

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
{And You alone we worship, and You alone we seek assistance from.}

It is important to note here that there are twelve personal pronouns in Arabic that must be memorized. You cannot grasp Arabic until you know them. The chart below gives you all twelve along with whether they are 1st person, 2nd, or 3rd and the English translation of each word.

The second chart covers the attached personal pronouns. They are the same as the personal pronouns only they connect to verbs and nouns while the personal stand on their own. Reference this post for a good video covering the pronouns.

In the next post, Allah willing, I will cover the B side of the pronouns using the text of al-Imaam al-Hattaab, may Allah have mercy on him.



↧
↧

Developments in Hebrew Grammar due to the Arabic Study of the Quran

February 25, 2012, 7:51 pm
$
0
0
“Systematic concern for the Peshat (a systematic approach to determining the Bible’s meaning according to context, literary style, and philology-the study of languages), as the medieval understood the term, was precipitated by several factors. The first reason was, ironically, the pioneering work on the Arabic language done by Muslim grammarians. Their conviction that the Arabic of the Koran, their holy writ, was Divine spurred them to study the language of God. Since Arabic and Hebrew are both Semitic languages, many of the insights of the Arabic grammarians were applicable to Hebrew. With greater knowledge of Hebrew, the determination of the contextual meaning of many biblical words was advanced. This concern with grammar and philology began in the Muslim world in the 10th century, but reached its height in Northern Spain and Northern France in the 12th century.

The rise and spread of Islam also brought into wider circulation philosophical texts from Ancient Greece, now translated into Arabic. Aristotle and Plato, as well as certain Neo-Platonic philosophers, encouraged some Muslims to adopt a more philosophic posture towards Islam. The philosophical school of Islamic theology known as Kalam, which also influenced Jewish thinkers like Sa’adia Gaon (882-942), sought to bring a degree of rationalism to religion. This rationalism was applied not only to matters of theology, but also to biblical interpretation, thus promoting a more contextual appreciation of the Hebrew Bible. Also, as a result of Jewish-Muslim polemics, there was a desire to clarify the contextual meaning of the Torah.

A third factor that helps to explain the emergence of Peshat involves a group of Jews known as the Karaites. (KRA is the Hebrew root for read, and Mikra is that which is read, i.e., the Scriptures; thus the Karaites are scripturalists.) Similar to the Sadducees before them, they rejected Rabbinic Oral Torah and maintained that only the Pentateuch was authoritative for purposes of determining Jewish law. In truth, the Karaites were far from biblical literalists. They simply came to different conclusions through their exegesis than did the Rabbis. Rabbinic Judaism, for example, promoted marital relations on the Sabbath; Isaiah (58:13), after all, encourages one to be joyous on the Sabbath! The Karaites, however, prohibited sexual relations on the Sabbath based on the following verse: “You shall cease from labor [on the Sabbath] even at plowing time’ (Exod. 34:21), ostensibly understanding “plowing” to be a euphemism for sex.

Although the beginnings of Karaism were in the mid-eighth century, it was not until the tenth century that we see full-scale Rabbinic attacks on this rival group. In particular, Sa’adia Gaon of Babylonia and Abraham ibn Ezra of Spain (1089-1164) are known for their fierce defense of Rabbinism against the heresy of Karaism. Both sages employ the tools of grammar and their knowledge of Arabic and Aramaic (both Semitic languages, like Hebrew) in order to champion Rabbinic Judaism’s interpretation of the law. Karaism developed in the Muslim world and like Rabbinic Judaism was influenced by advances in Arabic grammar and Islamic philosophy.”

Torah Through Time by Shai Cherry, pages 18-20
↧

Closing the Blogs!

June 17, 2012, 7:18 pm
$
0
0
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,

I apologize for the confusion of this earlier post. I meant that two blogs on here will be deleted in the sense that I will keep the page up, but the content will be deleted. I will provide the links for where you will still be able to access those translations for future reference. I have chosen to discontinue the Qawl Sadeed and the Glass Vessels blogs. They will be removed by the end of next month, Allah willing.

I will still keep the Aajurroomiyyah blog, the Book Reviews blog, and the Why Islam blog. Updates will be slow as I am in summer session studies. In August I hope to update the blogs on my summer vacation with beneficial posts.

I ask any Muslim who benefited from my translations on those two blogs to make Duaa for me and for the scholars that I translated from.

Your brother in Islam,
Aboo 'Imraan
↧

Ajrumiyyah Lessons on You Tube

August 20, 2012, 8:59 pm
↧
↧

A Brief Biography on Shaykh Muhammad Muhyee-ud-Deen Abdil-Hameed

January 17, 2013, 1:44 pm
$
0
0

Shaykh Muhammad Muhyee-ud-Deen Abdil-Hameed was born in 1900 C.E. in Kafr al-Hammaam located in the Sharqiyyah governorate of Egypt. ShaykhMuhammad was brought up in a house of knowledge where he learned from his father, the Azhari scholar, Shaykh Abdul-Hameed Ibrahim who was a judge and a Mufti. He memorized the entire Quran while a child at the local Kuttaab (Quran school for boys) in his village, then attended the Azhari school system. 
 
While studying, one of the first works Shaykh Muhammad explained was al-Hamdhaanee’s Maqaamaatu-Badee’-uz-Zamaan which he dedicated to his father. After completing his diploma in advanced studies from al-Azhar in 1925 C.E., he worked as a teacher in the Cairo Institute. 

When the College of the Arabic Language was set up in 1931 C.E., he was one of the first professors selected to teach and one of the youngest. In 1935 C.E., four years after being a teacher in the college, he was chosen to teach in the program of higher studies. 

Shaykh Muhammad was sent to Sudan to participate in establishing an Islamic studies program in Islamic law, in addition to working as a professor teaching the various Islamic and Arabic sciences. He taught there for four years, from 1940 to 1943 C.E., then returned to Egypt. Back home, Shaykh Muhammad taught the Arabic sciences in the college until he eventually became the Dean.

There was not one branch from the many branches of the Islamic and Arabic sciences that he did not write or explain, despite his academic responsibilities. He is best known for his outstanding method in simplifying the difficult and deficient aspects of several well-known texts on ancient Arabic grammar, such as Ibn Aqeel’s notes on the Alfiyyah of Ibn Maalik and Awdhah al-Masaalik ilaa Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik, by the master of Arabic grammar, Ibn Hishaam, may Allah have mercy upon them both. 

Six of his works were used by al-Azhar for the elementary and high school grades in studying Arabic grammar:

1 – at-Tuhfat-us-Saniyyah, the explanation of Ibn Aajaroom’s al-Aajuroomiyyah.
2 – The explanation of al-Muqaddimah al-Azhariyyah by Shaykh Khaalid al-Azhari, the Arabic grammarian master of al-Azhar.
3 – The explanation of Qatr-un-Nadaa by Ibn Hishaam al-Ansaari.
4 – The explanation of Ibn Hishaam’s other work, Shudhoor adh-Dhahab.
5 – The explanation of Ibn Aqeel’s notes to the Alfiyyah of Ibn Maalik.
6 – Notes to Awdhah al-Masaalik ilaa Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik, also by Ibn Hishaam. This work is divided into two separate volumes, the smaller one being three volumes and the larger is four. 

Shaykh Muhammad also had other commentaries on many works by the scholars of the past such as az-Zamakhshari, Aboo al-Barakaat al-Anbaari, al-Ashmooni, as-Suyooti, and many others, as well as works on Tawheed (Islamic monotheism), the Prophetic biography, Islamic jurisprudence, commentary on the Quran, and Islamic history. 

The Shaykh passed away on December 30, 1972 C.E., may Allah have mercy upon him and reward him for the intellectual legacy he left for the students of knowledge to benefit from. 

Compiled and written by Aboo Imraan Thomas Maldonado al-Mekseekee, may Allah guide him, from various Arabic sources.
↧

Back to Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (B)

March 18, 2013, 9:07 pm
$
0
0
In Back to Basics: The Arabic pronoun (A), I mentioned al-Jaarabardee’s explanation concerning the personal pronouns and presented the two examples that they consist of. In this post, I am going to begin the next aspect of the Arabic pronoun using al-Hattaab’s text al-Mutammimah which is a more detailed description of Imam as-Sanhaajee’s al-Aajurroomiyyah text.

Imam al-Hattaab, may Allah have mercy upon him, explains that the Arabic pronoun is divided into two categories, it is either an (1) مُسْتَتِرٌ implied pronoun or it is a (2) بَارِزٌ distinguished pronoun. The first will be the area of focus for this particular post. I think that if I explain both, there may be some confusion, so I would rather go into detail bit-by-bit, Allah willing.

(1) الْمُسْتَتِرُ The implied pronoun is defined as not having any particular form in its pronunciation. It is further divided into two categories: it is either (a)مُسْتَتِرٌ وُجُوبًا an implied pronoun that is affirmed or (b) مُسْتَتِرٌ جَوَازًا a pronoun where the action stipulates who is doing the action.

Examples, of (a) مُسْتَتِرٌ وُجُوبًا the implied pronoun that is affirmed, are the following:

A - In the imperative, directed towards a singular male, such as:


 اضْرِبْ 
(Hit!), or:

 قُمْ 
(Stand!). 

B – In the present tense that begins with the Arabic letter Taa that addresses a singular male, such as:


 تَقُومُ وَ تَضْرِبُ 
(You are standing and you are hitting.) 

C – And in the present tense that begins with a Hamzah, for the first person singular, or a Noon, for the first person plural, whether male or female, such as:


 أقُومُ وَ أضْرِبُ 
(I am standing and I am hitting.), or:

 نَقُومُ وَ نَضْرِبُ 
(We are standing and we are hitting.) 

As for (b) مُسْتَتِرٌ جَوَازًا the pronoun where the action stipulates who is doing the action, then an example would be:


 زَيْدٌ يَقُومُ 
(Zayd is standing.), or:

 هِنْدٌ تَقُومُ 
(Hind is standing.) 

It is an implied pronoun that always carries the Dhammah sign at the end of it, whether it is الفَاعِلُ the doer of the action orنَائِبُ الفَاعِلِ the representative of the doer.

To further elaborate, what is meant by “implied” here, is that the personal pronoun is not included in the sentence. If we look at the imperative command:


 اضْرِبْ أنْتَ 

We do not have to add the personal pronoun (highlighted in red) into the sentence, because that personal pronoun is already implied in the command. Likewise, in the sentence:


 أنَاأقُومُ وَ أنَاأضْرِبُ 

We do not have to add the personal pronoun into the sentence since it is already implied (highlighted in red). This is what is meant by the word “implied” and Allah knows best. In English, when we command someone to do something, we do not have to say, “Eat you!” or “You Eat!” Rather, one just easily says, “Eat!” This however, doesn’t work in the English language with verbs such as, “He is eating” or “They are eating,” the pronoun has to be included, whereas in Arabic verbs it does not, it is merely implied.

The following chart should assist in clarifying the points I touched upon. Allah willing, in the next post, I will cover الْبَارِزُ the distinguished pronoun along with the minor details that it entails.


↧

Back to Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (C)

March 20, 2013, 12:44 pm
$
0
0
Continuing from Back to Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (B), I will now cover الْبَارِزُ ‘the distinguished pronoun,’ along with its minor details. The distinguished pronoun is both pronounced and written in the Arabic language. Furthermore, it is divided into two categories: (1) مُتَّصِلٌ Muttasil and (2) مُنْفَصِلٌ Munfasil. Refer to Back to the Basics: The Arabic Pronoun: (A) for the detailed explanation and charts I provided as well as Back to Basics: The Types of Definite Nouns Part 2 to better understand where the Arabic pronoun fits into the language. 

Concerning the (1) مُتَّصِلٌ Muttasil, then it cannot be pronounced or written without first being attached to another word that conveys a whole meaning. An example would be the Taa in the following Arabic verbs:

سَمِعْتُ (I heard.)

 قُمْتُ (I stood.) 

In this example, the letter Taa cannot be written alone unless it is attached to a verb, hence its connection to the three letter Arabic root. Allah willing, I will cover the Arabic verbs once I complete the explanation on the nouns. Another example is the letter Kaaf in the Arabic verb:

 أكْرَمَكَ (He honored you.) 

In this example, the letter Kaaf is attached to the verb. If we left it out, it would not make any sense, therefore it is necessary to understand its significance in being connected to the verb. The chart below will help you understand the rules for the letters that connect. 

As for the (2) مُنْفَصِلٌ Munfasil, then it can be pronounced and written independently. An example is in the sentence:

 أنَا مُؤْمِنٌ(I am a believer.) 

Refer to the chart here in this post for more reference. It is interesting to note that Imam al-Hattaab references Imam Ibn Hishaam’s text “Qatr-un-Nadaa” to explain the ‘implied’ and ‘distinguished’ pronoun almost word for word. However, in Imam Ibn Hishaam’s “Shudhoor-adh-Dhahab,” he cites examples from the Quran. This shows the consistency of many of the grammarians concerning the basics of the Arabic language. 

This concludes the beginning details concerning the Arabic pronoun. The reader should keep in mind that what I have presented in this post and in previous posts is not conclusive. There are more details, however that information will be divulged as the levels and intricacies of Arabic are further elaborated upon, Allah willing. In my next post, I will explain the second category of the definite nouns  known as ‘the proper noun’ العَلَمُ. 


↧
Search

Back to Basics: The Types of Definite Nouns Part 3: The Proper Noun A

March 22, 2013, 9:48 am
$
0
0
In this post, I will explain the second type of definite noun known as العَلَمُ ‘the proper noun.’ The details surrounding this noun are fairly easy to comprehend. I will proceed to use my explanations from Imam al-Hattaab’s “al-Mutammimah” since the points he provides are meant for the beginner and intermediate student of Arabic grammar. 

The proper noun consists of two categories: (A) شَخْصِيٌّ personal and (B) جِنْسِيٌّ descriptive. As for the (A) شَخْصِيٌّ personal, then it refers to the actual name of a noun, such as the following names:

 زَيْدٌ
 فَاطِمَةُ 
مَكَّةُ
 شَذْقَمُ
 قَرَنُ 

These are actual names of people, places, or tribes. In English, equivalents would be: George, Anna, London, dromedary, Mayan, etc. In these examples, one should understand that the name itself is defined, meaning that you would never add the definite article to it. So we wouldn’t say in Arabic: The Zayd, the Fatima, the Makkah (although my Saudi students in Riyadh would beg to differ with me on this one!) as we wouldn’t use it in: The George, the Anna, the London, etc. These names stand alone and are defined as such. Just to note, the name Shadhqam is the name of a camel and Qaran is the name of a tribe. 

Concerning the (B) جِنْسِيٌّ descriptive, then it is used to describe a particular type of noun. It is popularly used for certain types of animals, such as:

 أُسَامَةَ Usama, which is used for the lion. 

Or: ثُعَالَةَ Thu’alah, used for the fox. 

Then there is: ذُؤَالَةَ Dhu’awah used for the wolf. 

And: أُمِّ عِرْيَطٍ Umm ‘Irayt used for the scorpion. The descriptive deals with gender, race, species, etc. 

Furthermore, the proper noun is also divided according to (C) الإسْمُ name (D) الكُنْيَة surname and (E) اللَّقَب nickname. The (C) الإسْمُ name has examples such as:

 زَيْدٌ 
أُسَامَةُ
 فَاطِمَةُ
 سَالِمٌ 

The (D) الكُنْيَة surname is a proper noun that has the prefix Ab (Father of) or Umm (Mother of) attached to it. Examples are:

 أبُو بَكْرٍ
 أُمُّ كُلْثُومٍ 
أبُو الحَارِثِ

The (E) اللَّقَب nickname is used to recognize the finer qualities of a person, such as the nicknames:

 زَيْنُ العَابِدِينَWhich means the good worshiper from amongst the worshipers, or to describe the physical qualities of a person like:

 بَطَّةُA duck or:

 أنْفُ النَّاقَةِ 

Which means one who has the nose of a she-camel. 

Just a word of caution, Arabic is quite unique in giving nicknames that to the foreigner’s ear, may be perceived as degrading, while in Arabic, it is used to describe a quality. I remember once Shaykh Fawzaan, may Allah protect him from every harm and evil, once explained to us the meaning of the name of a narrator called ‘the weak one.’ The Shaykh told us that he was given this nickname, not because he was weak in narrating, rather because he was skinny and of weak frame. In the next post, I will present the rulings that apply to the noun, surname, and nickname, Allah willing. This will be very brief, however due to the amount of information covering each category, I feel there needs to be a separate post so as not to bore or bombard the reader, may Allah bless him or her. In the chart below, I attempted to provide an outline view of what I covered in this post. 


↧
↧

Back to Basics: Grammatical Rules concerning the Name, Surname, and Nickname

May 16, 2013, 6:40 pm
$
0
0
In the last post, I covered the proper noun along with grammatical details regarding how it works within the language. In this post, I am going to cover the grammatical rules concerning the الإسْمُ name, الكُنْيَةُ surname, and اللَّقَبُnickname.

The Arabic grammarians have stated that whenever the name and nickname are combined, the nickname must come after it; this usage is considered eloquent. An example would be in the sentence:

 جَاءَ زَيْدٌ زَيْنُ العَابِدِيْنَ 
Zayd Zayn-ul-‘Aabideen came. 

When the nickname is after the name and both are singular, then in the rules of al-‘Iraab, the name must be connected to the nickname, like in the title:

 سَعِيْدُ كُرْزٍ 
Sa’eedu-Kurzin 

Notice here that it is like an Idhaafah construction. Click here for a previous post on the Idhaafah.

The Arabic grammarians state that there is no particular order that has to be followed when it comes to combining the surname and name or with combining the surname and nickname.

The proper noun is further divided into two categories: مُفْرَدٌ Singular or مُرَكَّبٌ Compound.

An example of the singular can be found in names such as زَيْدٌ Zayd or هِنْدٌHind.

The compound is categorized into three categories: (a) the name that consists of two sound nouns, (b) the name that is pronounced as a name but its meaning consists of two nouns, (c) the name that was originally a sentence in meaning.

(a)- مُرَكَّبٌ إضَافِيٌّ the name that consists of two sound nouns, examples are:

 عَبْدُ اللّهِ 
Abdullah

 عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ 
Abdurrahman 

(b)- مُرَكَّبٌ مَزْجِيٌّ the name that is pronounced as a name, but its meaning consists of two nouns, examples are:

 بَعْلَبَكَّ 
Ba’labakk

 حَضْرَمَوْتَ 
Hadhramaut

 سِيبَوَيْهِ 
Seebawayhi 

(c)- مُرَكَّبٌ إسْنَادِيٌّ the name that was originally a sentence in meaning, examples are names such as:

 بَرَقَ نَحْرُهُ 
Baraqanahruh

 شَابَ قَرْنَاهَا 
Shaabaqarnaahaa

Used in a sentence, we could say the following:

 هَذَا بَرَقَ نَحْرُهُ 
This is Baraqanahruh.

 جَاءَتْ شَابَ قَرْنَاهَا 
Shaabaqarnaahaa came. 

Shaabaqarnaahaa literally means “Her-Sideburns-have-Become-Grey” and is considered a female name. I wasn’t able to find anything on Baraqanahruh, a male name, when I do, Allah willing, I will post something on it.

These are purely indigenous names used in the Pre-Islamic period known as al-Jaahiliyah, names which may seem very strange to the beginner and intermediate Arabic student. There are examples of such names in English utilized amongst the Native Americans, like “Dances-with-Wolves.” Yeah, I know. Very Kevin Costner, but it was all I could think of at the moment. I once worked at a call center in Dallas where I had calls automatically routed to customers in the Dakotas. It took a while to get used to asking to speak to “Big-Running-Bear” and “His-Horse-is-Crazy,” although after a while I did eventually get accustomed to it. The same principle exists here in Arabic, never think that the language is conforming because the minute you do, you find a lot of flexibility within its grammar rules and usage. So always try to be happy, happy, happy, so that studying won’t make you angry, angry, angry.

For more details on the meaning of compound, see this post: Going forward, I will start posting the charts separately for reference purposes. The next post will contain just the chart. After that, Allah willing, I will go into the demonstrative pronoun إسْمُ الإشَارَةِ. As always, I look forward to any comments, suggestions, corrections, fashion tips, etc.
↧

Free PDF Download: Duaa to Gain Knowledge - Bilingual Arabic-English Charts [2008]

December 19, 2013, 10:43 am
$
0
0



 Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years. With that said, I will be uploading some new files of Arabic learning charts for all of you who have been hungry for more tidbits and pointers concerning the Arabic language. To start off, this is a blast from the past so to speak, something I did back in 2008. I decided to revamp it and post it for download. I have completed a new version of the Aajurroomiyyah Chart, but I am debating whether to post it or just print it and sell it. As always, the posts will be slow in coming, but check back every now and then, you may find something you like. Feedback is welcome. If I manage to benefit anyone from this, please make a little duaa for a brother. 

↧

Free PDF Download: Two of a Kind, Arabic-English [2013]

December 25, 2013, 8:07 pm
$
0
0

Fellow Readers, Here’s something new for the blog. What started off as a tidbit translation post from one of my e-books has been transformed into a small study publication. If you like what you read, show a brother some love and post a comment or two. I know someone is reading out there, I’m getting close to 20 hits a day, so don’t be strangers or I’m going to shut this blog down if I think no one is benefiting. Just kidding. Until the next episode, keep a brother in your Duaas, because I could sure use some. 

↧

History of the Arabic Grammarians: Abu al-Aswad ad-Du’ali

August 3, 2014, 7:13 pm
$
0
0
Most of the scholars allege that the fundamentals of grammar were first outlined by Abu al-Aswad ad-Du’ali and that he took these basics from the commander of the believers, Ali bin Abu Taalib, peace be upon him. Others say that grammar was formed by Nasr bin Aasim ad-Du’ali, known as al-Laythi. I, Muhammad bin Ishaaq, read in the handwriting of Abdullah bin Muqlah that Tha’lab said, “It has been relayed by Ibn Lahiyah from Abu an-Nadhr that Abdur-Rahmaan bin Hurmuz was the first person to lay down the basics of the Arabic language. He was the most knowledgeable regarding the lineages of the Quraysh and their history and was one of the reciters of the Quran.”

Likewise, Shaykh Abu Saeed, with whom may Allah be pleased, informed me that Nasr bin Aasim al-Laythi was one of the Quran reciters and eloquent from among the Arabs whom Abu Amr bin al-Alaa and others learned from. Abu Jafar bin Rustum at-Tabari said:

 إنَّمَا سمى النحو نحوا لأن أبا الأسود الدؤلي قال لعلي عليه السلام و قد القى عليه شيئا من أصول النحو قال إبو الأسود و استأذنته أن أصنع نحو ما صنع فسمى ذلك نحوا. 

“Grammar is called an-Nahw because Abu al-Aswad ad-Du’ali asked Ali, peace be upon him, about an issue concerning the fundamentals of grammar. Abu al-Aswad said, ‘I sought his permission to do something similar concerning the grammar rules.’ He then called it an-Nahw.”

The scholars have disagreed about the real reason that caused Abu al-Aswad to formulate the rules of grammar. Abu Ubaydah said, “Abu al-Aswad took the rules of grammar from Ali bin Abu Taalib, for whom may there be peace, but he did not disclose to anyone what he learned from Ali, whose countenance may Allah honor, until Ziyaad appointed him for the composition of something to serve as a guide for the people, so that they could understand the book of Allah. Abu al-Aswad asked to be excused from this task, until one time when he heard a reader recite:

 أنَّ اللهَ برئ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ وَ رَسُولِهِ 
{Allah is free of all obligations to the idolaters and of His Apostle.} 

Instead of saying:

 أنَّ اللهَ برئ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ وَ رَسُولُهُ 
{Allah and His Apostle are free from all obligations to the idolaters.} 9:3 

Then he said, “I never supposed that the condition of the people would come to this!” So he returned to Ziyaad and said,“I will do what the Amir has ordered. Let there be sought for me a scribe who is intelligent and obedient to what I say.” They brought, therefore, a scribe from the Abd al-Kays tribe, but Abu al-Aswad was not satisfied with him. Then they came with another one, about whom Abu Abbaas al-Mubarrad said, “I regard him to be one of those [who are intelligent].” So Abu al-Aswad said to the new scribe:

 إذا رأيتني قد فتحت فمي بالحرف فانقط نقطة فوقه على أعلاه و إن ضممت فمي فانقط نقطة بين يدي الحرف و ان كسرت فاجعل النقطة من تحت الحرف. 
 “If you see that I open my mouth in pronouncing a letter, place a mark above, on top of it. If I close my mouth [making a u sound], place a mark in front of the letter, and if I split [my lips] double the mark.”

So this was the marking system of Abu al-Aswad. Abu Said, with whom may Allah be well pleased, said: It is also related that the reason for this [grammar] was the encounter of Sa’d with Abu al-Aswad. He [Sa’d] was a Persian from Noobandajaan who went to Basra with a group of his people. When they went to Qudaamah ibn Maz’oon, announcing that they had accepted Islam under his support, they became his apprentices. While he was leading his horse this Sa’d passed by Abu al-Aswad, who said, “What’s the matter with you, oh, Sa’d, why don’t you ride?”

He replied:

 إنَّ فَرَسِي ضَالِع أرَادَ ظَالعاً 
“My horse is strong.” But he meant to say use the word “lame.” 

As he spoke some people who were there laughed at him. Then Abu al-Aswad said, “These apprentices have sought Islam and embraced it, becoming our brothers, but we have not taught them speech.” So he composed a chapter on the subject and object الفاعل و المفعول.

By Abu Faraj Muhammad ibn Ishaaq al-Nadim 
Translated by Abu Faraj Muhammad ibn Ishaaq al-Nadim
Re-edited with Arabic quotes by Thomas Maldonado
↧
↧

The Aajurroomiyyah Blog Officially Comes to an End

October 20, 2014, 8:56 pm
$
0
0
After receiving several emails asking about future updates to the Aajurroomiyyah blog, I have decided to respond here with a brief message confirming my intention to cease any further posts. On the brighter side, I will leave the blog open for anyone who wishes to research previous material. The reason for this decision is due to my full-time studies and work schedule in addition to being a single father humbly tasked with the responsibilities of child rearing; I believe my time will better suit those needs and demands respectively. While I have enjoyed my contributions to this blog for the last seven years, all things must inevitably come to an end. With that said, I leave you all with one parting gift, an updated and free version of the Aajurroomiyyah Chart book. Keep in mind that this revamped edition contains new sections not available in the previous editions. It is yours, but with the humble request that you will remember me in your prayers, perhaps by your prayers, the hardships, tests and difficulties of life may lessen for me.

I thank you all for your attention.

Regards, Thomas Maldonado a.k.a Aboo Imraan

Click here to download The Text of al-Aajurroomiyyah in Charts and Tables 2014 Edition.
↧

Arabic Points of Benefit: The style of al-Istighaathah أُسْلُوبُ الإسْتِغَاثَةِ

November 25, 2010, 10:51 am
$
0
0
In an-Nahw, the style of exclamation is called al-Istighaathahالإسْتِغَاثَة. This style consists of the following:

One: The only particle of al-Istighaathah called Adaat-ul-Istighaathahأدَاةُ الإسْتِغَاثَة is always the vocative Yaa and Alif يَا. There is no other particle that can be used for this style.

Two: What is known as al-Mustaghaath bihiالمُسْتَغَاثُ بِهِ. It is always in the genitive tense which means that it always takes a Kasrah sign at the end and has a Laam attached to it that takes a Fathah sign.

Three: What is known as al-Mustaghaath lahuالمُسْتَغَاثُ لَهُ. It is always genitive with Laam attached to it, and the Laam is written with a Kasrah on it. Example:

يَا لَــشُرْطَةِ لِلسَّارِق
(Help police! A Thief!)

يَا لَطَيِّبِ الهَوَاءِ لِلعَلِيْلِ
(How good fresh air is for the sick person!)

يَا لَهَوَاءِ الإسكندريةِ لِلمَرْضَى
(How the air in Alexandria is for one’s sickness!)

Sometimes it is written with the particle مِنْ Min. Example:

يَا لَلأطبَاءِ مِنَ الوبَاءِ

يَا لَرِجَالِ الشُّرْطَةِ مِنَ اللّصُوصِ

In an upcoming post, inshaaAllah, I will describe what happens when one or both of the Laams are omitted. Below, are two charts to reference for the forms described above. I hope they will be of benefit.

(Style One)


(Style Two)
↧
Search

Arabic Points of Benefit: The style of النِّدَاءُ التَّعَجُّبِي

November 26, 2010, 2:16 pm
$
0
0
In the last post we covered the style of al-Istighaathahأسلوب الإستغاثة. This is a continuation of the last post.

النِّدَاءُ التَّعَجُّبِيan-Nidaa at-Ta’jjubee is used to express surprise or amazement. It is similar to the style of al-Istighaathah except that the Laam is omitted.

Examples:

Here the second Laam is omitted.

يَا لَرَوْعَةِ القَصِيْدَة
(What a beautiful poem!)

يَا رَوْعَةِ القَصِيْدَة

Here both the first and second Laam are omitted. Note that the first noun takes a Kasrah sign because of the Yaa connected to it.


↧

Why does Allah use the plural for “the darkness” but leaves “the light” singular?

January 16, 2011, 7:55 am
$
0
0
In Soorat-ul-Baqarah, verse 257, Allah Most High says:

يُخْرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إلَى النُّورِ
{…To remove them from the darkness into the light.}

The word “the light” النُّورِ (an-Noor) is singular while the word “darkness” الظُّلُمَاتِ (ath-Thulumaat) is plural. Why is that?

The plural word for “darkness” ظُّلُمَاتِ (the singular is ظُلْمَة) conveys all of the various forms of deviance and disbelief, so all of this is conveyed in the plural word “darkness”. The singular word “the light” (the plural is أنْوَار) is made singular because the truth is one and is never rendered plural.

Therefore this is why Allah Most High did not say:

يُخْرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إلَى الأنْوَارِ

Source: an-Nahw fee Thilaal-il-Quraan-il-Kareem (Arabic Grammar in the Shade of the Noble Quran) by ‘Azeezah Yunoos Basheer, page 23.
↧
↧

Blog of Dr. V Abdur Rahim Link

February 16, 2011, 9:58 pm
↧

The Arabic Verb Forms Study JPEGs

March 21, 2011, 6:42 am
$
0
0
The following charts in JPEG form are taken from a book that I recently designed for Lughatu-Daad. Once it is posted on their site, I will post the link here. In the meantime I hope this will be of benefit, Allah willing.




↧

Arabic Points of Benefit: Just a Little Bit More Information Concerning the Idhaafah

March 18, 2009, 9:28 am
$
0
0
The scholars of Nahw have categorized at-Taraakeeb (the plural of Tarkeeb) into 3 categories:

تركيب إضافي
Tarkeeb Idhaafee

تركيب إسنادي
Tarkeeb Isnaadee

تركيب مَجْزِي
Tarkeeb Mazjee

In the last posts concerning the Idhaafah we covered the meanings of both the TarkeebIdhaafee and the Tarkeeb Isnaadee in detail. Here I will briefly touch upon the third category by the permission of Allah.

The Tarkeeb Mazjee or at-Tarkeeb al-Majzee is when two words are combined to make one word. For example the word:

حَضْرَمَوْتُ
Hadhramawt

This word is composed of two words, the word حَضْرَ and the word مَوْتُ . Another example is:

بَعْلَبَكُ
Ba’labak

Which consists of the word بَعْلَ and the word بَكُ . The Tarkeeb Mazjee is made Marfoo’ by the Dhammah sign, Mansoob by the Fathah, and Majroor as well by the Fathah which represents the Kasrah sign since it is a noun that is Mamnoo’ min as-Sarf (a noun that does not take the Tanween or Kasrah sign). For example:

سَافَرْتُ إلَىحَضْرَمَوْتَ
“ I traveled to Hadhramawt.”

Notice the Taa at the end takes a Fathah and not a Kasrah.

For an in-depth explanation reference Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen’s explanation of al-Aajuroomiyyah pages 86-87 printed by Maktabah al-Ansaar in Egypt.

For a recap reference the following two posts regarding this topic:

Arabic Points of Benefit: Regarding the Idhaafah
Arabic Points of Benefit: A Little More Information Regarding the Idhaafah

I will try to compose some notes in Arabic and post as a PDF file for reference and memorization by the permission of Allah.
↧
Viewing all 49 articles
Browse latest View live
Search