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27  The maṣdar

Warning

THIS BOOK IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT IS INCOMPLETE AND MAY HAVE TYPOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER ERRORS. IT IS NOT YET READY FOR STUDY.

27.1 Introduction

Consider the example:

  1. ذَهَابُ زَيْدٍ
    Zayd’s going

The noun ذَهَاب going is the maṣdar of the verb ذَهَبَ يَذْهَبُ to go.

Like the verb ذَهَبَ يَذْهَبُ, the maṣdar ذَهَاب signifies the action of going. But unlike the verb, the maṣdar does not include tense. So it doesn’t say when the action of going happened or will happen.

The maṣdar is classified as a primitive noun, not a deverbal noun. In other words, in terms of grammatical theory, it is not considered to be derived from the verb. (Rather, the verb is considered to be derived from the maṣdar.)

Also the maṣdar is not a adjectival noun. Technically, this would put it in the category of entity nouns. But because the maṣdar signifies the action of a verb, and not an actual entity, it is an abstract entity noun, not a concrete entity noun. In fact, we will treat it in a category of its own. We will see, if Allāh wills, that the maṣdar can cross over to a concrete entity noun and then refer to an entity.

27.2 The maṣdar as a verb-like governor in an annexation

As a noun which is related to a verb, a maṣdar can govern in a verb-like manner. Let’s start with a sentence which has a verb:

  1. يسرني أن تأتي

أَنْ in the above example is that maṣdari أَنْ. This means that, as we learned in chapter (ref), it and its following verb can be interpreted as a maṣdar construction, thus:

  1. يسرني إتيانك

We also learned that this interpretation of the maṣdari أَنْ clause in example () above allows us to grammatically model the أَنْ clause as one structural element. In example () above the maṣdar construction إتيانك is modeled as the doer of the verb يسر.

But example () is also a legitimate sentence in its own right. The maṣdar إتيان signifies the occurrence of the verb أتى يأتي. But unlike the verb, it does not indicate tense. If we had started with a perfect verb, for example:

  1. يسرني أن أتيت

then it would have the same modeled maṣdar:

  1. يسرني إتيانك

In order to add tense to sentence with maṣdar, we would have to use other means, for example, an adverb:

  1. يسرني إتيانك غدا

  2. يسرني إتيانك أمس

In example () above, the maṣdar إتيان is a annexe noun in an annexation. Syntactically, the pronoun ك is in the i-state as the base noun in the annexation, but semantically, it is considered the doer of the. maṣdar إتيان.

In example () above the verb تأتي was used without a direct doee. Let’s see what happens when we add a direct doee. For example:

  1. يسرني أن تأتيني

In example () above, the pronoun ي me is the direct doee of the verb تأتي. If we model the أَنْ clause in example () above as a maṣdar construction, then we will get:

  1. يسرني إتيانك إِيَّايَ

Now, the pronoun ك your is again the syntactic base noun and the semantic doer of the maṣdar إتيان. But the maṣdar now also has a direct doee إِيَايَ in the a-state.

The maṣdar in an annexation governing a u-state doer

Here is another example of a maṣdar governing a semantic doer and a direct doee:

  1. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ شُرْبِ زَيْدٍ الْعَسَلَ [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/102]

But this is not the only word order which is possible. We can flip the order of the doer and the direct doee, thus:

  1. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ شُرْبِ الْعَسَلِ زَيْدٌ [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/102]

Now the semantic direct doee العسل is the base noun in the i-state and the doer زيد is in the u-state.

This word order of the direct doee’s being the base noun and the doer occurring after it in the u-state (شُرْبِ الْعَسَلِ زَيْدٌ) is not as usual as the usual word order (شُرْبِ الْعَسَلِ زَيْدٌ).1 Nevertheless, it is common enough.2

The maṣdar in an annexation governing only a direct doee without a doer

The doer of the maṣdar need not be mentioned. In this case, the maṣdar is a annexe noun noun to its sementic direct doee directly. For example:

  1. مَنَعَهُمْ مِنْ قَوْلِ الْحَقِّ [Wright 2/57C]
    He hindered them from saying the truth.

Sometimes, context would be needed to tell whether the base noun is the semantic doer or the sementic direct doee. For example:

  1. عجبت من ضرب زيد [التذييل والتكميل لأبي حيان 11/70]

In example () above, زيد may either have been the person who did the beating or the person who was beaten.3 Context would be needed to disambiguate.

The maṣdar governing a deputy doer

Just like the maṣdar can govern a doer in the u-state it can similarly govern a deputy doer. For example:

  1. سَرَّنِي إِعْطَاءُ الدَّنَانِيرِ الْفَقِيرُ [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/109]
    The giving of the dīnārs to the poor-one made me happy.

The maṣdar governing multiple direct doees

The maṣdar can govern multiple direct doees just like its verb. For example:

  1. عَرَفْتُ إِعْطَاءَكَ الْفَقِيرَ دِرْهَمًا [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/109]

  2. عَرَفْتُ إِعْلَامَكَ خَالِدًا جَعْفَرًا مُقِيمًا [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/109]

27.2.0.1 The maṣdar in a annexation to an adverb of time/place

The adverb of time/place, like a ;mafulb, is considered a doee. As such, it can be a base noun to a governing maṣdar. Any doer and/or direct doees will then occur after it in their respective syntactic states. For example:

  1. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبِ اليَوْمِ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/103]
    I wondered at today’s beating [by] Zayd [to] Ɛamr

A attribute to a governing maṣdar in an annexation

A maṣdar which is governing a governee (like a doer or a direct doee) can be described by a attribute, but that attribute should occur after the maṣdar’s governees.4 For example, we should not say:

  1. ✗ عرفت سوقك العنيف الإبل [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/108]
    I knew your harsh driving of the camels

We should say instead:

  1. عرفت سوقك الإبل العنيف

A attribute to the governee of a maṣdar in an annexation

When the maṣdar is governing a doer or a direct doee in an annexation, and that governee is to be described by a attribute, then the attribute may, optionally, be either in the i-state, or in the u-state for the doer and the a-state for the direct doee.5 So we can say:

  1. عجبت من شرب زيد الظريف والظريف [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/104]

  2. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ أَكْلِ الطَّعَامِ الْحَارِّ/الْحَارَّ زَيْدٌ [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/189]
    I wondered at the eating of the hot food [by] Zayd

A conjunction to the governee of a maṣdar in an annexation

When the maṣdar is governing a doer or a direct doee in an annexation, and that governee is followed by a conjunction and post-conjunction, then the post-conjunction may, optionally, be either in the i-state, or in the u-state for the doer and the a-state for the direct doee.6 So we can say:

  1. سَاءَنِي إِهْمَالُ سَعِيدٍ وَخَالِدٍ/خَالِدٌ [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/189]

  2. كَرِهْتُ أَكْلَ الْخُبْزِ وَاللَّحْمِ/اللَّحْمَ [Wright 2/58A]
    I disliked eating the bread and the meat.

  3. سَاءَنِي ضَرْبُ خَالِدٍ وَسَعِيدٍ/سَعِيدًا خَلِيلٌ [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/189]

27.3 The tanwīned maṣdar as a verb-like governor

In section (ref) above, we have seen how the maṣdar governing in an annexation. However, an annexation is not the only form in which a maṣdar can govern in a verb-like manner. A maṣdar can also govern when it is tanwīned. For example:

  1. عَجِبتُ مِن ضَرْبٍ زيدا [الكتاب لسيبويه 1/189; شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94]

  2. عجبتُ مِن ضَرْبٍ زيداً بكرٌ [الكتاب لسيبويه 1/189]

  3. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبٍ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا [modified from الكتاب لسيبويه 1/189; Wright 2/59A]

  4. أَوۡ إِطۡعَـٰمࣱ فِی یَوۡمࣲ ذِی مَسۡغَبَةࣲ ۝١٤ یَتِیمࣰا ذَا مَقۡرَبَةٍ ۝١٥ [سورة البلد 90:14-15, cited by شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/115]
    Or feeding on a day of severe hunger An orphan of near relationship

  5. بضرب بالسيوف رؤوس قوم [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94; Wright 2/57C]
    by striking, with the swords, the heads of a people

The tanwīned maṣdar governing a doer and a direct doee is comparatively rarer than the maṣdar governing in a annexation.7 Some grammarians mandate that when a tanwīned maṣdar is a governor then its doer should not be mentioned after it.8 So they would allow example (25) above but not examples (26) and (27).

27.4 The maṣdar prefixed by ال as a verb-like governor

In addition to the maṣdar governing in an annexation and when tanwīned, the maṣdar can also govern when it is prefixed by ال. This is the rarest out of the three formations.9

  1. عجبت من الضرب زيدا [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94]

  2. ضَعِيفُ النِّكَايَةِ أَعْدَاءَهُ [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/116; Wright 2/57D]
    weak in harming his enemies

  3. فلم أنكُلْ عن الضَّرْبِ مسْمِعا [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/116; Wright 2/57D]
    and I did not desist from beating Mismaɛ

27.5 The maṣdar as a verb-like governor compared to the doer participle

We have already seen, in chapter (ref), that the doer participle is also a noun that is related to a verb, and that can govern in a verb-like manner. But the maṣdar and the doer participle are different in how they govern a doer and a direct doee.

Firstly, the maṣdar is a primitive noun. So it does not govern a latent doer pronoun. When the maṣdar is governing a direct doee without a doer as in example () مَنَعَهُمْ مِنْ قَوْلِ الْحَقِّ then, no latent doer pronoun is virtual modeled.

Secondly, when the maṣdar is governing in an annexation, (for example عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَرْبِ زَيْدٍ عَمْرًا) then this annexation is real, not superficial.10 However, when the doer participle is governing in an annexation, then the annexation is superficial (see section (ref)).

Thirdly, the doer participle not prefixed by ال only governs in a verb-like manner when it has an imperfective meaning. The maṣdar on the other hand can govern for both a perfective and imperfective meaning. For example:

  1. عجبت من ضربك زيدا أمس/غدا/الآن [modified from شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94]

The maṣdar as a verb-like governor does have one similarity to the governing doer participle. And that is that both their doers are not the structure-starter of a new sentence. So, for example, in the sentence:

  1. عَجِبْتُ مِنْ شُرْبِ الْعَسَلِ زَيْدٌ [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/102]

the doer زَيْد does not form an inner sentence with the maṣdar شُرْب. Rather, the maṣdar شُرْب, as a single-word element, is in the i-state, governed by the preposition مِنْ.

An exception to the doer of a maṣdar not being a structure-starter, and also to the maṣdar not governing a latent doer pronoun, is when the maṣdar occurs as the deputy to a verb. For example:

  1. ضربا زيدا [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/93]
    Hit Zayd!

The maṣdar as a deputy to a verb will be covered in more detail in section (mmutlaq), if Allāh wills.

TODO: Add to mmutlaq chapter

27.6 The maṣdar governing an indirect doee

wright 2/61

27.7 The maṣdar governing a direct doee with a strengthening-لِ

wright 2/61D

27.8 An intervening word in the annexation

27.9 The mīmi maṣdar

27.10 The manufactured maṣdar

27.11 The one-time noun

27.12 The noun of manner

27.13 The entity noun→maṣdar

The entity noun→maṣdar is a concrete entity noun that crosses over to be used like a maṣdar. Examples:

entity noun→maṣdar verb actual maṣdar
سَلَام peace سَلَّمَ يُسَلِّمُ to say السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ (عَلَى to s.o.) تَسْلِيم
عَطَاء a gift أَعْطَى يُعْطِي to give إِعْطَاء
كَلَام a speech كَلَّمَ يُكَلِّمُ to speak (to ه s.o.) تَكْلِيم
كَلَام a speech تَكَلَّمَ يَتَكَلَّمُ to speak تَكَلُّم
قُبْلَة a kiss قَبَّلَ يُقَبِّلُ to kiss ( ه s.o.) تَقْبِيل
عَذَاب a punishment عَذَّبَ يُعَذِّبُ to punish (ه s.o.) تَعْذِيب
حِمْل a load حَمَلَ يَحْمِلُ to carry (هـ s.th.) حَمْل
عِشْرَة association عَاشَرَ يُعَاشِرُ to consort (with ه s.o.) مُعَاشَرَة

The entity noun→maṣdar originally signifies the meaning of a concrete entity noun.11 So, for example the maṣdar تَكْلِيم signifies the action of speaking to someone, and the entity noun→maṣdar كَلَام signifies the concrete entity noun speech. But the entity noun→maṣdar, once it crosses over to a maṣdar, can signify the action of the verb, just like the actual maṣdar. As such, it can even govern in a verb-like manner.12 So we can say:

  1. بِعِشْرَتِكَ الْكِرَامَ تُعَدُّ مِنْهُمْ [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/100]
    By your associating with the generous-ones you will be reckoned [as one] amongst them.
    (الْكِرَام is in the a-state as the direct doee of the entity noun→maṣdar عِشْرَة.)

  2. وَبَعْدَ عَطَائِكَ الْمِائَةَ [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/99]
    And after your giving of the one hundred (camels)
    (الْمِائَة is in the a-state as the direct doee of the entity noun→maṣdar عَطَاء.)

  3. قَالُوا كَلَامُكَ هِنْدًا وَهِيَ مُصْغِيَةٌ يَشْفِيكَ [حاشية الصبان على شرح الأشمونى لألفية ابن مالك 2/435]
    They said “Your speaking to Hind while she is giving ear will cure you.”
    (هِنْد is in the a-state as the direct doee of the entity noun→maṣdar كَلَام.)

27.14 The maṣdar→entity noun

Just like the entity noun→maṣdar crosses over from a entity noun to a maṣdar, the maṣdar→entity noun crosses over form a maṣdar to a entity noun. Here are some examples13

maṣdar→entity noun plural verb
عِلْم a science عُلُوم عَلِمَ يَعْلَمُ to know
عَقْل an intellect عُقُول عَقَلَ يَعْقِلُ to make sense (هـ of s.th.)
عَمَل a deed أَعْمَال عَمِلَ يَعْمَلُ to work
ظَنّ a conjecture ظُنُون ظَنَّ يَظُنُّ to conjecture
صَوْت a sound أَصْوَات صَاتَ يَصُوتُ to make a sound
مَعِيشَة a livelihood مَعَايِش عَاشَ يَعِيشُ to live
عَقْد a contract عُقُود عَقَدَ يَعْقِدُ to enter into a contract
وَعْد a promise وُعُود وَعَدَ يَعِدُ to promise
عِدَة a promise عِدَات وَعَدَ يَعِدُ to promise
مَوْعِد/مَوْعِدَة a promise مَوَاعِد وَعَدَ يَعِدُ to promise
تَضْعِيف a double تَضَاعِيف ضَعَّفَ يُضَعِّفُ to double (هـ s.th.)
تَجْرِبَة a trial, experiment تَجَارِب جَرَّبَ يُجَرِّبُ to try (ه، هـ s.o., s.th.)

As you can see, once a maṣdar crosses over to a entity noun, it can, and often does, have a plural.

27.14.1 Plurals of maṣdar→entity nouns

As you can see, most of the maṣdar→entity nouns in the table above are from stem 1 verbs. There are relatively fewer from stem 2 verbs. Most form broken plurals. All the plurals above are amongst those that are attested usage from Classical Arabic.

Most maṣdars are not attested to have plurals from Classical Arabic. For example, perhaps we may not find the maṣdar اسْتِعْمَال (from the verb اسْتَعْمَلَ يَسْتَعْمِلُ) to have the its plural as attested usage in Classical Arabic. This has led some grammarians to restrict plurals of maṣdars to only those recorded from attested usage.14

After the era of native Classical Arabic, when sca became the language of science and literature, new terms and meanings were added to the language and used with their technical meanings. Many of these new terms are maṣdar→entity nouns and they are often from higher stem verbs. Here are some examples15

maṣdar→entity noun plural verb
اسْتِعْمَال a use اسْتِعْمَالَات اسْتَعْمَلَ يَسْتَعْمِلُ to use (هـ s.th.)
احْتِمَال a possible interpretation احْتِمَالَات احْتَمَلَ يَحْتَمِلُ to bear a meaning (of a text)
اعْتِقَاد a creed اعْتِقَادَات اعْتَقَدَ يَعْتَقِدُ to believe (a creed)
إِشْكَال a textual difficulty إِشْكَالَات أَشْكَلَ يُشْكِلُ to be difficult (of a text)
تَعْرِيف a definition تَعْرِيفَات عَرَّفَ يُعَرِّفُ to define (هـ s.th.)
تَفْسِير an explanation تَفَاسِير فَسَّرَ يُفَسِّرُ to explain (هـ s.th.)
حَذْف a deletion حُذُوف حَذَفَ يَحْذِفُ to delete (هـ s.th.)

Because of the need to pluralize technical terms, some scholars have permitted that new maṣdar→entity nouns can be pluralized without restriction.16

As you can see, many of these maṣdar→entity nouns are from higher stem verbs. Since, broken plurals are not easily formed from words with many letters, the āt plural is preferred for these maṣdar→entity nouns. The maṣdar pattern تَفْعِيل of stem 2 فَعَّلَ verbs can easily form a plural on the pattern تَفَاعِيل, but even for new maṣdar→entity nouns on this pattern, the āt plural often tends to be in current usage.

Remember, however, from section (ref), that there are conditions that should be satisfied in order for a word to have a āt plural. So if a maṣdar→entity noun does not end with ة and has fewer than five letters than we may prefer to form a broken plural than a āt plural. Nevertheless the āt plural may be more common in actual usage. For example: بَيَان a statement, plural: أَبْيِنَة, بَيَانَات. 17

27.14.2 The ability of maṣdar→entity nouns to govern in a verb-like manner

The default for concrete entity nouns is that they will not govern in a verb-like manner. But a maṣdar→entity noun, even though it has crossed over to a entity noun, its maṣdar origin retains some influence. Because of this, we do sometimes find a maṣdar→entity noun governing in a verb-like manner. This is most apparently visible in the plural of a maṣdar→entity noun. For example:

  1. وجرّبوه فما زادتْ تجاربُهم أبا قدامةَ إلّا الحزمَ والفَنَعا [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 107]
    And they tried him, but their tryings of Abū Qudāmah did not increase but [his] resolve and contentment
    (The plural maṣdar→entity noun تَجَارِب is governing أَبا in the a-state as a direct doee.)

27.15 The maṣdar→adjectival noun

A maṣdar→adjectival noun is a maṣdar that crosses over to be used like a adjectival noun. For example, the maṣdar عَدْل of the verb عَدَلَ يَعْدِلُ to act justly is used as a adjectival noun to mean just. Similarly, the maṣdar رِضًى of the verb رَضِيَ يَرْضَى to be pleased is used as a adjectival noun to mean pleasing. Here is an example sentence:

  1. هذا رجلٌ عدلٌ [شرح ابن يعيش على المفصل 2/238]
    This is a just man.

When a maṣdar is used as a adjectival noun, then, normally, it is not feminized, dualized or pluralized, regardless of the number or gender of the described noun. So we will say:

  1. مررت برجل عدل أو رضي [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

  2. مررت بامرأتين رضي [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

  3. مررت برجلين عدل [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

  4. مررت برجال عدل [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

Sometimes, a particular maṣdar is used very often as a adjectival noun. Then, exceptionally, it is feminized and pluralized.18 Such is the case with the maṣdar→adjectival noun عَدْل. So we can (optionally) say:

  1. امرأة عدلة [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

  2. نساء عدلات [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

  3. قوم عدول [شرح الفارضي على ألفية ابن مالك 3/176]

Also, excepted from the restriction of not being pluralized is a maṣdar→adjectival noun which ends with a ة. This is readily pluralized with a āt plural. For example ثِقَة trustworthy. So we can say:

  1. رِجَالٌ ثِقَاتٌ
    trustworthy men

27.16 The maṣdar used figuratively to describe a concrete entity noun

Along the same lines as the maṣdar→adjectival noun we sometimes see a maṣdar used figuratively to describe a concrete entity noun. For example:

  1. ترتع ما رتعت حتى إذا ادّكرت فإنما هي إقبال وإدبار [معاني النحو 1/193]
    [The she-camel] pastures at pleasure until she remembers [her offspring], then she is only (the act of) approaching and withdrawing.

  1. Wright 2/59B↩︎

  2. شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/103↩︎

  3. التذييل والتكميل لأبي حيان 11/70↩︎

  4. شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/108; النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/188↩︎

  5. النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/189; شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/104–105; Wright 2/59C↩︎

  6. النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 2/189; Wright 2/57D-58A↩︎

  7. Wright 2/59B; شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94↩︎

  8. التذييل والتكميل لأبي حيان 11/75↩︎

  9. شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/94↩︎

  10. شرح ألفية ابن مالك للحازمي 71/9↩︎

  11. معاني النحو 3/164–167↩︎

  12. شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 3/101↩︎

  13. mostly taken from دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 129ff↩︎

  14. جمع المصدر وأحكامه لحياني 96; دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 138↩︎

  15. mostly taken from دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 141–142, جمع المصدر وأحكامه لحياني 99–100↩︎

  16. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 129ff↩︎

  17. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 147–151↩︎

  18. شرح ابن يعيش على المفصل 2/238↩︎