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24  The absolute doee

24.1 Introduction

The absolute doee is, fundamentally, the verb taking it’s own maṣdar as a doee in the propped-state. For example,

  1. ضَرَبَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا ضَرْبًا
    “Zayd beat Ɛamr a beating”

In the above example ضَرْبًا is the maṣdar of the verb ضَرَبَ and is governed by it in the propped-state as its absolute doee.

This sort of sentence is unfamiliar in English, as evinced by its awkward translation, “Zayd beat Ɛamr a beating.” Nevertheless, we can find some parallels so you can get a feel for it:

    1. “He died an honorable death.”
    2. “He slept the sleep of the just.”
    3. “He lived two lives.”

The absolute doee is somewhat different from the direct doee in that the direct doee only occurs for transitive verbs. Whereas, the absolute doee can occur for any verb, whether transitive or intransitive Also, the absolute doee is effectively an adverb because it qualifies the meaning of the verb as we will learn in this chapter, if Allāh wills.

The absolute doee is used for the following purposes:

  1. To reinforce or emphasize the meaning of the governing verb.
  2. To qualify the meaning of the governing verb.
  3. To act as a deputy for the governing verb, substituting it and fulfilling it’s role.

24.2 The reinforcing absolute doee

Reinforcing and emphasizing the meaning of the governing verb is the basic function of the absolute doee. Consider again our earlier example:

  1. ضَرَبَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا ضَرْبًا
    “Zayd beat Ɛamr a beating”

The absolute doee ضَرْبًا signifies that beating actually ocurred, as if to counter any possible suspicion that it didn’t. If the usage of the governing verb can support both a literal and a metaphorical meaning, then the absolute doee can also signify that the meaning of the verb is literal, and not metaphorical.1

For greater emphasis, the maṣdar may be repeated.2 For example,

The reinforcing absolute doee, when used purely for emphasis and not also for other purposes, cannot be dualized or pluralized. So we cannot say \(\times\) وَعَدْتُكَ وُعُودًا (“I promised you promises”).3 Though, this sentence is correct for the other purposes of the absolute doee, which we will learn in subsequent sections, if Allāh wills.

24.3 The qualifying absolute doee

With regard to the meaning of the governing verb, the qualifying absolute doee indicates either what kind was intended, or its quantity, or both.

The kind of the maṣdar is frequently used with a describer or in an annexation. For example,

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ ضَرْبًا شَدِيدًا [Wright 2/54A]
    “I beat him (with) a severe beating.”

  2. ضَرَبَهُ ضَرْبَ ٱلظَّالِمِ [Wright 2/54B]
    “He beat him (with) the beating of an oppressor.”

Such a qualifying absolute doee may also be signified simply with the definite article ٱل.4. For example, if a specific kind of beating is known before-hand to both the speaker and addressee, then the speaker may simply say:

  1. أَضْرِبُهُ ٱلضَّرْبَ
    “I will beat him (with) the beating.”

The qualifying maṣdar may also be annexed to a pronoun referring to the doer of the verb. For example,

  1. ضَرَبَ ضَرْبَهُ
    “He beat him (with) his beating”

The quantity of the maṣdar often uses the one-time noun. It may be dualized or pluralized. For example,

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ ضَرَبْةً وَضَرَبَنِي ضَرْبَتَيْنِ أَوْ ضَرَبَاتٍ [Wright 2/53D]
    “I beat him one blow and he beat me two blows or (three or more) blows.”

Some maṣdars themselves end with a ة, like تِلَاوَة, so they are readily dualized or pluralized5 (to the sound āt plural) without resorting to the one-time noun. For example,

  1. تَلَا ٱلْقَارِئُ تِلَاوَاتٍ
    “The reader recited recitations.”

But in reality, when a maṣdar is dualized or pluralized in this manner, it seems to leave its maṣdar meaning, which is purely a verbal meaning, and begins to denote a regular (non-verbal) noun.6 So تِلَاوَات will denote, not so much the actions of reciting but kinds of recitations.

The same goes for maṣdars that don’t end with a ة but for whom a broken plural has been recorded from Classical Arabic, like عُلُوم, which is the plural of عِلْم “knowledge”, and وُعُود which is the plural of وَعْد “promise”.

So we can say:

  1. وَعَدْتُكَ وُعُودًا
    “I promised you promises.”

وُعُود here refers to different kinds or occasions of promises, rather than the purely verbal actions of promising.7

Plurals have not been recorded for all maṣdars. For example, ضَرْب does not have a recorded plural for its maṣdar meaning of “beating”.

So can we pluralize it if we wish to say “I beat him (many) kinds of beatings”? Some authorities allow us to form a new broken plural if there is a need.8 So according to them we should be able to coin a new plural ضُرُوب9 “beatings” and say,

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ ضُرُوبًا
    “I beat him (many kinds of) beatings”

Other authorities are more conservative and would only allow using broken plurals for existing meanings of words if one has been recorded for them. Following this opinion, we might then say:

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ أَنْوَاعًا مِنَ ٱلضَّرْبِ
    “I beat him (many) kinds of beatings”

In any case, any maṣdar may at least be dualized to indicate the kinds of its action.10 So we can say:

  1. ضَرَبَنِي ضَرْبَيْنِ [Wright 2/55D]
    “He beat me two (kinds of) beatings.”
    or
    “He beat me (on) two (occasions of) beatings.”

By the way, you should be able to see that saying ضَرَبَنِي ضَرْبَيْنِ is different from if we had said

  1. ضَرَبَنِي ضَرْبَتَيْنِ
    “He beat me (with) two blows.”

The former signifies the kinds or occasions of beating whereas the latter indicates the number of individual acts of beating.

By the way, for maṣdars that themselves end with ة, if we wish to specify that the action ocurred only once, we cannot, of course, form a one-time noun by appending another ة to it. In such a case, we may qualify the maṣdar with the describer وَاحِدَة “once”. For example:

  1. رَحِمَهُ رَحْمَةً وَاحِدَةً [Wright 1/123C]
    “He took one mercy upon him.”

It is also important to mention that the qualifying absolute doee includes the reinforcing meaning.11 We cannot use the qualifying absolute doee without also emphasizing the meaning of the verb. For example,

  1. فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا [سورة المعارج 70:5]
    “So be patient with gracious patience”

In section (ref), we will see that in order to only qualify the verb without emphasizing it, we can substitute the verb with the absolute doee which then becomes a deputy to the verb.12

Finally, the qualifying absolute doee may qualify both the kinds and quantity of the meaning of the verb. For example:

  1. قَرَأْتُ ٱلْكِتَابَ قِرَاءَتَيْنِ نَافِعَتَيْنِ [النحو الوافي 2/209]
    “I read the book two useful readings.”

24.4 The deputy to the maṣdar as an absolute doee

Frequently, instead of using the maṣdar as the absolute doee directly, it is substituted by another word. This word is then called the deputy to the maṣdar as an absolute doee because it fulfils the absolute doee’s role. The maṣdar may still figure in the expression. It will just not technically be the absolute doee, because the first propped-state doee in that position is now its deputy.

The deputy to the maṣdar can be one of several categories:

A describer to a deleted maṣdar

For example:

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ شَدِيدًا [Wright 2/54A]
    “I beat him severely.”
    (for ضَرَبْتُهُ ضَرْبًا شَدِيدًا “I beat him a severe beating.”)

  2. سِرْتُ أَحْسَنَ ٱلسَّيْرِ [أوضح المسالك إلى ألفية ابن مالك لابن هشام 2/184]
    “I travelled the best (kind) of travelling.”
    (for سِرْتُ ٱلسَّيْرِ أَحْسَنَ ٱلسَّيْرِ)

When the maṣdar is thus substituted with its describer, then the masculine adjectival noun is typically used for the describer, even if the maṣdar was a feminine noun. For example:

  1. كَتَبُوا سَرِيعًا
    “They wrote quickly.”
    (for كَتَبُوا كِتَابَةً سَرِيعَةً)

This is because even when maṣdars end with a feminine marker, they are abstract enough in their meaning that when they are absent, only the idea of them retains influence, not their actual wording. And because that abstract idea is not feminine in its meaning, it doesn’t cause the describer to match the feminine wording of the maṣdar in gender. So, by default, the masculine adjectival noun is used for the describer.

Also, the propped-state adjectival noun in such phrases as ضَرَبْتُهُ شَدِيدًا may, where the sense allows or requires it, be a deputy to the adverb of time instead of a deputy to the absolute doee.13 For example: سَارُوا طَوِيلًا “They travelled a long time,” (for سَارُوا زَمَنًا طَوِيلًا. See section (ref).)

In fact, according to some authorities, when the propped-state noun in such phrases could be applied to both a deleted absolute doee or a deleted adverb of time (or, for that matter, other propped-state functions like a direct doee), then it is possible that both meanings could be intended.14 For example,

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ كَثِيرًا
    “I beat him a lot.”

This sentence could mean, at the same time, both ضَرَبْتُهُ ضَرْبًا كَثِيرًا “I beat him a lot [of beatings],” and ضَرَبْتُهُ زَمَنًا كَثِيرًا “I beat him (for) a lot [of time].”

An quasi-maṣdar

The quasi-maṣdar may be a regular common noun that is used in place of a verb’s maṣdar (see (ref)).

For example:

  1. فَرَجَعَ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَسْلِمُوا فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا يُعْطِي عَطَاءً لاَ يَخْشَى الْفَاقَةَ [صحيح مسلم :2312a]
    “So he returned to his people and said, ‘O my people, embrace Islām for indeed Muḥammad gives a gift not fearing want.’”
    (عَطَاء “gift” is a quasi-maṣdar for the actual maṣdar إِعْطَاء.)

  2. ٱنْهَزَمُوا هَزِيمَةً شَنِيعَةً
    [Wright 2/56B]
    “They were defeated an atrocious defeat”
    (The maṣdar of ٱنْهَزَمَ is properly ٱنْهِزَام)

Also falling under the category of quasi-maṣdar is the maṣdar of another form of the verb from the same root.15. For example:

  1. ٱقْتَتَلُوا قِتَالًا شَدِيدًا [Wright 2/56B]
    “They fought with one another a hard fight”
    (قِتَال is properly the maṣdar of the form 3 verb قَاتَلَ)

  2. وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا [سورة المزمل 73:8]
    “and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion”
    (تَبْتِيل is properly the maṣdar of the form 2 verb بَتَّلَ)

A synonymous maṣdar from a different root

For example:

  1. جَلَسَ قُعُودًا [Wright 2/56C]
    “I sat (with) a sitting”

A noun that indicates the type of maṣdar

For example:

  1. رَجَعَ ٱاْقَهْقَرَىٰ [Wright 2/56C]
    “He returned walking backwards.”
    قَهْقَرَىٰ is a noun which means “backward walk”.

A noun of kind of the pattern فِعْلَة

For example:

  1. مشى القط مشية الأسد [النحو الوافي 2/218]
    “The cat walked (with) the gait of a lion”

The number of the maṣdar

For example:

  1. ضَرَبْتُ ثَلَاثَ ضَرَبَاتٍ
    “I beat him three blows”

The maṣdar may also be omitted from the base noun such that only the number remains. For example:

  1. ضَرَبْتُ ثَلَاثًا
    “I beat him three (blows)”
    (Note the feminine number ثَلَاث instead of the masculine ثَلَاثَة because the deleted base noun will be feminine in such circumstances.)

A partial or whole fraction

Words like كُلّ, جَمِيع “all”; بَعْض “some”; نِصْف, شَطْر “half”, etc. can be used to indicate how much of an action is done.

For example:

  1. فَلَا تَيِيلُوا كُلَّ ٱلْمَيْلِ [سورة النساء 4:129]
    “So do not incline completely [toward one]”

  2. أَهْمَلَ ٱلطَّالِبُ بَعْضَ ٱلْإِهْمَالِ [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 1/452]
    “The student was negligent somewhat”

Included in this category is the word شَيْء “thing”. When used in the propped-state governed by a verb it can signify the meaning “a bit” or “somewhat”, etc.16 For example:

  1. فَسَارَ عَلِيٌّ شَيْـًٔا ثُمَّ وَقَفَ [صحيح مسلم :2405]
    “So Ɛaliyy went a bit, then he stopped”

The propped-state noun شَيْـًٔا isn’t always a absolute doee after a verb. It may be, depending on the meaning of the sentence, a direct doee. For example, in the وَجَدْتُ شَيْـًٔا “I found something.” However, in some circumstances, شَيْـًٔا may make sense both as an absolute doee and as a direct doee.17 For example:

  1. وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْـًٔا [سورة النساء 4:36]
    “and associate nothing with Him”

Regarding this āyah, the mufassir Ibn Ɛās͡hūr says:

شَيْـًٔا is in the propped-state due to its being a [direct] doee for تُشْرِكُوا, i.e. “Don’t make a partner anything from what is worshipped”, similar to His saying, ولَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِرَبِّنا أحَدًا [سورة الجن 72:2] (“And we will never associate with our Lord anyone”).

And it is permissible that شَيْـًٔا is in the propped-state due to its being [a deputy to] the maṣdar, i.e. “a bit of associating even if it is slight”, similar to His saying, فَلَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْـًٔا [سورة المائدة 5:42] (“never will they harm you at all.”).18

The instrument or implement used in the action

The type of action may be indicated with the the instrument or implement used in the action. For example:

  1. ضَرَبْتُهُ سَوْطًا [Wright 2/56D]
    “I beat him (with) a whip.”
    (for ضَرْبَ سَوْطٍ)

A pronoun

A absolute doee can be substituted by a pronoun that refers to it.19 For example:

  1. أَحْسَنَ ٱلْإِكْرَامَ وَأَكْرَمَهُ ضَيْفَهُ
    “He perfected generosity and was generous (with it) [to] his guest.”
    (i.e., he was generous with the generosity)

A pointing noun

Similar to the pronoun as a deputy maṣdar absolute doee, a pointing noun may be used in the same vein. For example

  1. ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْمُهَذَّبُ لاَ يُعَامِلُ ٱلنَّاسَ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْمُعَامَلَةَ [النحو الواضح لعلي الجارم 2/159]
    “The refined man does not deal with the people (with) this dealing.”

  2. يَحْفَظُونَ أَسْرَارَهُمْ هَـٰذَا ٱلْحِفْظَ [Wright 2/54A]
    “They keep their secrets (with) this keeping”
    (i.e. so carefully)

24.5 The absolute doee with a deleted governing verb

The governing verb of the specifying absolute doee may be deleted if there is sufficient context or circumstance to supply its meaning. For example, in response to the question,

هَلْ جَلَسَ ٱلزَّائِرُ عِنْدَكَ؟
“Did the visitor sit with you?”

one may reply:

  1. جُلُوسًا طَوِيلًا [النحو الوافي 2/219]
    “A long sitting”
    (for جَلَسَ جُلُوسًا طَوِيلًا “He sat a long sitting.”)

Similarly, if one sees a hunter striking his quarry with an arrow succesfully, he might say:

  1. إِصَابَةً سَرِيعَةً [النحو الوافي 2/219]
    “A quick striking”
    (for أَصَابَ إِصَابَةً سَرِيعَةً “He struck a quick striking.”)

In both the above scenarios, the deleted governing verb is implied. So the complete sentence includes both the implied governing verb, and the absolute doee

24.6 The absolute doee as a deputy of the deleted governing verb

In some cases, the deleted governing verb is replaced by the absolute doee. The absolute doee is then a deputy of the deleted verb. This can be done in the following circumstances:

24.6.1 The absolute doee as a deputy of the verb in a command or supplication

For example, instead of using the verb of command ٱصْبِرُوا “Be patient,” one may say:

  1. صَبْرًا
    “Patience”

In terms of governance, the complete sentence is ٱصْبِرُوا صَبْرًا. The sentence ٱصْبِرُوا صَبْرًا is valid on its own right as a use of the reinforcing absolute doee. But that is not exactly what the utterance صَبْرًا, by itself, signifies. Rather the governing verb ٱصْبِرُوا. is substituted with the absolute doee, such that the verb is no longer present in meaning, and the absolute doee is now its deputy, fulfilling its role.

Why then would one choose to use a absolute doee instead of a verb?20 The maṣdar signifies only a meaning of the action of the verb. The verb signifies both the meaning of its maṣdar and is also linked to a time in which the action originates, continues, or renews. So the verb is more temporary than its maṣdar. Therefore, if we use a absolute doee instead of a verb, then it is not explicitly linked to any time, nor does it explicitly imply a renewal of the action. So the absolute doee as a deputy for the verb signifies a constancy and inseperableness of the action. Whereas the verb is a direct application of the action.

Secondly, the verb is necessarily tied to its doer. So, also in circumstances where the objective is the action itself, and not who does it, the absolute doee may be used as a deputy to the verb.

Here are some more examples of a absolute doee as a deputy for the verb:

  1. قَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ تَبًّا لَكَ أَلِهَذَا جَمَعْتَنَا فَنَزَلَتْ تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ [صحيح البخاري :4973]
    “Abū Lahab said: ‘A perishing for you! Is it for this (that) you have gathered us?’ So there was revealed: ‘May the hands of Abū Lahab be ruined’” [سورة المسد 111:1]
    (تَبًّا is a absolute doee of the verb تَبَّ “to perish”.)

  2. شُكْرًا لَكُمْ
    “A thanking for you”
    (for أَشْكُرُكَ “I thank you.”)

  3. سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّـٰهِ “The glorification of Allāh!”
    (سُبْحَانَ is a quasi-maṣdar for the verb سَبَّحَ “to glorify”.)

In the above example, the sentence with the verb could be, e.g., أُسَبِّحُ سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّـٰهِ “I glorify the glorification of Allāh.” But again, though this may be a valid sentence on its own right, it is not exactly what the utterance سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّـٰهِ, by itself, signifies. The quasi-maṣdar سُبْحَان, as a deputy to the verb does not explicitly specify the verb or its doer. Rather, the quasi-maṣdar سُبْحَان replaces its governing verb. The purpose is to mention the glorification of Allāh without being limited by a time limit for the action of the verb, or a need to mention the doer of the verb.21

Similarly,

  1. مَعَاذَ ٱللَّـٰهِ
    “The refuge of Allāh”
    (مَعَاذ is a maṣdar of عَاذَ يَعُوذُ “to seek refuge”.)

Using the raised-state maṣdar instead of the absolute doee

In situations that call for a course of action, the raised-state maṣdar may optionally be used instead of using the (propped-state) absolute doee.

For example, in a situation that calls for patience, one might say

  1. صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ [معاني النحو 2/206]
    “A beautiful patience”

instead of saying صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا. Here, the implied meaning is ٱلْأَمْرُ فِيهِ صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ “The thing to be done in the matter is a beautiful patience.”22

The raised-state maṣdar (instead of the propped-state absolute doee) has the force of more constancy and generality. Additionally, it can imply that the action called for has, in the speaker’s estimation, already begun and become established. Here are some more examples:

  1. رَحْمَةُ ٱللَّـٰهِ عَلَيْهِ [معاني النحو 2/206]
    “The mercy of Allāh on him”

  2. وَيْحٌ لِزَيْدٍ [Lane’s Lexicon, root ويح]
    “A mercy on Zayd”

In the above example, the following alternative (using the absolute doee) is also possible:

    1. وَيْحًا لِزَيْدٍ [Lane’s Lexicon, root ويح]
    2. وَيْحَ زَيْدٍ [Lane’s Lexicon, root ويح]
      “A mercy on Zayd”
      (as though one were to say: أَلْزَمَهُ ٱللَّـٰهُ وَيْحًا “May Allāh may mercy to attend him constantly!”)

The words وَيْل, وَيْب, and وَيْس are used in a similar manner to وَيْح above. These are all maṣdars of disused verbs. وَيْح and وَيْس typically signify compassion and a mild chiding. Whereas وَيْل and وَيْب typically signify a severe chiding, calling for misfortune and destruction.

24.6.2 The absolute doee as a deputy of a verb that is a comment

There is a set of circumstances where the governing verb can deleted, and its place is taken by the absolute doee as its deputy. This is when the verb is the comment of a subject-comment sentence, and the verb’s maṣdar wouldn’t ordinarily be a comment in the raised-state for the subject.23

Here are some examples that should illustrate what we mean:

Consider the sentence أَنْتَ تَأْكُلُ وَتَشْرَبُ “You are eating and drinking.” The verbs in this sentence may be deleted and each is substituted with its propped-state absolute doees as a deputy. So we can say:

  1. أَنْتَ أَكْلًا وَشُرْبًا [معاني النحو 2/208]
    “You are eating and drinking.”
    (for أَنْتَ تَأْكُلُ وَتَشْرَبُ)

What allows this is that the maṣdars أَكْل شُرْب wouldn’t oridinarily work as raised-state comments for this subject. That is, we can’t say \(\times\) أَنْتَ أَكْلٌ وَشُرْبٌ. So when we use the maṣdars in the propped-state as absolute doees (أَنْتَ أَكْلًا وَشُرْبًا), it is understood that they are acting as a deputy for their respected deleted verbs.

Here are some more examples:

  1. ٱلْمَطَرُ سَحًّا سَحًّا [النحو الوافي 2/225]
    “The rain (is) pouring (and) pouring.”
    (سَحّ is the maṣdar of the verb سَحَّ يَسُحُّ “to pour down abundantly (of rain)”)

  1. مَا ٱلْأَسَدُ مَعَ فَرِيسَتِهِ إِلَّا فَتْكًا [النحو الوافي 2/226]
    “The lion is not, with his prey, [anything] but slaying”
    (فَتْك is the maṣdar of فَتَكَ يَفْتُكُ “to assault and slay”)

  2. أَسَفَاهَةً وَأَنْتَ مُثَقَّفٌ؟ [النحو الوافي 2/222]
    “[Do you act] foolishly while you are an educated [person]?”
    (سَفَاهَة is the maṣdar of سَفِهَ يَسْفَهُ “to be foolish”)

As you can see from the examples above, these circumstances are usually limited to one of the following kind of sentences:

  • a repeated maṣdar
  • multiple maṣdars joined with conjunctive particles
  • a restricted maṣdar
  • a maṣdar that is asked about in a question

24.6.3 The absolute doee as a deputy for a verb in detailing a vague consequential action

This is a very specific circumstance where the absolute doee may occur as a deputy to a verb. Consider an action that is done as a consequence of some matter. If this consequential action is expressed only vaguely, then the following sentence can add detail to this vague action using absolute doees.24 Here is an example:

  1. إِنْ أَسَاءَ إِلَيْكَ ٱلصَّدِيقُ فَٱسْلُكْ مَسْلَكَ ٱلْعُقَلَاءِ. فَإٍمَّا عِتَابًا كَرِيمًا وَإِمَّا صَفْحًا جَمِيلًا [النحو الوافي 2/224]
    If a friend does you wrong then take the path of the intelligent: So either an honorable reproving or a gracious pardoning”

In the example above, the consequential vague action is فَٱسْلُكْ مَسْلَكَ ٱلْعُقَلَاءِ “take the path of the intelligent”. The maṣdars عِتَاب “reproving” and صَفْح “pardoning” are then used as absolute doees to detail this vague action, فَإٍمَّا عِتَابًا كَرِيمًا وَإِمَّا صَفْحًا جَمِيلًا “So either an honorable reproving or a gracious pardoning.”25

24.6.4 The absolute doee as a deputy for a verb in emphasizing the meaning of an entire sentence

One usage of the absolute doee as a deputy for a verb is in emphasizing the meaning of an entire sentence. The absolute doee in such cases are maṣdars (or quasi-maṣdars) like:

  • حَقًّا “truly” for أُحِقُّ حَقًّا “I assert a truth”
  • يَقِينًا “certainly” for أُوقِنُ يَقِينًا “I ascertain a certainty”

For example,

  1. تَبَدَّى لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا [صحيح البخاري :6982]
    “Gabriel would appear before him and say, ‘O Muḥammad! Indeed you are Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ truly’”

  2. وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا [سورة النساء 4:157]
    “And they did not kill him, for certain.”

24.6.5 The dualized absolute doee as a deputy of the verb

There are some absolute doees that are dualized and annexed to a pronoun in set phrases. The dual indicates a recurringness of the action. These include:

  • لَبَّيْكَ – لَبّ is the quasi-maṣdar of the verb أَلَبّ يُلِبُّ “to remain.” The propped-state dualized maṣdar annexed to the addressee pronoun, لَبَّيْكَ, signifies “I remain for you (i.e. at your service] time after time.” A verb لَبَّىٰ يُلَبِّي تَلْبِيَةً “to utter لَبَّيْكَ” is derived from this phrase.
  • سَعْدَيْكَ – سَعْد is the quasi-maṣdar of the verb أَسْعَدَ يُسْعِدُ “to help” The propped-state dualized maṣdar annexed to the addressee pronoun, سَعْدَيْكَ, signifies “I am at your aid time after time.”
  • حَنَانَيْكَ – from حَنَان “mercy”. حَنَانَيْكَ signifies “Let your mercy be continuous to me.”
  • دَوَالَيْكَ – from دَوَال which is equivalent to مُدَاوَلَة and تَدَاوُل “taking by turns”. دَوَالَيْكَ signifies “Make (you) the action to be done by turns.”
  • حَذَارَيْكَ – from حَذَار “Beware”. حَذَارَيْكَ signifies “Twice beware!”

24.7 Differentiating the absolute doee from the other propped-state doees

The absolute doee is a kind of doee. Other kinds of doees include the direct doee, the adverb of time and the adverb of place, and the adverb of reason. Generally, all adverbs can be considered to be in the category of doees. All doees are governed by verbs and occur in the propped-state.

Sometimes it is not easy to disambiguate the exact function of an propped-state noun occurring as a doee. We have already seen some instances of this. For example, we mentioned that in example (21) ضَرَبْتُهُ كَثِيرًا, that the propped-state doee كَثِيرًا could be analyzed as either a absolute doee or a adverb of time, depending on context.

Similarly, in example (34) وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْـًٔا [سورة النساء 4:36] “and associate nothing with Him”, شَيْـًٔا has been analyzed to support both a absolute doee meaning and a direct doee meaning.

For some verbs, their maṣdars are re-used as common nouns. For example:

  • أَكَلَ يَأْكُلُ أَكْلًا – أَكْل is re-used to mean “a food”
  • صَادَ يَصِيدُ صَيْدًا – صَيْد is re-used to mean “a prey”
  • قَالَ يَقُولُ قَوْلًا – قَوْل is re-used to mean “a saying” or “a speech”
  • سَأَلَ يَسْأَلُ سُؤَالًا – سُؤَال is re-used to mean “a question”

When these nouns are in the propped-state governed by their verb, then how do we tell whether they are a absolute doee or a direct doee? For example:

  1. أَكَلَ زَيْدٌ أَكْلًا
    “Zayd ate an eating.”
    or
    “Zayd ate a food.”

By itself, أَكْلًا supports both functions of the direct doee and the absolute doee. And we have to look at context to see which of the two meanings the speaker intended.

Sometimes, if the propped-state doee is qualified, then that can help us distinguish between the two functions. For example,

  1. أَكَلَ زَيْدٌ أَكْلًا سَرِيعًا
    “Zayd ate a fast eating”
    (i.e. “Zayd ate quickly.”)

In the above example, the describer سَرِيع “fast” is applied to the describee أَكْلًا. Now, unless Zayd was eating “fast food” (unlikely in classical times), the describer applies to the manner in which Zayd was eating. Hence أَكْلًا is a absolute doee and not a direct doee.

Sometimes, the qualifier may be applicable to both the absolute doee and the doee. Yet each meaning will be distinct. For example,

  1. صَادَ زَيْدٌ صَيْدَ ٱلْأَسَدِ
    “Zayd hunted (in the manner of) the hunting of a lion.”
    or
    “Zayd hunted the lion’s prey.”

In the above example, the doee صَيْد is qualified in an annexation with the base noun ٱلْأَسَد “the lion”. But the qualifier is applicable to both meanings of صَيْد: the absolute doee meaning: “hunting”, and the direct doee meaning: “prey”. When applied to the absolute doee meaning then the sentence means that Zayd hunted in a ferocious and daring manner, like a lion does. And when applied to the direct doee meaning then the sentence means that Zayd hunted a prey which was (previously) the prey of a lion. However, both of these meanings are distinct from each other. In this sort of case, context should help in figuring out the intended meaning.

In the case of maṣdars like أَكْل and صَيْد, when they are re-used as common nouns, then their existence is not tied to the action of the verb. For example, أَكْل, meaning “food”, exists prior to the action of eating. And صَيْد, meaning “prey” exists prior to the action of hunting.

But in the case of maṣdars like قَوْل and سُؤَال, even when they are a direct doee, they only come into existence with the action of their verb. So there is no قَوْل, either as a absolute doee or as a direct doee, before the action of “saying” And there is no سُؤَال, either as a absolute doee or as a direct doee, before the action of “asking”.

In such cases, even when a qualifier is applied, the line between the absolute doee and the direct doee can remain blurry. And that is not really a big deal because both meanings will be similar. For example,

  1. سَأَلَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا سُؤَالًا صَعْبًا
    “He asked a difficult questioning.”
    (i.e. the questioning was difficult upon Ɛamr)
    or
    “He asked a difficult question.”

This sort of ambiguity can sometimes be found in the other adverb doees as well.

24.8 Candidates for governing the absolute doee

The verb is the fundamental governor of the doer and the doee. But we have seen (in sections (ref)), that nouns that have a verbal quality to them, like the maṣdar, the doer participle, etc., can also govern a doer and a doee.

So a absolute doee may occur, governed by either a verb (as we have seen), or a doer participle, or a doee participle, or a quasi-participle, or even another maṣdar.

Here are some examples:

  1. فَرَحْتُ بِٱجْتِهَادِكَ ٱجْتِهَادًا حَسَنًا [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 1/449]
    “I rejoiced at your striving a good striving”
    (the absolute doee ٱجْتِهَادًا is governed by the preceding maṣdar ٱجْتِهَاد)

  2. أَنَا مُكْرِمٌ خَالِدًا إِكْرَامًا عَظِيمًا [النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 1/449]
    “I will honor K͡hālid a great honoring.”
    (the absolute doee إِكْرَامًا is governed by the doer participle مُكْرِم)

  1. See معاني النحو 2/194–195. But see also تفسير ابن القيم for سورة النساء 4:164 (وكلم الله موسى تكليما) and تفسير ابن عثيمين for سورة النمل 27:50 (ومكروا مكرًا ومكرنا مكرًا)↩︎

  2. Wright 2/55B↩︎

  3. النحو الوافي 2/211↩︎

  4. النحو الوافي 2/207 (footnote 4)↩︎

  5. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 137D citing الكليات للكفوي 817↩︎

  6. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 137–138 citing حاشية ياسين على التصريح and المصباح↩︎

  7. See also تفسير ابن عاشور for سورة الأحزاب 33:10 (وتظنون بالله الظنونا)↩︎

  8. دراسات في النحو للزعبلاوي 139↩︎

  9. this plural already exists for ضَرْب but for its other meaning “example”↩︎

  10. النحو الوافي 2/212↩︎

  11. النحو الوافي 2/207–209↩︎

  12. معاني النحو 2/203↩︎

  13. Wright 2/54D↩︎

  14. معاني النحو 2/196–199↩︎

  15. النحو الوافي 2/215↩︎

  16. See, for example, تفسير ابن عاشور for سورة الإسراء 17:74 (كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْـًٔا قَلِیلًا)↩︎

  17. معاني النحو 2/199↩︎

  18. تفسير ابن عاشور for سورة النساء 4:36↩︎

  19. See also تفسير ابن عاشور for سورة المائدة 5:115 (فَإنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذابًا لا أُعَذِّبُهُ أحَدًا مِنَ العالَمِينَ)↩︎

  20. معاني النحو 2/203↩︎

  21. معاني النحو 2/206↩︎

  22. See also البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة يوسف 12:18 (فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ)↩︎

  23. معاني النحو 2/209↩︎

  24. النحو العربي: أحكام ومعان 1/459↩︎

  25. See also سورة محمد 47:4 (فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً)↩︎