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30  Significance of the doer participle

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30.1 Introduction

The doer participle is technically a noun. But because of its derivation, and close association with the verb, it can have some verbal qualities. We have already seen in chapter (ref) how the doer participle can, like a verb, govern a doer and a direct doee

In this chapter, we will study the meanings that the doer participle can signify, especially when it behaves as a verb-like governor.

30.2 The essential significance of the doer participle

The doer participle is derived from a verb. For example, the doer participle منطلق is derived from the verb انطلق ينطلق to set out. The essential significance of the doer participle is that its referent can be described as the doer of the action of its verb. Consider the example:

  1. زيد منطلق [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 486 citing الجرجاني] Zayd is a setter out.

In example () above منطلق essentially signifies that its referent زيد can be described as one who sets out. As opposed to the doer participle, the essential significance of the stateful verb is the dynamic execution of the action of the verb. For example:

  1. زيد ينطلق [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 486 citing الجرجاني] Zayd is setting out.
    or Zayd sets out.
    or Zayd will set out.

In example () above, the stateful verb ينطلق indicates the dynamic action of setting out.

Here is another example of a doer participle used to signify the doer of a verb. This time the doer participle is from a transitive noun and is governing a direct doee.

  1. وَأَنَا مُتَّبِعٌ فِي ذَلِكَ قَضَاءَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي مَرْيَمَ الْمَغَالِيَّةِ [سنن النسائي :3498]
    I am a follower, in that [matter], of the ruling of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ concerning Maryam al-Mag͡hāliyyah.

In the following sections, we will see that the doer participle, while retaining its essential significance of describing its referent as the doer of a verb, can also signify the meaning of the verb from which it is described. So it can signify the occurrence of the action of the verb and its tense.

For example, (1) زيد منطلق can be used in place of (2) زيد ينطلق to mean Zayd is setting out, or Zayd sets out, or Zayd will sets out.

30.3 The doer participle without ٱلْ used to indicate a imperfect static state

When we consider a verbal action, it can, in general, have a static and a dynamic perspective The dynamic perspective of looking at a verbal action focuses on the dynamic activity of the doer as he undertakes the verbal action. So, for example, if someone is eating, then the dynamic perspective of looking at this activity is considering the doer’s action of lifting his hand from his plate to his mouth, chewing, swallowing, etc.

The static perspective of looking at a verbal action focuses more on fact that the person can be described as being in a state of doing the action. And not so much on the actual activity involved. So, the static perspective of considering someone eating is simply that the person was in a state where he can be described as eating.

Some verbs, just from their meaning, tend to be more dynamic than others. For example: جَرَى to run, أَكَلَ to eat, etc.

Other verbs are inherently more static. For example: جَلَسَ to sit, نَامَ to sleep, etc.

Some verbs have, inherently, both a dynamic and a static meaning. For example, لَبِسَ can mean both: to put on a garment, and also to remain clothed in the garment.. Even static verbs can have a dynamic component. For example, جَلَسَ can mean both: to enter into a seated state (from another position like standing, etc.), and also to remain in a seated state.

As a general trend, the doer participle is used to indicate a static state. In contrast to the doer participle, the stateful verb indicates that the doer is doing a dynamic action.

By the way, when we say “static state” we mean it semantically. The state or condition of an entity can also be indicated syntactically using the ḥāl (see chapter (ref)). These two (semantic and syntactic) aspects of indicating being in a state are often combined. So, we will see from the examples in this section that the doer participle is often (but not always) either a ḥāl, or part of a ḥāl sentence.

Consider the following example:

  1. كُنْتُ مُسَافِرًا فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ [سنن النسائي :2281]
    “I was traveling and I came to the Prophet while he was eating and I was fasting.”

The verb يَأْكُلُ indicates a dynamic activity, where the doer is actively eating. Whereas the doer participle صَائِم calls attention to the doer’s being in a (static) state of fasting, and not to his actively doing the activity of fasting.

Even when a verb that is associated with a dynamic activity, its doer participle can be used instead of the verb when the purpose is to indicate the doer’s being in a state of doing the activity, rather than to indicate the dynamic activity of the verb. For example:

  1. فَلَبِثَ الْأَوْسُ وَالْخَزْرَجُ مُتَحَارِبِينَ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً فِي أَمْرِ سُمَيْرٍ [marmor 134]
    “So al-ʾAws and al-K͡hazraj stayed (in a state of) fighting each other for twenty years because of the matter of Sumayr.”

  2. فَمَا الَّذِي أَنْتَ فِيهِ الْآنَ مُجْمِعٌ [marmor 99A]
    “So what is it that you are now (in a state of being) decided about?

Here are some more examples of the the doer participle being used to indicate being in a static state:

  1. لَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ انْهَزَمَ النَّاسُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبُو طَلْحَةَ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُجَوِّبٌ عَلَيْهِ بِحَجَفَةٍ لَهُ [صحيح البخاري :4064]
    “When it was the day of Uḥud, the people left the Prophet ﷺ while Abū Ṭalḥah was in front of the Prophet ﷺ, shielding him with a leather shield of his.”

  2. فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ مُشْتَمِلٌ عَلَى شَيْءٍ [جامع الترمذي :3769]
    “So the Prophet ﷺ came out while he was (in a state of) covering something [with his garment].”

  3. وَإِذَا هُوَ مُعْتَمِدٌ عَلَى عَصًا فِي صَلاَتِهِ فَقُلْنَا بَعْدَ أَنْ سَلَّمْنَا . فَقَالَ حَدَّثَتْنِي أُمُّ قَيْسٍ بِنْتُ مِحْصَنٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمَّا أَسَنَّ وَحَمَلَ اللَّحْمَ اتَّخَذَ عَمُودًا فِي مُصَلاَّهُ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَيْهِ [سنن أبي داود :948]
    “And incidentally, he was resting on a staff in his prayer. We [asked] him (about resting on the staff) after we had given the salutation; He said: Umm Qays daughter of Miḥṣan said to me that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ became aged and the flesh grew increasingly on him, he took a prop at his place of prayer and he would rest on it.”
    (Note how the doer participle مُعْتَمِد indicates a state and the stateful verb يَعْتَمِدُ indicates the activity.”

  4. فَبَيْنَا أَنَا نَازِلٌ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ إِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم [موطأ مالك :48]
    While I was in a dismounted state under a tree, the Messenger of Allah [came]

  5. إِذَا مَرِضَ الْعَبْدُ أَوْ سَافَرَ، كُتِبَ لَهُ مِثْلُ مَا كَانَ يَعْمَلُ مُقِيمًا صَحِيحًا [صحيح البخاري :56]
    When a slave journeys or falls ill, a [similar reward] is written for him as what he used to do while staying (i.e. not journeying) [and] healthy.

  6. إِنَّ أُمِّي قَدِمَتْ وَهْىَ رَاغِبَةٌ [صحيح البخاري :5979]
    My mother has arrived and she is desirous (of my favor).

30.3.1 The direct doee of the doer participle when indicating a static state

When the doer participle is dervied from a transitive verb, then the doer participle, when indicating a static state, may take a direct doee (as long as it satisifes the conditions specified in section (ref)). For example:

  1. مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مُلْتَمِسًا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فَلْيَلْتَمِسْهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ وِتْرًا [مسند أحمد :298]
    “Whoever amongst you is seeking the Night of Decree, then let him seek it in the last ten days of Ramaḍān, [in the] the odd [nights].”
    (Note the the doer participle مُلْتَمِسًا has a direct doee لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ.)

  2. إِنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي وَهُوَ مُسْبِلٌ إِزَارَهُ [سنن أبي داود :638, graded weak by al-ʾAlbāni]
    “Indeed he was praying while trailing his lower garment.”

  3. وَوَقَفْتُ عِنْدَ بَابِ عَائِشَةَ فَإِذَا هُوَ مُسْتَقْبِلٌ الْمَغْرِبَ [الأدب المفرد :451]
    “And I stopped at the door of Ɛāʾis͡hah and incidentally, it was facing the west.”

  4. كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَامِلَ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَى عَاتِقِهِ [جامع الترمذي :3784]
    “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was carrying al-Ḥasan ibn Ɛaliyy on his shoulder”
    (حَامِلَ الْحَسَنِ is a superficial annexation.)

  5. أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُصَلِّي وَهُوَ حَامِلٌ أُمَامَةَ [سنن النسائي :1204]
    “that the Messenger of Allah used to pray while he [was] carrying Umāmah”

  6. أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ اسْتَأْذَنَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ مُضْطَجِعٌ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ لاَبِسٌ مِرْطَ عَائِشَةَ [صحيح مسلم :2402a]
    “that Abū Bakr sought permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [for entrance in his apartment] while he was lying on his bed having on him Ɛāʾis͡hah’s bed-sheet.”

However, when the main intent is to indicate the state of the doer independent of the action of the doer upon any doee, then the doer participle can occur without a direct doee. For example:

  1. قَالَ عُثْمَانُ أَجَلْ وَلَكِنَّا كُنَّا خَائِفِينَ [مسند أحمد :431]
    Ɛut͡hman said, “Yes, but we were in a state of fear.”

In such cases, the doer participle can be followed with a verb (typically its own), specifying the direct doee. For example:

  1. فَخَرَجْنَا خَائِفِينَ نَخَافُ الرَّصَدَ [maghazi 28 cited by Marmorstein, M., Tense and text in Classical Arabic 138]
    “So we set out afraid, fearing ambush.”

  2. وَرُزَيْقٌ عَامِلٌ عَلَى أَرْضٍ يَعْمَلُهَا [صحيح البخاري :893]
    “Ruzayq was (in a state of) working on the land, working (i.e. farming) it.”

30.3.2 The doer participle for verbs of posture

Verbs of posture inlude: جَلَسَ to sit, قَامَ to stand, اضْطَجَعَ to lie down, etc.

With such verbs, the stateful verb, when used for the present or past, tends to be used only for the habitual tense and not for the continuous tense. So if we say يَجْلِسُ زَيْدٌ then it will usually mean Zayd sits and not Zayd is sitting.

For the continuous tense, only the doer participle tends to be used. So, in order to say Zayd is sitting we will usually say زَيْدٌ جَالِسٌ.

Here are some examples of the doer participle and stateful verb for verbs of posture:

The doer participle for verbs of posture indicating the continuous tense

  1. رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُقْعِيًا يَأْكُلُ تَمْرًا [صحيح مسلم :2044a]
    “I saw the Prophet ﷺ squatting, eating dates.”

  2. قَالَ كُنْتُ مُتَّكِئًا عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ [صحيح مسلم :177a]
    “I was resting at [the house of] Ɛāʾis͡hah”

  3. لاَ أُلْفِيَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ مُتَّكِئًا عَلَى أَرِيكَتِهِ … [سنن أبي داود :4605]
    “Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch …”

  4. أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ اسْتَأْذَنَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ مُضْطَجِعٌ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ لَابِسٌ مِرْطَ عَائِشَةَ [مسند أحمد :514]
    “that Abū Bakr sought permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [for entrance in his apartment] while he was lying on his bed having on him Ɛāʾis͡hah’s bed-sheet.”

  5. كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ مُعَاوِيَةَ، فَحَدَّثَ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ انْتَبَهَ [الأدب المفرد :564]
    “I was sitting with Muɛāwiyah when he [muttered to] himself, then he came to his senses.”

  6. إِنِّي لَجَالِسٌ مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَبِي مُوسَى وَهُمَا يَتَحَدَّثَانِ [صحيح مسلم :2672d]
    I was sitting with Ɛabd Allāh and Abū Mūsā while they were talking to each other.

  7. سَقَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ زَمْزَمَ فَشَرِبَ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ [صحيح مسلم :2027a]
    I served the Messenger of Allah some Zamzam and he drank (it) while he was standing.

  8. هَلْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ [صحيح مسلم :732a]
    Did the Prophet ﷺ pray while he was sitting?

The stateful verb for for verbs of posture indicating the habitual tense

  1. تِلْكَ صَلاَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ يَجْلِسُ يَرْقُبُ الشَّمْسَ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَتْ بَيْنَ قَرْنَىِ الشَّيْطَانِ قَامَ فَنَقَرَ أَرْبَعًا لاَ يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ فِيهَا إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً [جامع الترمذي :160]
    That is the prayer of the hypocrite. He sits watching the sun, until when it is between the horns of the devil he stands and pecks out four (units of prayer), not remembering Allah in them but a little.”

  2. كُنْتُ أَقْعُدُ مَعَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، يُجْلِسُنِي عَلَى سَرِيرِهِ [صحيح البخاري :53]
    I used to sit with Ibn Ɛabbās and he would seat me on his couch.

  3. كَانَ جِذْعٌ يَقُومُ إِلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم [صحيح البخاري :918]
    [There] was a stem (of a date palm) [which] the Prophet ﷺ would stand against.

  4. وَيَرْكَعُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ يَضْطَجِعُ عَلَى شِقِّهِ الأَيْمَنِ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ لِلصَّلاَةِ [صحيح البخاري :994]
    And he would pray two units [of (sunnah) prayer] before the Fajr prayer, then he would lie on his right side until the muʾad͡hd͡hin would come to him for the (obligatory) prayer”

Rarely, the stateful verb has been found to be used to indicate a continuous tense. But in such cases it will likely be in a ḥāl or with an adverb which will help indicate its continuous, rather than habitual, significance. Examples:

  1. أَنَّهُ رَأَى رَجُلاً يَتَّكِئُ عَلَى يَدِهِ الْيُسْرَى [سنن أبي داود :994]
    that he saw a man reclining on his left hand

  2. رَأَيْتُ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ وَهُوَ يَجْلِسُ وَالنَّاسُ مَعَهُ [tarikh tabari 3/429]
    I saw Ɛumar ibn al-K͡haṭṭāb while he [was] sitting while the people [were] with him

Transitive verbs of posture

The verbs of posture are usually intransitive verbs, as you can see in the examples so far. But a transitive verb of posture can also be used. For example:

  1. سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ وَهُوَ مُسْنِدٌ ظَهْرَهُ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ عَنِ الْبَاذَقِ [سنن النسائي :5687]
    I asked Ibn Ɛabbās, while he was leaning his back against the Kaɛbah, about (a drink called) al-Bād͡haq

  2. وَقَدْ كُنْتُ مُسْنِدَتَهُ إِلَى صَدْرِي [صحيح البخاري :2741]
    “I had been leaning him against my chest.”

  3. فَبَيْنَا أَنَا قَاعِدٌ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُتَوَسِّدٌ فَخِذِي [جامع الترمذي :2861]
    So while I was sitting and the Prophet ﷺ [was] using my thigh as a headrest

Other verbs that have similar behavior to the verbs of posture

In addition to verbs of posture, there are a few other verbs that indicate show the same distiction of the doer participle being used for the continous tense and the stateful verb for the habitual tense. For example: نَامَ to sleep, صَامَ to fast. The reason that these verbs show the same behavior as verbs of posture may be that the doer is not actively doing anything except remaining in a condition. Here are some examples with these verbs:

  1. قُلْنَا لِعَمْرٍو إِنَّ نَاسًا يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَنَامُ عَيْنُهُ وَلاَ يَنَامُ قَلْبُهُ [صحيح البخاري :859]
    “We said to Ɛamr: ‘Indeed some people say that the Prophet ﷺ his eye sleeps but his heart does not sleep.’”

  2. جَاءَتْ مَلاَئِكَةٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهْوَ نَائِمٌ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّهُ نَائِمٌ وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ نَائِمَةٌ وَالْقَلْبَ يَقْظَانُ [صحيح البخاري :7281]
    Some angels came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was sleeping. Some of them said, “He is sleeping.” Some [others] of them said, “His eye[s] are sleeping but his heart is awake.”

  3. إِنِّي رَجُلٌ أَصُومُ أَفَأَصُومُ فِي السَّفَرِ [صحيح مسلم :1121d]
    “I am a man who [habitually] fasts, so should I fast in journeying?”

  4. سِرْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ [صحيح مسلم :1101c]
    We travelled with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he [was] fasting.

30.3.3 The doer participle for verbs of motion

The doer participle is very common with verbs of motion, like: ذَهَبَ to go, مَشَى to walk, رَجَعَ to return, سَارَ to travel, etc. The doer participle for these verbs again indicates the situation of being in a move rather than the actual dynamic movement.1 For example:

  1. وَذَلِكَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَلَى حَافَةِ الطَّرِيقِ الْيُمْنَى، وَأَنْتَ ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى مَكَّةَ [صحيح البخاري :485]
    And that mosque is on the right edge of the path as you are going to Makkah

  2. كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْتِي قُبَاءً رَاكِبًا وَمَاشِيًا [صحيح البخاري :1194]
    The Prophet ﷺ used to come to Qubāʾ while riding and while walking.

  3. لَحِقَنِي عَبَايَةُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ وَأَنَا مَاشٍ، إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ [سنن النسائي :3116]
    Ɛabāyah ibn Rāfiɛ joined me while I was walking to the jumuɛah

  4. كُنْتُ مُسَافِرًا فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ [سنن النسائي :2281]
    “I was journeying and I came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was eating and I was fasting.”

  5. بَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ سَائِرٌ إِلَى تَبُوكَ نَزَلَ عَنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ [https://hadithunlocked.com/bayhaqi:16844]
    “While the Prophet ﷺ was travelling to Tabūk, he dismounted off his mount”

  1. ثُمَّ أَرْدَفَنِي وَرَاءَهُ عَلَى الْعَضْبَاءِ رَاجِعِينَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:16539]
    Then he seated me behind him on (his camel) al-Ɛaḍbāʾ while we [were] returning to al-Madīnah

  2. اتَّبَعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ رَاكِبٌ [سنن النسائي :953] [move to verbs of motion]
    “I followed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was riding”

Unlike verbs of posture and temporary state, verbs of motion are frequently used for the continuous tense. Here are some examples:

  1. أَدْرَكَنِي أَبُو عَبْسٍ وَأَنَا أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ [صحيح البخاري :907]
    Abū Ɛabs overtook me while I [was] going to the jumuɛah

  2. بَيْنَا أَنَا أَسِيرُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ الْجُحْفَةِ وَالأَبْوَاءِ إِذْ غَشِيَتْنَا رِيحٌ وَظُلْمَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ [سنن أبي داود :1463] While I was travelling with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ between al-Juḥfah and al-ʾAbwāʾ, suddenly a wind and intense darkness enveloped us

30.4 The doer participle without ٱلْ used to indicate a future event

In addition to indicating a static state, another verbal meaning of the doer participle is to indicate the future tense.

Here too, the doer participle is used instead of the stateful verb. When a stateful verb is used to indicate a future event, then it merely signifies that the speaker thinks that the doer will take an action. For example, the stateful verb أَذْهَبُ (when used to indicate the future tense) merely signifies the speaker’s intention of going some time in the future.

In contrast, when the doer participle is used to indicate the future tense, then it signifies that, in the estimation of the speaker, the event will definitely take place. In other words, the doer’s future action is so settled and resolved in the speaker’s mind that doer can already be described by the doer participle. So, for example, if the speaker says أَنَا ذَاهِبٌ and the context tells us he is referring to a future action, then the use of the doer participle ذَاهِب instead of the stateful verb يَذْهَبُ, signifies that the speaker is so sure that he will do this action that he can already be described as a “goer”.

Here are some examples of the doer participle being used to indicate the future tense:

  1. وَقَالَ إِنِّى ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ
    [سورة الصافات 37:99]
    And [then] he said, “Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me.

  2. فَهُوَ ذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاسِ [صحيح مسلم :2959a]
    For he is going to go and leave it for the people.

  3. إِنِّي ذَاكِرٌ لَكَ أَمْرًا [صحيح البخاري :1925]
    I am going to mention to you a matter.

  4. سَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَشْفَعَ لِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَقَالَ أَنَا فَاعِلٌ [جامع الترمذي :2433]
    I asked the Propher ﷺ that he intercede for me on the Day of Resurrection. So he said, “I will do [it].”

  5. وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً [سورة البقرة 2:30]
    And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.”

  6. أَلاَ وَإِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ [صحيح مسلم :2408d]
    Unquestionably, I am leaving amongst you two weighty [things]
    (In English, “I am leaving s.th.” can indicate the future tense.)

  7. زَعَمَ ابْنُ أُمِّي أَنَّهُ قَاتِلٌ رَجُلاً قَدْ أَجَرْتُهُ [صحيح البخاري :6158]
    “My maternal brother claims that he will kill a man whom I have given protection to.”

  8. وَإِنِّي مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِم بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ [سورة النمل 27:35]
    “But indeed, I will send to them a gift and see with what [reply] the messengers will return.”

  9. إِنِّي سَائِلٌ هَذَا عَنْ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ [صحيح البخاري :4553]
    I am going to ask this [person] about this man who claims that he is a prophet.

  10. وَيْحَكَ يَا فُلَانُ تَرَى هَذَا كَائِنًا [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:15841]
    A mercy on you O so-and-so! Do you think this will be?

The use of the doer participle instead of the stateful verb to indicate a future event can also, depending on context, indicate that the event is imminent, i.e. that it is in the very near future. In such cases it can be translated using “be going to”. For example:

  1. وَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ فَمَا تُرِيدُ هَذَا سَيّدُ كِنَانَةَ وَهُوَ لَنَا جَارٍ عَلَى مَنْ تَخَلّفَ فَقَالَ عُتْبَةُ لَا شَيْءَ أَنَا خَارِجٌ [مغازي الواقدي 1/38 cited by Marmorstein, M., Tense and text in Classical Arabic 171]
    Abū Jahl said, “So what do you want? This is the chief of Kinānah and he is for us a protector over who remains behind.” So Ɛutbah said, “[I want] nothing. I am going out.”

By the way, it is not just the doer participle which is used to indicate an imminent future event. The stateful verb can also be used with this meaning. For example,

  1. قَالَتْ أَيْنَ قَالَ أُصَلِّي قَالَتِ اجْلِسْ قَالَ إِنِّي أُصَلِّي [صحيح مسلم :560a]
    She said, “Where [are you going]?” He said, “I am going to pray.” She said, “Sit!” He said, “Indeed I am going to pray.”

The doer participle of verbs of posture and verbs of motion don’t have any special behavior when used with a future tense meaning. Examples:

  1. إِنِّي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَقَائِمٌ الْعَشِيَّةَ فِي النَّاسِ، فَمُحَذِّرُهُمْ هَؤُلاَءِ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَغْصِبُوهُمْ أُمُورَهُمْ [صحيح البخاري :6830]
    I, if Allāh wills, will stand tonight amongst the peope and warn them [about] these [people] who want to forcibly seize their affairs.

30.5 The doer participle without ٱلْ used to indicate a hypothetical event

The doer participle, is used very commonly in conditional hypothetical clauses with كَانَ. Here are some examples:

  1. وَلَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنَ النَّاسِ خَلِيلاً لاَتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلاً [صحيح البخاري :467]
    If I were to take [anyone] from the people as a friend, I would have taken Abū Bakr as a friend.

  2. لَوْ كُنْتُ مُصَلِّيًا قَبْلَهَا أَوْ بَعْدَهَا لَأَتْمَمْتُهَا [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:5185]
    If I were to pray before it or after it, I would have completed them.

  3. وَلَوْ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَاتِمًا شَيْئًا مِمَّا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ لَكَتَمَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ [صحيح مسلم :177b]
    And if Muḥammad were to conceal anything from what was revealed to him, he would have concealed this āyah.

  4. لَوْ كُنْتُ قَاتِلًا رَسُولًا لَضَرَبْتُ أَعْنَاقَكُمَا [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:3708]
    If I were a killer of a messenger I would have struck your necks.

  5. لَوْ كُنْتُ آمِرًا أَحَدًا أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لأَحَدٍ لأَمَرْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِزَوْجِهَا [جامع الترمذي :1159]
    If I were to order anyone that he prostrate to anyone, I would have ordered the woman to prostrate to her spouse

  6. لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ أَكُنْتَ مُفْتَدِيًا بِهِ [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:12289]
    If you had everything that is on the earth would you ransom yourself with it?

  7. إِنْ كُنْتَ لاَ بُدَّ فَاعِلاً فَوَاحِدَةً [صحيح مسلم :546]
    If you must do it then (only) once.

The stateful verb is also used in such clauses, but it tends to indicate a hypothetical current situation. For example:

  1. لَوْ كُنْتُ أَقْرَبُهَا أَوْ أَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا لأَتَيْتُهَا حَتَّى تُشَافِهَنِي بِهِ [صحيح مسلم :746a]
    If (the current situtation were such that) I were nearing her or entering upon her, I would have come to her so that she would [tell] it to me face-to-face.

  2. قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ مَلَائِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَلَكًا رَّسُولًا [سورة الإسراء 17:95]
    Say, “If there were upon the earth angels walking securely, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel [as a] messenger.”

  3. إِنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ لَوْ كَانَ يُكْثِرُ الصَّلاَةَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ [سنن ابن ماجه :3919]
    Indeed Ɛabd Allāh is a righteous man, if only he would pray much in the night.

The doer participle can also be used in non-conditional hypothetical sentences (see section (kaana)). For example:

  1. يَا سَلَمَةُ أَتُرَاكَ كُنْتَ فَاعِلاً [صحيح مسلم :1807a]
    O Salamah, do you think you could do [it]?

  2. أَوَكُنْتَ فَاعِلًا ذَاكَ [مسند أحمد :61]
    Would you have done that?

The stateful verb is also used in such sentences. For example:

  1. أَنْتَ كُنْتَ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ [صحيح مسلم :1788]
    You would/may have done that

30.6 Interchangeability of the stateful verb and the doer participle without ٱلْ

We have described above, the circumstances when the doer participle instead of the stateful verb,. We would like to state that these are more like trends rather than hard and fast rules. We sometimes find a stateful verb where an doer participle could have worked, and vice versa.

For the indication of a static state, consider, for instance, example (18) (وَهُوَ مُضْطَجِعٌ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ لاَبِسٌ مِرْطَ عَائِشَةَ) above and compare it with with example (78) below:

  1. فِإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَلْبَسُ النِّعَالَ الَّتِي لَيْسَ فِيهَا شَعْرٌ [سنن أبي داود :1772]
    “I have seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wearing the sandals which don’t have hair on them (i.e. tanned).”

Consider also the following two narrations:

  1. … وَلاَ آخَرُ قَدِ اشْتَرَى غَنَمًا أَوْ خَلِفَاتٍ وَهُوَ مُنْتَظِرٌ وِلاَدَهَا [صحيح مسلم :1747]
    “… nor another who has bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and he is waiting for their giving birth”

  2. … وَلاَ أَحَدٌ اشْتَرَى غَنَمًا أَوْ خَلِفَاتٍ وَهْوَ يَنْتَظِرُ وِلاَدَهَا [صحيح البخاري :3124]
    “… nor one who has bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and he is waiting for their giving birth”

Similarly, for the indication of the future tense, contrast example (@ism_fail_going_to_my_lord) with example (81) below:

  1. فَقَالَ يَا أُنَيْسُ أَذَهَبْتَ حَيْثُ أَمَرْتُكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ أَنَا أَذْهَبُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ [صحيح مسلم :2310a]
    He said “O Unays, did you go where I commanded you [to go]?” I said, “Yes I am going, O Messenger of Allah”

Consider also the following two narrations:

  1. أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلاً تَخْرُجُ بِسَفْحِ هَذَا الْجَبَلِ أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ [صحيح مسلم :208a]
    “Do you think if I were to inform you that there were horsemen emerging out of the foot of this mountain, would you believe me?”

  2. أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ أَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ مُصَبِّحُكُمْ أَوْ مُمَسِّيكُمْ، أَكُنْتُمْ تُصَدِّقُونِي [صحيح البخاري :4972]
    “Do you think if I told you that an enemy is going to attack you in the morning or in the evening, will you believe me?”

30.7 The doer participle without ٱلْ used with a perfect significance

We have seen, in the sections above, that the doer participle without ٱلْ has a strong correlation with the u-state stateful verb, giving an imperfect meaning. But, the doer participle without ٱلْ can also carry the significance of the perfect verb. Such that it can indicate that the doer has completed the action of the verb. As when the doer participle was used in an imperfect sense, here too it can indicate being in a static state. Examples:

  1. لَا آتِيكَ مُجْرِمًا [Fischer 112]
    I shall not come to you as one who has committed a crime.
    (مُجْرِمًا is here in place of the perfect verb وَقَدْ أَجْرَمْتُ.)

  2. جِيءَ بِالنُّعَيْمَانِ أَوِ ابْنِ النُّعَيْمَانِ شَارِبًا [صحيح البخاري :2316]
    al-Nuɛaymān or al-Nuɛaymān’s son was brought (in a state of) of having drunk (wine).

  3. قَالَ جَابِرٌ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا نَازِلٌ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ إِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم [موطأ مالك :48]
    “While I was (resting) dismounted under a tree, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [came].”

  4. لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَوَضِّئًا أَكَلْتُهُ [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:15147, graded weak by al-ʾArnaʾūṭ]
    If I were in a state of having done wuḍūʾ, I would have eaten it.

When used with a perfect significance, then, according to most authorities, the doer participle cannot usually have a direct doee. (See section (ref).)

30.8 The doer participle prefixed with ٱل

Consider the sentence:

  1. رَأَيْتُ الرَّجُلَ
    I saw the man.

The definite article ٱل indicates that the listener would know identity of the person who was seen because of his being referred to as a definite entity: الرَّجُلَ the man.

Consider now the sentence:

  1. رَأَيْتُ الضَّارِبَ
    I saw the beaterm.

Now the person who was seen is identified, not by his virtue of being an entity, but because of his being the doer of the verb ضَرَبَ يَضْرِبُ. In this sense, the noun الضَّارِب is similar in meaning to الَّذِي ضَرَبَ/يَضْرِبُ the one who beat/beats.

Similarly, if we say:

  1. جَاءَتِ الضَّارِبَةُ
    The beaterf came.

then this is similar to saying جَاءَتِ الَّتِي ضَرَبَتْ/تَضْرِبُ The onef who beat/beats came.

Because of the equivalence of this ٱل to the connected nouns (ٱلَّذِي, ٱلَّتِي, etc.), this ٱل, that is prefixed to doer participles (and to deverbal nouns in general) is called the connected noun ٱل. We will learn more about the connected noun ٱل in section (ref).

For now, we note that when the connected noun ٱل, is prefixed to a deverbal noun then the deverbal noun retains its capability to govern a doer and a a-state governee.

So in example (@) جَاءَتِ الضَّارِبَةُ, the doer participle الضَّارِبَة is governing a latent doer pronoun [هِيَ]. And in the following example, the doer participle is also governing a direct doee:

  1. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَنِ الْقَائِلُ كَلِمَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا [صحيح مسلم :601]
    The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Who is the one who said such and such speech?”

  2. عَاتَبْتُ الْمُخْلِفَ الْوَعْدَ
    I reproved the promise-breaker.

The construction الْمُخْلِفَ الْوَعْدَ can also be converted to a superficial annexation, thus:

  1. عَاتَبْتُ الْمُخْلِفَ الْوَعْدِ
    I reproved the promise-breaker.

When the connected noun ٱل is used with an doer participle, then the doer participle includes the meaning of the verb. So much so, that an actual verb may be conjuncted to the meaning of the verb that is included in the doer participle.2 For example:

  1. إِنَّ ٱلْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَٱلْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ [سورة الحديد 57:18]
    “Indeed, the men who practice charity and the women who practice charity and [they who] have loaned Allāh a goodly loan - it will be multiplied for them, and they will have a noble reward.”

30.9 The doer participle that crosses over to the substantive noun

Sometimes, the doer participle is re-used as a substantive noun. When this happens, it loses its purely verbal meaning of the doer of a verb, and signifies only an entity, just like a substantive noun. There are two categories of doer participle-crossover substantives:

  1. The lexical doer participle-crossover-to-substantive
  2. The ad hoc doer participle-crossover-to-substantive

In reality, these are not completely distinct categories. They more represent a spectrum of meanings. And it can be a judgement call as to which category a particluar noun may belong. We will discuss each of these categories in the following sub-sections:

30.9.1 The lexical doer participle-crossover-to-substantive

The doer participle is from the class of adjectival nouns, not substantives. And in terms of its meaning, it has a relatively temporary and incidental meaning when compared to a substantive. For example the the doer participle ضَارِب beater would only be applicable to someone when he is associated with the act of beating. Otherwise he would not be referred to as a ضَارِب. On the other hand, a substantive like رَجُل man has a more permanent meaning, that is not associated with any action from him.

Some doer participle’s can take on this more permanent meaning of a substantive. Usually, their meaning will be somewhat distinct from the original doer participle or the verb from which it is derived. Such a doer participle is termed a lexical doer participle-crossover-to-substantive because its new meaning often deserves a new lexical definition in the dictionary.

For example, the doer participle صَاحِب (from the verb صَحِبَ يَصْحَبُ to accompany) is predominantly used as a substantive noun to mean companion. With this meaning, it can no longer act as a verb-like governor. So it will not have a latent doer pronoun, and it will not govern a direct doee. So we cannot say:

  1. ✗ حَسَّامٌ صَاحِبٌ يَاسِرًا [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 487 citing العدناني]
    Ḥassām is a companion of Yāsir.

Additionally any ٱل that is prefixed to a doer participle-crossover-to-substantive cannot be the connected noun ٱل. It will be the regular ٱل that is prefixed to substantives.3 So when it is the annexe noun in an annexation then it must be a real annexation, and the ٱل is dropped.

So we will say:

  1. صَحِبَ حَسَّامٌ يَاسِرًا فَهُوَ صَاحِبُهُ [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 487 citing العدناني]
    Ḥassām accompanied Yāsir so he is his companion.

With regard to their plurals, the default behavior for the doer participle, especially when used with a verbal meaning, is to have a sound plural. But when the doer participle crosses-over to a substantive then it is more likely to have a broken plural.4

Here are some examples of substantives from cross-over doer participles:

substantive meaning plural verb
صَاحِب a companion أَصْحَاب صَحِبَ يَصْحَبُ to accompany
سَائِل a beggar سَأَلَة, سُؤَّال سَأَلَ يَسْأَلُ to ask
عَالِم a scholar عُلَمَاء عَلِمَ يَعْلَمُ to know
قَاضٍ a judge قُضَاة قَضَى يَقْضِي to decree
كَاتِب a scribe كَتَبَة كَتَبَ يَكْتُبُ to write
شَاعِر a poet شُعَرَاء شَعَرَ يَشْعُرُ to be aware
بَالِغ a legally mature person بَالِغُونَ بَلَغَ يَبْلُغُ to reach
مُصِيبَة a calamity مَصَائِب أَصَابَ يُصِيبُ to strike
جَارِيَة a girl جَوَارٍ جَرَى يَجْرِي to run
طَالِب a student طَلَبَة, طُلَّاب طَلَبَ يَطْلُبُ to seek
شَارِب a moustache شَوَارِب شَرِبَ يَشْرَبُ to drink
سَاحِل a shore سَوَاحِل سَحَلَ يَسْحَلُ to abrade
جَامِع a large mosque جَوَامِع جَمَعَ يَجْمَعُ to gather
جَامِعَة a university جَامِعَات جَمَعَ يَجْمَعُ to gather
قَائِمَة a leg (of a beast, furniture) قَوَائِم قَامَ يَقُومُ to stand
وَارِث an heir وَرَثَة, وُرَّاث وَرَثَ يَرِثُ to inherit
وَالِدٌ a parent وَالِدُونَ وَلَدَ يَلِدُ to beget (offspring)
حَامِل a carrier حَمَلَة حَمَلَ يَحْمِلُ to carry
قَارِئ a reciter قُرَّاء قَرَأَ يَقٌرَأُ to read, recite
مُعَلِّم a teacher مُعَلِّمُونَ عَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُ to teach

When the doer participle that has crossed over to a substantive refers to human beings, then often, but not always, a feminine version of the crossed over substantive will also exist, with a ة. So صَاحِبَة is a female companion, وَالِدَة is a female parent, etc. Sometimes, however, the substantive exists for only one gender and not for the other, e.g. جَارِيَة a girl. Also sometimes, the same substantive is used for both genders, e.g. بَالِغ a legally mature person. So we will say:

  1. رجل بالغٌ، وامرأة بالغ [المذكر والمؤنث لابن الأنباري 1/136]
    A legally mature man and a legally mature woman

There is often some flexibility in these cases, so بَالِغَة can also be used for a female legally mature person. The dictionary is the best guide in these matters.

Recall from section (ref) that the ة that exists in a feminine doer participle is because of its latent doer pronoun. So when we say هِنْدٌ قَائِمَةٌ Hind is standing then the ة in قَائِمَةٌ is to match its latent doer pronoun [هِيَ] that refers to هِنْدٌ. But the ة that exists in a doer participle-crossover-to-substantive is no longer because of a latent doer pronoun. This is because, as mentioned previously, the doer participle-crossover-to-substantive is not a verb-like governor, so it will not govern a latent doer pronoun. So the ة in the doer participle-crossover-to-substantives صَاحِبَة female companion and وَالِدَة female parent is a fixed feminine marker, just like the ة in any other feminine substantive, e.g. شَجَرَة tree, امْرَأَة woman, etc.

Additionally, once a doer participle has crossed over to a substantive, then like all substantives, it loses its genderizability. So we cannot add or remove a feminine marker (like ة) at will. For example, if we wish to say The building is a university, then we will say

  1. الْبِنَاءُ جَامِعَةٌ
    The building is a university.

We cannot remove ة from جَامِعَةٌ in order to match the gender of الْبِنَاءُ. If we do so then the meaning will be:

  1. الْبِنَاءُ جَامِعٌ
    The building is a large mosque.

In this case, جَامِع happens to exist as another doer participle-crossover-to-substantive. So example () is a valid sentence, but with a different meaning than intended.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a noun from this category is an doer participle with its original meaning, or one that has crossed over to a substantive. If you find that it is used independently (in meaning) without referring to an (implicit or explicit) referent, then it is likely that it is a doer participle-crossover-to-substantive. Another clue is that it is used with a broken plural.5 But broken plurals may be used for governing doer participles as well (as we saw in section (ref)) so this isn’t a definitive indicator. A more reliable indicator is whether it is made definite by being annexed to a definite base noun in a real annexation. Here are some examples:

  1. هؤلاء حملة الأقلام [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 503]
    These are the carriers of the pens.

  2. وَمَنْ تَرَكَ مَالاً فَلِوَرَثَتِهِ وَأَنَا وَارِثُ مَنْ لاَ وَارِثَ لَهُ أَعْقِلُ لَهُ وَأَرِثُهُ وَالْخَالُ وَارِثُ مَنْ لاَ وَارِثَ لَهُ يَعْقِلُ عَنْهُ وَيَرِثُهُ [سنن أبي داود :2899]
    Whoever leaves wealth then [it is] for his heirs. And I am the heir of he who has no heir, paying blood-wit for him and inheriting from him. And the maternal uncle is the heir of he who has no heir, paying blood-wit for him and inheriting from him.

Another possible indicator is whether the doer participle as an info mismatches in gender with the subject. For example:

  1. الْعُودُ قَائِمَةٌ
    The stick is a leg (of some furniture or other structure).
    (If the doer participle was intended, then we would say الْعُودُ قَائِمٌ The stick is standing.)

But this isn’t always reliable because the subject may match in gender with the doer participle-crossover-to-substantive anyway. For example:

  1. الْعَصَا قَائِمَةٌ
    The stick is a leg.
    or The stick is standing.
    (عَصًا is a feminine noun.)

Another indicator also whether the singular feminine of the doer participle is used as a info or attribute for non-intelligent beings. For example:

  1. الْأَعْوَادُ قَائِمَةٌ
    The sticks are standing.

In the above example قَائِمَةٌ is likely to be an doer participle. (By the way, a substantive reading is also possible: the sticks (collectively) are a leg.) But if we say:

  1. الْأَعْوَادُ قَوَائِمُ
    The sticks are legs.

then قَوَائِمُ is more likely to be a substantive. Context is a useful guide here.

30.9.2 The ad hoc doer participle-crossover-to-substantive

This second category consists of doer participles that are made substantives on an ad hoc basis. That is, the dictionary will typically not list the doer participle (for this category of meaning) separately for any distinct meaning.

Th ad hoc doer participle-crossover-to-substantive is routinely formed for doer participles that signify the action of a perfect verb. This is especially done when the doer participle of the perfect action is to be the annexe noun in a (now real) annexation.

So for example, if someone has done the action of beating, then he can be described as a ضَارِب. Now, if we wish to refer to this specific person, we have a choice: Either we can use the connected noun ٱل or we can use the regular ٱل. Either way, the word will look the same: الضَّارِب. But its meaning will be slightly different.

In the case of the connected noun ٱل, we are defining the person based on an action of beating that he did. الضَّارِب, in this case, remains a doer participle.

And in the case of the regular ٱل, we are defining him by virtue of his entity. Just like we would say الرَّجُل the man, الْمَرْأَة the woman, etc. الضَّارِب, in this case, becomes a substantive.

Either of these can generally be used when describing the definite doer of a perfect verb. When the semantic direct doee of the verb is mentioned, then the doer participle الضَّارِب retains its ٱل and governs the semantic direct doee in the a-state. For example:

  1. هَذَا الضَّارِبُ زَيْدًا أَمْسِ [شرح ابن يعيش على المفصل 4/100; الأصول في النحو لابن السراج 2/265]
    This [person] [was] the one who beat Zayd yesterday
    (الضَّارِب is a doer participle governing a latent doer pronoun and a direct doee.)

But the substantive الضَّارِب cannot govern a direct doee and so it has to be annexed to the semantic direct doee in a real annexation So we will say:

  1. هَذَا ضَارِبُ زَيْدٍ أَمْسِ [شرح ابن يعيش على المفصل 4/32; معاني النحو 3/171 citing الزجاجي]
    This [person] [was] the beater of Zayd yesterday
    (ضَارِب is a substantive in a real annexation.)

In theory, if the speaker intends to define the person by his being the doer of the verb ضَرَبَ, then he would use example (106). 6 And if the speaker intends to define the person by virtue of his entity then he would use example (107).

But in practice, they are often (but not always) close enough in meaning that they can be used interchangeably. Here is another example:

  1. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ قَائِلُهَا [https://hadithunlocked.com/ahmad:7060]
    The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Who is the sayer of it?”
    Compare with example (91) مَنِ الْقَائِلُ كَلِمَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا above.

30.9.3 The doer participle-crossover-to-substantive as a attribute

Once an doer participle has crossed over to a substantive, it can still be used as a attribute. This is because the the doer participle-crossover-to-substantive still signifies its verbal meaning to some degree. So, for example, ضَارِب, even once it has crossed over to a substantive still signifies its verbal meaning of being a one who beats. But because it is now a substantive, it will lose its ال when is a annexe noun. Consider the following example:

  1. مررت بزيد ضارب عمر [المقتضب للمبرد 4/149]
    I passed by the beater-of-Ɛamr Zayd

See also the tafsīrs of:

  1. مَـٰلِكِ یَوۡمِ ٱلدِّینِ [سورة الفاتحة 1:4]
    Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

  2. ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰ⁠تِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَاعِلِ ٱلۡمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةِ رُسُلًا أُو۟لِیۤ أَجۡنِحَةࣲ مَّثۡنَىٰ وَثُلَـٰثَ وَرُبَـٰعَۚ [سورة فاطر 35:1]
    [All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Creator of the heavens and the earth, [who] made the angels messengers having wings, two or three or four.

30.9.4 The doer participle-crossover-to-substantive of doubly transitive verb

As we have mentioned, when an doer participle crosses over to a substantive, then it cannot govern a doer or an a-state governee like a direct doee. But an exception is made for the doer participle of transitive verb that has two direct doees. When an doer participle of such a verb is used with a perfect meaning (as a substantive) in a real annexation, then it’s first semantic direct doee is made into the base noun but it’s second direct doee remains in the a-state. We mentioned this already in section (ref) and gave the following example:

  1. هذا معطي زيد أمس درهما [شرح التسهيل لابن مالك 3/78]
    This [person] was the giver of Zayd, yesterday, a dirham.

30.9.5 An doer participle can co-exist with its doer participle-crossover-to-substantives

When a cross-over substantive exists, it does not mean that the original doer participle meaning has ceased to exist. Both can continue to exist and context will clue us in as to which meaning is intended. For example, بَالِغ is used as an doer participle here:

  1. هَدۡیَۢا بَـٰلِغَ ٱلۡكَعۡبَةِ [سورة المائدة 5:95]
    as an offering [to Allāh] delivered to the Kaʿbah

For some cross-over substantives, however, the substantive usage is predominant and the original doer participle meaning is virtually non-existent. Such is the case for صَاحِب a companion and وَالِد a parent.7

30.10 Eligibility to be described with the doer participle

Theoretically, anyone who is the doer of a verb can be described with its doer participle. So, for example, any person who is the doer of the verb قَرَأَ, even once, can be called a قَارِئ. And from context it will be understood that the person is being called a قَارِئ within the situation of a certain reading or recitation. Here are some examples:

  1. أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى الظُّهْرَ فَجَعَلَ رَجُلٌ يَقْرَأُ خَلْفَهُ بِسَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ قَالَ أَيُّكُمْ قَرَأَ أَوْ أَيُّكُمُ الْقَارِئُ [صحيح مسلم :398b]
    that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed the ḍ͡huhr prayer, and a man began to recite behind him [sūrat al-Aɛlā]. When [the Prophet ﷺ concluded the prayer and] turned around, he said: “Which of you recited?” or “Which of you [was] the reciter?”

  2. سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَارِئًا يَقْرَأُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ [صحيح البخاري :5042]
    The Prophet ﷺ heard a reciter reciting the Qurʾān in the mosque at night.

Having said that, the doer participle is a noun. And a noun, by its very nature, signifies a more permanence and constancy in its meaning than a verb. So there can be scenarios where being described by an doer participle can have a higher bar of eligibility than simply being the doer of a verb. Consider for example سورة الكافرون:

قُلۡ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلۡكَـٰفِرُونَ۝ لَاۤ أَعۡبُدُ مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ۝ وَلَاۤ أَنتُمۡ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَاۤ أَعۡبُدُ۝ وَلَاۤ أَنَا۠ عَابِدࣱ مَّا عَبَدتُّمۡ۝ وَلَاۤ أَنتُمۡ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَاۤ أَعۡبُدُ۝ لَكُمۡ دِینُكُمۡ وَلِیَ دِینِ۝

[سورة الكافرون]
Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”

Ibn al-Qayyim says, in the tafsīr of this sūrah:

Negation isn’t employed for [the disbelievers] except by the doer participle. And for [the Prophet ﷺ], [negation] is employed once using the verb, and once using the doer participle.

And this is – and Allāh knows best – due to a marvelous wisdom, which is that the greater objective is [the Prophet’s ﷺ] disassociation from their gods from every perspective and in every [instance of] time. So [the Prophet ﷺ, in speaking to the disbelievers with the words of the revealed sūrah], used first the verb [أَعْبُدُ], which signifies dynamic occurrence, and then used for this same negation the doer participle [عَابِد] in the second instance, i.e. “This [worshipping of what you worship] is not my description nor my state of affairs.” [This is] as if he had said: “Worshipping other than Allāh will not be an verbal action of mine, nor a descrption of mine.” Thus he used two negations for two negated items [a verbal action, and a description], that are intended by the negation.

As for [the negation used for the disbelievers], he used only the doer participle [عَابِدُونَ], which signifies the description [of its referent by the doer participle] and the stability [of this description], i.e. “The stable, requisite, description [of being a worshipper] of Allah is negated from you. For this description cannot be established for you. It is only established for the one who singles out Allāh exclusively for worship, and then does not associate anyone with Him. But you, because you have worshipped other than Him, are not from His worshippers.” Even if they may have worshipped Allāh some of the time. For the polytheist worships Allāh and worships, with Him, others besides Him. Just like the People of the Cave said: And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allāh [سورة الكهف 18:16] i.e., “you have withdrawn from their gods excluding Allāh, for you have not withdrawn from Him.” And similarly did the polytheists say regarding their gods: “We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allāh in position.” [سورة الزمر 39:3]. Thus they used to worship, with Him, others besides Him. So the verb [عَبَدَ يَعْبُدُ] is not negated from them because of its occurrence from them. But the description [عَابِد] is negated because whoever worshipped other than Allāh is not established on the worship of Allāh, and is not described by [being a worshipper of Allāh].8

30.10.1 The doer participle indicating a habitual doer

In addition to the default incidental meaning, the meaning of the doer that is indicated by the doer participle can be a habitual meaning. For example:

  1. زَيْدٌ مُكْرِمٌ ضِيفَانِهِ [دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 482]
    Zayd is an honorer to his guests

30.11 Verbs for which the doer participle is rarely used

30.11.1 The doer participle for stative verbs

Technically, an doer participle can be formed from any verb.9 For form 1 verbs, it will always be on the pattern فَاعِل. However, there are some verbs for which their doer participles are rarely used.

These are verbs which indicate only being in a static state, with virtually no dynamic action. The meaning signified is usually (but not exclusively) an innate permanent quality. For such verb, the their participle-like adjectives (see chapter (ref)) are generally used instead of their doer participles. The following table lists some such verbs, along with their rarely used doer participles, and their commonly used participle-like adjectives.

verb meaning doer participle participle-like adjective
كَرُمَ to be noble, generous كَارِم كَرِيم noble, generous
بَخِلَ to be stingy بَاخِل بَخِيل stingy
فَرِحَ to by joyous فَارِح فَرِح joyous
ضَاقَ to be narrow ضَائِق ضَيِّق narrow
حَسُنَ to be handsome حَاسِن حَسَن handsome

Nevertheless, the doer participles for such verbs can be used, on occasion, to indicate a incidental state that has only temporary occurred. As opposed to the more permanent state that the participle-like adjective would signify.10 For example:

  1. فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكُۢ بَعۡضَ مَا یُوحَىٰۤ إِلَیۡكَ وَضَاۤىِٕقُۢ بِهِۦ صَدۡرُكَ أَن یَقُولُوا۟ لَوۡلَاۤ أُنزِلَ عَلَیۡهِ كَنزٌ أَوۡ جَاۤءَ مَعَهُۥ مَلَكٌۚ [سورة هود 11:12 cited by النحو الوافي 3/240 footnote 3]
    Then would you possibly leave [out] some of what is revealed to you, or is your breast constrained by it because they say, “Why has there not been sent down to him a treasure or come with him an angel?”

According to the commentary on this āyah, ضَائِق is used in place of he more commonly used ضَيِّق to indicate a temporary constrictness.11

30.11.2 The doer participle-crossover-to-participle-like adjective

Sometimes, for stative verbs like the above what would appear to be an doer participle is very commonly used. But actually, these usages are from the class of doer participle-crossover-to-participle-like adjectives. Here are some examples:

verb meaning doer participle-crossover-to-participle-like adjective
عَدَلَ to be just عَادِل just
بَسُلَ to be courageous بَاسِل courageous
صَلُحَ to be righteous صَالِح righteous
رَبِحَ to be profitable رَابِح profitable
نَعُمَ to be soft نَاعِم soft

We will study this category in more detail in section (ref), if Allāh wills.

30.11.3 Verbs for which the doer participle is rarely used in place of the stateful verb

The doer participle is also not found used in place of a stateful verb for various other classes of verbs, including verbs that indicate mental states, perception, or action.12 Such verbs include رَأَى to see, رَجَا to hope, أَرَادَ to want, and others. For such verbs, only the verb is typically used when the meaning of the verb is needed. Nevertheless, the doer participle for such verbs has been found to be used on occasion. Examples:

  1. أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص لَمَّا انْصَرَفَ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ مُرِيدًا مَكَّةَ مَرَّ بِهِ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ [تاريخ الطبري 2/347 cited by Waltisberg, M., Satzkomplex und funktion 293]
    that the Messenger of Allah, when he departed from al-Ṭāʾif intending (as his destination) Makkah, one of the people of Makkah passed by him.

  2. أُرَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ عِنْدَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلاً آدَمَ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا أَنْتَ رَاءٍ مِنْ أُدْمِ الرِّجَالِ [صحيح البخاري :6999]
    I saw myself (in a dream) near the Kaɛbah last night, and I saw a man with whitish red complexion, the best you may see amongst men of that complexion.

The doer participle of such verbs may also freely be used when its essential “doer” meaning is intended. For example:

  1. وَكَمْ مِنْ مُرِيدٍ لِلْخَيْرِ لَنْ يُصِيبَهُ [https://hadithunlocked.com/darimi:210]
    How many of an intender of goodness shall not achieve it.

30.12 Further reading

  1. Fischer §201–§204, pp. 111–113.
  2. Kinberg, N., Semi-imperfectives and imperfectives: A case study of aspect and tense in Arabic participal clauses
  3. Marmorstein, M., Tense and text in Classical Arabic
  4. Odilavadze, N., Western scholars’ opinions on rendering the tense by means of the participle in Arabic
  5. Owens, J., and M. Yavrumyan, The participle
  6. van Putten, M., The morphosyntax of objects to participles in the Qurʾān
  7. Waltisberg, M., Satzkomplex und funktion
  8. Wright, vol. ii, §30–§31 pp. 63–69, §72–§74 pp. 194–198.
  9. Youssef, Z., Das partizip im Arabischen
  10. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي pp. 480–525.
  11. معاني النحو 3/170ff.
  12. النحو الوافي 3/240 footnote 3, 3/241, 3/292ff.
  13. دلالة سياق اسم الفاعل في الحديث النبوي الشريف صحيح مسلم أنموذجًا لشادي محمد جميل عايش
  14. تحرير اسم الفاعل من مزاعم المجاراة لحامد علي أبو صعيليك

  1. Marmorstein, M., Tense and text in Classical Arabic 127↩︎

  2. البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة الحديد 57:18↩︎

  3. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 484↩︎

  4. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 503 citing السيوطي↩︎

  5. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 503↩︎

  6. الأصول في النحو لابن السراج 2/265↩︎

  7. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 488 citing سيبويه and others↩︎

  8. تفسير ابن القيم for سورة الكافرون 109:6↩︎

  9. النحو الوافي 3/242↩︎

  10. النحو الوافي 3/240 footnote 3; النحو الوافي 3/292↩︎

  11. النحو الوافي 3/240 footnote 3 citing شرح ابن يعيش على المفصل and others; الكشاف للزمخشري for سورة هود 11:12↩︎

  12. See Marmorstein, M., Tense and text in Classical Arabic 124↩︎