SARF Level 1 Beginners

The Science of Sarf
LEVEL ONE
Arabic Language Series


Abu Abdillah Fahad Al-Tahiri - UAE
[ii]
This publication has been prepared as a study tool and resource for all students of the
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Fahad Al-Tahiri
©2012 All Rights Reserved
[iii]
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction to Every Science in General (Particularly Sarf) ................................................................ 1
Lughah & Istilaah ............................................................................................................................. 1
Concepts............................................................................................................................................. 5
The Definition of Sarf ....................................................................................................................... 6
The Subject of This Science .............................................................................................................. 8
The Benefit of This Science .............................................................................................................. 9
The Merit of This Science ................................................................................................................. 9
The Position It Takes from Other Sciences ....................................................................................... 9
The Inventor of This Science ............................................................................................................ 9
The Name of This Science ................................................................................................................ 9
The Source of This Science ............................................................................................................... 9
The Ruling of This Science .............................................................................................................. 10
The Issues of This Science .............................................................................................................. 10
PART TWO ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Types of Words/Types of Times ........................................................................................................ 11
Types of Words.............................................................................................................................. 11
Types of Times ............................................................................................................................... 13
Al-Meezaanus-Sarfiyy ....................................................................................................................... 13
Putting Words in the Scale ............................................................................................................. 14
PART THREE ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Forming the Maadhee and the Mudhaari` ........................................................................................ 18
The Maadhee ................................................................................................................................ 18
The Mudhaari` ............................................................................................................................... 20

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The Maadhee and Mudhaari` Combinations .................................................................................. 21
Conjugating the Maadhee ............................................................................................................. 23
Conjugating the Mudhaari` ............................................................................................................ 24
PART FOUR .......................................................................................................................................... 25
Introduction to Chapters .................................................................................................................. 25
Mujarrad & Mazeed ...................................................................................................................... 25
Mutaàddee & Laazim ................................................................................................................... 26
Qiyaas & Samaa`............................................................................................................................ 27
PART FIVE ............................................................................................................................................ 28
The Chapters .................................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter One .................................................................................................................................. 28
Chapter Two .................................................................................................................................. 30
Chapter Three ............................................................................................................................... 31
Introduction to Chapters Four & Five ............................................................................................. 33
Chapter Five .................................................................................................................................. 34
Chapter Four ................................................................................................................................. 35
Chapter Six .................................................................................................................................... 36
Appendix 1 .............................................................................................................................................. I
Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................................................ I
Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................................ III
Worksheets ....................................................................................................................................... III

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‫ﭑ ﭒﭓﭔ‬
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION TO EVERY SCIENCE IN GENERAL (PARTICULARLY SARF)
LUGHAH & ISTILAAH

Let it be known that terms in sciences have a technical meaning after moving them from their original
linguistic meaning. This has to be put in mind when studying Islaamic sciences: there will always be
two main usages/meanings that we are going to take to every term; the linguistic meaning and the
scientific/technical meaning.
1. The original linguistic Arabic meaning of a word is called Al-Ma`nal-Lughawee (‫انهغىي‬ ‫ )ادلعىن‬in
reference to the usage of a word by the Arabs for a certain meaning which is called Lughah
(‫)نغخ‬.
2. The scientific technical meaning of terms which is used exclusively amongst the scholars of a
particular science is called Al-Ma`nal-Istilaahee (ً‫)ادلعىن االصطالد‬, taken from Istilaah
(‫)اصطالح‬ which is defined as: The agreement of a certain group of scholars on giving
something a name after moving it from its original usage.
We can only understand what certain scientific terms mean (such as Sarf, Nahw, Balaaghah), when we
know the original meanings of those words. The scholars always mention the two meanings of a word
(although they want to convey the scientific/technical meaning), in order to show the relationship
between the original usage and the technical usage. They bring the original meaning used by the Arabs
to show the connection between the two – the relationship between both meanings that shall always
be there.
SOME EXAMPLES
 Bid’ah (‫)ثذعخ‬
Its lughah meaning is: innovation. It means any innovation or newly invented thing (in religion or
otherwise) to the Arabs. Some examples of this usage in the Qur’aan are:
‫ﭽ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ‬
‫ﮜﮝ ﮞ ﮟﮠ ﭼ‬
Say (O Muhammad -sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam): “I am not a new thing
among the Messengers (of Allaah) (i.e. I am not the first Messenger) nor do I

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know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is
revealed to me, and I am but a plain warner." (Al-Ahqaaf 46:9)
‫ﭽ ﯖ ﯗ ﯘﯙ ﯚ ﯛ ﯜ ﯝ ﯞ ﯟ ﯠ ﯡ ﭼ‬
The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He
only says to it: "Be!" - and it is. (Al-Baqarah 2:117)
‫ﭽ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺﯻ ﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿ ﰀ ﰁ ﰂ ﰃﰄ ﰅ ﰆ ﰇﰈ‬
‫ﰉﰊﰋﰌ ﭼ‬
He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have children
when He has no wife? He created all things and He is the All-Knower of
everything. (Al-An'aam 6:101)
The scientifically Islaamic meaning of the term bidàh is no different than the original meaning – it
means innovation, but only from the certain religious aspect. In other words, the word bidàh
linguistically includes every new thing which is innovated. Whereas the same word in Islaam means
a particular kind of innovation, which is the innovation in religion only. Cars are a bidàh
linguistically not Islaamically, because cars aren't an innovation in religion. Al-Misbahah (‫ )ادلغجذخ‬is
a bidàh Islaamically because it is an innovation in religion, and it is also a bidàh linguistically
because it is an innovation in that sense…etc.
 Sunnah (‫)عُّخ‬
Its lughah meaning is: way. Allaah Ta’Aalaa said:
‫ﭽﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭫ ﭼ‬
(This was Our) Sunnah (rule or way) with the Messengers We sent before you
(O Muhammad-sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam), and you will not find any
alteration in Our Sunnah (rule or way, etc.). (Al-Israa’ 17:77)
The scientific Islaamic meaning is: the way of the Prophet -sallallaahu àlayhi wasallam referring
specifically to his sayings, actions, approvals, life etc. There are two meanings in the scientific
(istilaah) usage for the term sunnah: to the scholars of Jurisprudence it is a preferred act in
Shareeàh while to the scholars of Àqeedah it is whatever is in opposition to bidàh. Therefore
there could be more than one scientific meaning depending on having this word used in more than
one Islaamic science.
 Fiqh (ّ‫)فم‬
Its lughah meaning is: understanding - (understanding anything) as it comes in the Qur’aan:

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‫ ﭼ‬...‫ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶ‬...‫ﭽ‬
...that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islaamic)
religion…(At-Tawbah 9:122)
If you were to approach any Arab, and say, “I want fiqh!” He would ask you eventually, “What do
you want to understand?” But if you were to approach a scholar and say, “Yaa Shaykh! I want
fiqh,” he would tell you to go get Zaad al-Mustaqni` (a book in Jurisprudence). This is because fiqh
has another usage amongst the scholars of Jurisprudence. The scholars took this word from the
Arabic usage and gave it its istilaah meaning which specifically refers to the understanding of the
Islaamic rulings of the outer actions of a certain individual (Muslim).
 Tahaarah (‫)طهبسح‬
Its lughah meaning is: purification. It can be both a physical or spiritual purification as it is
mentioned in the Qur’aan that the people of Loot – àlayhis-salaam, said:
‫ﭽ ﭑ ﭒ ﭓ ﭔ ﭕ ﭖ ﭗ ﭘ ﭙ ﭚﭛ ﭜ‬
‫ﭝﭞ ﭼ‬
And the answer of his people was only that they said: "Drive them out of your
town, these are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!" (Al-A`raaf 7:82)
Here tahaarah was used for a spiritual purification – purification from homosexuality. In another
example, Allaah Ta’Aalaa says:
‫ﭽ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦﭧ ﭼ‬
…If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourself
(bathe your whole body)… (Al-Maa’idah 5:6)
In this aayah the term tahaarah refers to a physical purification. So the word tahaarah in Shareeàh
means any kind of purification, but in the science of Fiqh, the scholars use it to specifically refer to
Wudhuu, Ghusl, or Tayammum (physical purification). This is its istilaah meaning.
 Salaf (‫)عهف‬
Its lughah meaning is: anything that came before. When the scholars use this word they are
referring to the first three Islaamic generations of Muslims starting from the Prophet-
sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam as mentioned in the hadeeth: Àa’ishah- radhiyallaahu ànha reported
that a person asked Allaah's Prophet - sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam, as to who amongst the
people were the best. He said: “Of the generation to which I belong, then of the second
generation (generation adjacent to my generation), then of the third generation (generation
adjacent to the second generation). (Saheeh Muslim)

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 Istilaah (‫)اصطالح‬
Its lughah meaning is: agreement. (al-itifaaq - ‫)االرفبق‬, as in people reaching to an agreement. Its
istilaah meaning is: the agreement of a certain group of scholars to use a term for a meaning
after moving it from its original Arabic usage.
 Harakah (‫( )دشكخ‬pl. Harakaat ‫)دشكبد‬
Its lughah meaning is: movement. Its istilaah meaning refers to the movement of the mouth that
occurs while making the vowel sounds of the three harakaat. The name of each harakah is based
on its original usage. They are as follows:
1. Fathah (‫ )فزذخ‬originally means: an opening as Allaah TaÀalaa said:
‫ﭽﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭼ‬
When comes the Help of Allaah (to you, O Muhammad –
sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam - against your enemies) and the
conquest (of Makkah), (An-Nasr 110:1)
It makes an “a” sound. The scholars called this sign which makes that particular sound a
fathah because it is produced by the typical vertical opening of the mouth. The letter which
is pronounced with a fathah is called maftooh (‫)يفزىح‬.
2. Kasrah (‫)كغشح‬ originally means: a break. It makes the “ee” sound. The sign is called
kasrah because that sound is produced when your mouth breaks into a smile. The letter
which is pronounced with a kasrah is called maksoor (‫)يكغىس‬.
3. Dhammah (‫)ضًّخ‬ originally means: a gathering or joining together. It makes an “oo”

sound. It is called as such because the sound is produced when you pucker your lips
together (in an “o” shape). The letter which is pronounced with a dhammah is called
madhmoom (‫)يضًىو‬.
It is a basic principle that when we stop on a word we silence the last letter of that word (i.e. do not
read the vowel on the last letter). So when a harakah comes on the last letter of a word and we
are stopping on that word, then we do not pronounce the harakah. In addition, when we stop on a
closed taa’ (as in ٌ‫ ضَشِثَخ‬- dharbatun) we pronounce the taa’ (‫ )ـخ‬as a haa’ (ّ‫ )ـ‬and say dharbah.
 Sarf (‫)صشف‬
Its lughah meaning circles around two general meanings: changing and turning. Some examples
from the Qur’aan are:

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‫ﭽﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ‬
‫ﮢﮣ ﮤ ﮥ ﮦ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩ ﮪ ﭼ‬
And whenever there comes down a Soorah (chapter from the Qur'aan), they
look at one another (saying): "Does anyone see you?" Then they turn away.
Allaah has turned their hearts (from the light) because they are a people that
understand not. (At-Tawbah 9:127)
Allaah said about Yusuf -àlayhis-salaam:
‫ﭽ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔ ﮕ ﮖ ﮗ‬
‫ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡﮢ ﮣ ﮤ ﮥ ﮦ ﭼ‬
He said:"O my Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite
me. Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them
and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do deeds)
of the ignorants." So his Lord answered his invocation and turned away from him
their plot. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. (Yoosuf 12:33,34)
And Allaah said:
‫ ﭼ‬...‫ ﭲ ﭳ‬...‫ﭽ‬
..and the veering of the winds... (Al-Baqarah 2/164 and Al-Jaathiyah 45/5)
‫ ﭭ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰ ﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭼ‬...‫ﭽ‬
...See how variously We explain the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.), yet they turn aside. (Al-An'aam 6:46)
The istilaah meaning of Sarf is a certain kind of changing - a changing of something particular for
the sake of something particular. It is: changing the source to different forms in order to express
different meanings that aren’t expressed except through their certain forms. An easy way to
remember this definition is to first ask yourself what is the reality of it and then what is the reason
to it. What is the reality of it? It is changing the source to different forms. What is the reason to
it? It is to express different meanings which aren’t expressed except through their certain forms.
CONCEPTS
Before embarking on any science, you should know ten general concepts. It is extremely important to
know at least one of these concepts because you have to have some idea about something before
doing it. If you do something without knowing its subject or benefit or what it is about then you most

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probably will waste your time and not have any reward. You are going to fall into error when trying to
imagine what issues that will be brought up when speaking on this certain science. To prevent you
from making mistakes when learning a particular science, you have to know a general Idea about it –
even if it is just one thing. The ten general concepts have been gathered into the following three verses
of poetry:
ْ‫ع ثُمَّ الثّـَمَرَج‬

ُ ‫الْحَـذُّ وَالْمَىِظُى‬ ْ‫إِنَّ مَـثَادٌِ كُـلِّ فَهٍّ ػَشَرَج‬
ِ‫وَالِاسِ ُم الِاسِتِمِذَادُ حُكْمُ الشَّارِع‬ ِ‫وَفَـعِ ُلهُ وَوَسِـَثحٌ وَالْىَاظِـغ‬
‫َومَهِ دَرَي الْجَمُِغَ حَـازَ الشَّرَفَا‬ ًَ‫ط تِالَْثؼِطِ اكَْتف‬
ُ ِ‫مَسَائِلٌ وَالَْثؼ‬
Inna mabaadee kulli fannin àsharah Al-haddu wal-mawdhuuù thummath-thamarah

Wafadhluhu wanisbatun wal-waadhi` Walismulistimdaadu hukmush-shaari`
Masaa’ilun wal-ba`dhu bil-ba`dhiktafaa Waman daral-jameeà haazash-sharrafaa
1. Al-Haddu ( ‫ – )انْذَ ُّذ‬The definition of the science 6. Al-Waadhi` ( ‫ – )انْىَاضِع‬The one who invented the science
2. Al-Mawdhooù ( ُ‫ – )انًَْ ِىضُىع‬The subject of 7. Alismu ( ُ‫ – )انِبعِى‬The name of the science
the science
3. Ath-Thamarah ( ‫ – )انضًََّشَح‬The fruit or benefit of the8. Alistimdaada (ُ‫ – )انِبعِزِ ًِذَاد‬The source of the science
science
4. Al-Fadhlu ( ُ‫ – )انْفَضِم‬The merit of the science 9. Hukmush-Shaari` ( ‫ع‬

ِ ِ‫ – )دُ ْكىُ انشَّبس‬The Islaamic ruling
(This is most important. The One who gives the rulings is
Allaah)
5. An-Nisbatu ( ُ‫ – )انُِّغِجَخ‬The position it takes from 10. Al Masaa’il ( ُ‫ – )ادلَغَبئِم‬These are the issues of the science.
other sciences
THE DEFINITION OF SARF

The definition (ُّ‫ )انْذَذ‬of Sarf is: changing the source to different forms in order to express different
meanings that aren’t expressed except through their certain forms. What do we mean by “source”
and “form”?

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MASDAR & BINAA’

 Source or Masdar (‫( )يصذس‬pl. Masaadir ‫)يصبدس‬
Its lughah meaning is: the source. Its istilaah meaning is: the name of the act one does. In English
grammar it is called, “the verbal noun”. It does not have a tense (time constriction). Some
examples are:
 Aklun ‫أكم‬ - the act of eating
 Shurbun ‫ ششة‬- the act of drinking
 Dharbun ‫ ضشة‬- the act of hitting

 Binaa’un ‫ ثُبء‬- the act of building
Some examples of changing the source to different forms:

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Students should first learn the science of Sarf before learning Nahw (grammar) as Nahw teaches how
to form a sentence, but Sarf teaches what words to use before forming the sentences. After learning
the science of Sarf, the students will have the principles that will allow them to bring all the different
forms of any particular masdar.
Remember that the point is not to finish a level - it’s for you to
understand it. Don’t worry about finishing - don’t ask how long it is
going to take. The important thing is that you understand.
 Form or Binaa’ (‫( )ثَُِبء‬pl. Abniyah ‫)أَثٍَُِِخ‬

Its lughah meaning is: putting something on something else so that it stays (building). Its istilaah
meaning refers to what makes up a word. (i.e. the number of letters and their order, the harakaat
and sukoon, and the original and extra letters all in its position).
Every form has its own meaning. In other words, each certain form has a certain specific meaning. For
example, the word dharaba is a certain form - its letters are on a particular scale which conveys the
past tense meaning: he hit. This scale (meaning these three letters in their order with their certain
harakaat which is a fathah on each letter and not having any extra letters), expresses the action taking
place in the past tense. There is not any other form that can express the past tense of this word (not
yadhribu or dharbah, or any other form of dharbun). We cannot switch forms. We can only use a form
for the meaning that it gives and nothing else.
THE SUBJECT OF THIS SCIENCE

The subject (ُ‫ )انًَْىِضُىع‬of Sarf is: the study of the Arabic words before being in a sentence. If we say,
“The subject of Sarf is the Arabic words,” is that sufficient as a definition? It is not sufficient because
there are other Arabic sciences that have to do with the study of the Arabic words such as Nahw
(Grammar). The second half of the definition (before being in a sentence) excludes Nahw from the
definition because Nahw is the study of the Arabic words after putting them into sentences.
The rulings that have to do with a word while being in a sentence are two: I’raab (‫ )ئعشاة‬and Binaa’
(‫ )ثَُِبء‬and both of these are rulings related to the end of a word. I`raab is the change in the end of a
word due to a foreign influence (an influence from another word in the sentence), and binaa’ is when
the end of a word does not change – it has the same harakah all the time like in the word Ayna (ٌٍَ‫– )أ‬
the noon will always have a fathah that will never change.
An example of i`raab is the different endings of the following words: Zaydun (ٌ‫)صٌذ‬, Zaydin (ٍ‫)صٌذ‬, Zaydan
ً ). We see that the only change has occurred in the ending of the word and the changing of the
(‫صٌذا‬
last letter of the word does not occur unless the word is in a sentence.

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The study of words when they are in a sentence is the subject of Nahw and not the subject of Sarf.
Sarf speaks about all parts of the word; the beginning, middle and end, but it only speaks about the
end from aspects other than i`raab and binaa’ and this is rarely. Sarf focuses mostly on the changes
that occur in the beginning and middle of the word. So when you know its subject you won't fall into a
mistake during studying this science because of worrying what the end of the word takes.
THE BENEFIT OF THIS SCIENCE

Everyone has a goal, and a reason behind doing anything otherwise what he is doing will only by a
waste of time. Why are you studying Arabic in general and Sarf in particular? And what benefit (‫)انضًََّشَح‬
will you get from it?
1. Firstly and most importantly: You want to understand The Word of Allaah and the word of
His Prophet – sallallaahu àlayhi wasallam, a correct understanding, because the Qur'aan
was revealed in the Arabic language and the Prophet – sallallaahu àlayhi wasallam, (and
every prophet), was sent with the language of his people. Therefore there is no way to
understand the Qur'aan and the Sunnah correctly except after mastering this language.
2. And obviously you will avoid falling into errors when speaking with others in this language,
but this benefit shouldn't be your aim. Your first aim should be the first, for it is the benefit
that would bring about the fruits in the Hereafter.
THE MERIT OF THIS SCIENCE

Its merit (ّ‫ )فضه‬comes from what it leads to of being a key to understanding the best of words, the
Words of Allaah Subhaanahu wa TaÀalaa and His Prophet-sallallaahuàlayhi wasallam.
THE POSITION IT TAKES FROM OTHER SCIENCES

The position (ُ‫ )الىِّسَِثح‬of Sarf is that it is of the Arabic sciences which reach up to 12 (twelve) in number.
THE INVENTOR OF THIS S CIENCE

The inventor (‫ )انىاضع‬of Sarf was Mu'aadh ibnu Muslim Al Harraa' (‫اذلشاء‬ ‫ )يعبر ثٍ يغهى‬the student of
Abul-Aswad Ad-Du'a'lee (‫انذؤيل‬ ‫أثى األعىد‬‎) the inventor of Nahw.
THE NAME OF THIS SCIENCE
Its name ( ‫ ) االعى‬is Sarf or Tasreef (‫)رصشٌف‬.
THE SOURCE OF THIS SCIENCE
The source ( ‫ ) االعزًذاد‬of Sarf is the word of the Arabs.

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THE RULING OF THIS SCIENCE

And knowing the ruling ( ‫ ) احلكى‬is one of the most important, because from this point comes the
reward from studying this knowledge, for if you were studying just to speak Arabic then the
disbelievers can join you in the same cause. But as a Believer, when you set your intention on learning
this knowledge to understand the Book of your Lord, and the Sunnah of your Prophet – sallallaahu
àlayhi wasallam only then will you get rewarded. Learning these sciences is obligatory upon a group
causing sufficiency, meaning sufficing others in teaching this knowledge.
THE ISSUES OF THIS SCIENCE

Knowing the issues ( ‫ ) ادلغبئم‬means knowing its principle which you shall study.


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PART TWO
TYPES OF WORDS/TYPES OF TIMES
TYPES OF WORDS
There are only three parts or types of words - aqsaamul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ )ألغبو‬in the Arabic language.
They are:
1. Alism (‫( )االعى‬pl. Al-Asmaa’- ‫ )األمسبء‬- It is a word that only gives a meaning. It can be something
physical (alive or not alive) and it can be something mental. Some examples are:
a. Shamsun (ٌ‫ مشظ‬- a sun)
b. Khaalid (‫ – خبنذ‬A man’s name)
c. Ìlm (‫ – عهى‬Knowledge)
2. Al-Fi`l (‫( )انفعم‬pl. Al-Afàal - ‫ )األفعبل‬- It is a word that gives a meaning and a specific or particular
time where that meaning took place 1. Some examples are:
a. Dharaba (‫ – ضشة‬He hit). It gives two things: the meaning of hitting and the particular time
which is the past tense.
b. Akala (‫ –أكم‬He ate). It gives the meaning of eating and that it took place in the past tense.
3. Al-Harf (‫( )احلشف‬pl. Al-Huroof - ‫ )احلشوف‬- It is a word that points out a meaning by way of another
word - it does not show its meaning by itself, but its meaning only appears in another word.
a. Min (ٍ‫ –ي‬from). The meaning is not clear when by itself, but when adding the word: al-bayt
(‫انجٍذ‬-the house) we have minal-bayti (‫انجٍذ‬ ٍ‫ي‬- from the house) which pin points the
meaning (ٍ‫ )ي‬serves.
b. Fee (‫ –يف‬in). The meaning is not clear when taken by itself but add the word: al-madeenah
(‫ادلذٌُخ‬- the city) and we have fil-madeenah (‫ادلذٌُخ‬ ‫يف‬- in the city) which pin points the
meaning.
1
It is important that we define it as taking place in a specific or particular time because there are some asmaa’ that give a
meaning of time such as al-ghuroob (‫– انغشوة‬sunset) which occurs every day, and al-aan (ٌَ‫ ا‬- now) which is relevant only
to the specific time that it takes place.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[12]
JAAMIDAH &MUSHTAQQAH
 Jaamidah (‫)جبيذح‬
Its lughah meaning is: stiff or still. Its istilaah meaning is referring to those words that mostly
cannot be brought into different forms.
 Mushtaqqah (‫)يشزمّخ‬
Its lughah meaning is: derived. Its istilaah meaning is referring to those words that mostly are
changeable; meaning they can be put into different forms.
Most of al-asmaa’ are jaamidah - meaning not changeable or able to be put into different forms. Most
of al-afàal are mushtaqqah - meaning able to be changed and put into different forms. None of al-
huroof are subject to change so they do not get ascribed with either of these terms.
In Level One Sarf we study the afàal as these are what change the most. If we
become good at knowing the thing that changes the most, we will know the things
that change few.
Some of the scholars even counted the afàal that don't change as eight in number (maybe more or
maybe less). We want to focus on the word that changes much - the fìl. Having knowledge of the
afàal and how they change is the key to the science of Sarf. Ibn Maalik wrote in a poem:
‫ـال‬
ُ ‫حـس مِهَ اللُّغَحِ األَتىَابَ وَ السُّث‬
َُ ‫وَ تَؼذُ فَالفِؼلُ مَه َُحكِم تَصَرُّفَ ُه‬
‫َحىٌِ التَّفَاصُِلَ مَه َستَحعِ ُر اجلُمَال‬ ‫فَهَاكَ وَظماً ُمـحُِطاً تِاملُهِمِّ وَ قَذ‬
Meaning:
Whatever comes next: Whoever becomes experienced in the changing of the fi'l shall gather the
whole chapters of Arabic (most of the chapters of Arabic are understood just by understanding the
fìl and how it changes).
So take a Poem gathering the important, and surely the one knowing the principles shall eventually
know the details.
The person who knows the principles of the afàal and how they change will become
an expert in the science of Sarf (generally).
A MAJOR PRINCIPLE
Throughout our studies, we will come back to one very important principle of the Arabic language time
and again and that is: Iltimaasul-khifah (‫اخلفخ‬ ‫ ) انزًبط‬which means: Seek lightness in speech. The
more letters a word contains, the less that word is used in the Arabic language. Whatever words are
lighter are used more in the Arabic language while whatever words are heavy are used less in the
Arabic language. Remembering this principle will make it easier for the student to understand the
issues of the science of Sarf in shaa’ Allaah.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[13]
Students will come to learn many general principles of the Arabic language, but
sometimes there are exceptions to the principles. If the Arabs go against their
principle, it has to be for a benefit considered or a condition added.
TYPES OF TIMES
There are only three times in the Arabic sciences (meaning a time when an act or meaning takes place).
If you are asked, "What are the times?" You say, "Al-azminutu thalaathah" (‫صالصخ‬ ‫ األصيُخ‬- the times are
three):
1. The past is called Al-Maadhee (ً‫)ادلبض‬.
2. The present is called Al-Haal (‫)احلبل‬.
3. The future is called Al-Mustaqbal (‫)ادلغزمجم‬.
Then if you are asked about the afàal, you say, "Al-afàalu thalaathah" (‫صالصخ‬ ‫ األفعبل‬- the verbs are
three).
1. Al-Maadhee (ً‫ – )ادلبض‬A word that expresses an act that happened in the past, meaning
before the time of speech (ً‫)ادلبض‬.
 Dharaba (َ‫– )ضَشَة‬meaning: He hit. (past tense).
2. Al-Mudhaari` (‫ – )ادلضبسع‬A word that expresses an act that is happening in the present,
meaning at the time of speech (‫)احلبل‬.
 Yadhribu (ُ‫ – )ٌَضِشِة‬meaning: He is hitting. (present tense).
3. Al-Amr (‫ – )األيش‬A word that expresses a command to do something in the future, meaning
after the time of speech.
 Idhrib! (ِ‫ – )اِضِشِة‬meaning: You hit! - A command to hit (the act of it would occur in
the future inshaa'Allaah).
AL-MEEZAANUS-SARFIYY
To study the form of a word, the scholars of Sarf came up with something called Al-Meezaanus-Sarfiyy
(‫انصشيف‬ ٌ‫)ادلٍضا‬. It is the scale used to study the forms of the words before putting them into a
sentence. It briefly differentiates between the original letter and the extra letter in most words and

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[14]
allows the student to know the original place of the letter in the scale. The scale consists of three
letters: the faa’ (‫)انفبء‬, the àyn (‫ )انعني‬and the laam (‫)انالو‬.
Why were these letters chosen specifically? Because the verb faàla (َ‫ ) َف َعم‬means: did and that can be
an alternative for any other verb. That is, any verb that is asked for can have faàla (َ‫ ) َف َعم‬as a reply, for
example:
 If someone said: "Akalta?" (Did you eat?) You can say: "faàltu" (I did.)
 If someone said: "Sharibta?" (Did you drink?) You can say: "faàltu."
 If someone said: "katabta?" (Did you write?) You can say: "faàltu."
Why does the scale consist of three letters originally? The scale consists of three letters because most
of the words in the Arabic language consist of three letters and the least you can find an ism or fìl on is
three letters. 2
PUTTING WORDS IN THE SCALE

The scale itself is called Al-Wazn (ٌ‫ )انىص‬and the word that is weighed is called Al-Mawzoon (ٌ‫)ادلىِصو‬.
Linguistically, al-mawzoon refers to anything that is weighed but in the science of Sarf it is used
specifically to describe the word that is weighed. When weighing a three letter word, we place the
letters along with their harakaat parallel to the faa’, àyn and laam. The letters in the scale will take
the same harakaat as the word being weighed. Each letter of the original three letter word
corresponds to one of the letters in the scale.
The first letter of the original three letter word is called faa’ul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ فبء‬- the faa’ of the
word, or simply: the faa’) because it is placed in the scale over the faa’. The second letter of the
original three letter word is called àynul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ عني‬- the àyn of the word or: theàyn)
because it is placed in the scale over the àyn. And the third letter of the original three letter word is
called laamul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ الو‬- the laam of the word – or: the laam) because it is placed in the
scale over the laam. This is the case for the original letters of any three letter verbs.
2
The only words we talk about in Sarf are the afàal and the asmaa'. In Level One Sarf we talk about the afàal only.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[15]
When we put the three letter maadhee - dharaba (َ‫ ضَشَة‬-hit) in the scale we say, “Dharaba àlaa
wazni faàla.” (َ‫َفعَم‬

ٌِِ‫ ضَشَةَ عَهى وَص‬- dharaba is on the scale of faàla). Put àlima (َ‫ عَهِى‬- knew) in the
scale and say, “Àlima àlaa wazni faìla.” (َ‫` – عَهِىَ عَهى وَصٌِِ َفعِم‬alima is on the scale of faìla). Put
hasuna (ٍَ‫غ‬
ُ َ‫د‬-was pleasant) in the scale and say, “Hasuna àlaa wazni faùla.” (َ‫غٍَ عَهى وَصٌِِ فَعُم‬ ُ َ‫ د‬-
hasuna is on the scale of faùla).
WEIGHING WORDS WITH EXTRA LETTERS

What happens when there is an increase in letters - more than three letters in the mawzoon? These
are known as extra letters. There are three types of extra letters:
1. An extra letter according to the scale (al-wazn) which is an original letter in the word weighed.
(al-mawzoon).
2. An extra letter which is a doubling of a letter in the word weighed.
3. An extra letter which is not of the first two (not an extra letter in the scale nor a doubled
letter).
The first type is the extra letter according to the scale which is an original letter according to the word
weighed. In this case we add an extra laam ( ‫ )الو‬to the end of the scale.
The word dahraja (َ‫دشَط‬

ِ َ‫ )د‬means: rolled something (like a rock or a ball). It consists of four letters
which are all original letters, so this word is weighed against fa`lala (َ‫) َفعَِهم‬. The extra laam is added to
represent the fourth letter in the word, and the harakaat of the word are brought down to the
scale. When we weigh this word we say: Dahraja àlaa wazni fa`lala (َ‫فَ ِعهَم‬ ٌِ‫ – دَ ِدشَطَ عَهَى وَ ِص‬dahraja
is on the scale of fa`lala).

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[16]
The second type of extra letter is an extra letter due to doubling in the word weighed. It is not an
original letter in the word. In this case we double the letter in the scale that is parallel to the doubled
letter in the word weighed.
The word qattala (َ‫ )لَزَّم‬means: he killed a lot i.e. massacred. The doubled letter bears a shaddah3 (the
symbol above the taa’ that looks like a small “w”) which indicates two identical letters: the first letter
is silent and the second letter has a vowel. When we weigh this word we say, “Qattala àlaa wazni
fa`àla.” (َ‫فَعَّم‬ ٌِ‫ لَزَّمَ عَهَى وَ ِص‬- qattala is on the scale of fa`àla). The original word is qatala (‫ –لزم‬killed,
murdered) then the àynul-kalimah is doubled to get qattala (‫ – لزّم‬killed a lot, killed excessively,
massacred).
The difference between the two forms (and so on the several forms of the same root) is based on a
major principle which states: ziyaadatul-mabnaa tadullu àlaa ziyaadatil-ma'anaa ( ‫عهى‬ ‫صٌبدح ادلجىن رذل‬
‫صٌبدح ادلعىن‬ - the increase in letters indicates an increase in meaning). Examples of these two usages
(qatala and qattala) are found in the Qur’aan. Allaah says about the son of Aadam (Haabeel):
‫ﭽﯡ ﯢ ﯣ ﯤ ﯥ ﯦ ﯧ ﯨ ﯩ ﭼ‬
So the Nafs (self) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made
fair¬seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became
one of the losers. (Al-Maa’idah 5:30)
And Allaah says about Firàwn:
‫ﭽ…ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢ ﮣ… ﭼ‬
…He said: "We will kill their sons, and let live their women …(Al-A`raaf 7:127)
3
The principle of the Shaddah is that the first (saakin) letter is fused into the second (vowelled) letter so that it may
become one letter. It means that you go "heavy" on something. It is derived from the verb shaddada (َ‫َذد‬
َّ ‫ )ش‬meaning: went
heavy on something. It refers to the letter going heavy on the tongue.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[17]
The third kind of extra letter is not of the first or second kind. This kind of letter is one of the ten letters
gathered in the word: sa’altumooneehaa (‫ عأنزًىٍَهب‬meaning: you asked me it) – It is a seen (‫)عني‬,
hamzah (‫)مهضح‬, laam (‫)الو‬, taa’ (‫)ربء‬, meem (‫)يٍى‬, waaw (‫)واو‬, noon (ٌ‫)َى‬, yaa’ (‫)ٌبء‬, haa’ (‫)ْبء‬, or alif
(‫)أنف‬. What do we do with these letters? We bring them down in the scale exactly as they are.
The word yaktubu (ُ‫ )ٌَكْزُت‬means: he writes. The extra letter here is the yaa’ which is one of the letters
of sa’altumooneehaa so we bring it down in the scale and we say, “Yaktubu àlaa wazni yafùlu.”
(ُ‫ٌَ ْفعُم‬ ٌِ‫ – ٌَكْزُتُ عَهَى وَ ِص‬yaktubu is on the scale of yafùlu).


Fahad Al-Tahiri
[18]
PART THREE
FORMING THE MAADHEE AND THE MUDHAARI`
Chapters are considered to be a combination of both a maadh4 and a mudhaari`. Before we begin to
learn about the different chapters and their combinations, we must know how the maadhee was
formed and how to form the mudhaari`, as well as the principles that govern them.
THE MAADHEE
The three letter maadhee in the Arabic language has only three forms: faàla (َ‫) َف َعم‬, faìla (َ‫ ) َفعِم‬and
faùla (َ‫) َفعُم‬. This means that you will not find any three letter maadh except that it follows one of
these three forms in the scale. Logically the maadhee could come in twelve forms but it is narrowed
down to three taking into consideration certain principles of the Arabic language. To understand how
all but three possibilities have been eliminated, we must first look at all possibilities and combinations
of letters and harakaat.
First we will look at the faa’ul-kalimah and determine how many signs it could take. There is a
principle of Arabic language which states: the Arabs never start with a silent letter (saakin) nor end on
a moving letter (mutaharrik). So since the faa’ul-kalimah is the first letter of the 3 letter maadhee it
can take the fathah, dhammah, or kasrah but not the sukoon. The second letter is the àynul-kalimah.
It can take four possible signs – the fathah, dhammah, kasrah, or sukoon. The laamul-kalimah is the
last letter of the three letter maadhee and the harakaat it takes is not the subject of Sarf but rather the
subject of Nahw as it is the seat of i`raab. Nevertheless, in the meezaanus-sarfiyy the laamul-kalimah
gets a fathah, because the past verbs end is forever built upon the fathah.
There are two reasons as to why nine of the possibilities were eliminated. The first is a principle which
states: starting with a dhammah or kasrah is heavy on the tongue – that is why any word in the
4
When the word “maadhee” is not preceded by the definitive “al” (the), it does not have a yaa’ at the end and should
simply be called “maadh”.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[19]
madhee form does not start with a dhammah or kasrah. Due to this principle, eight of the possible
forms are removed.
Now we are left with four possible forms as illustrated in the table above. The first three forms are
valid because they do not go against any known principles. But the last form is problematic and in
order to understand why this is so, we must first take into consideration certain principles. One such
principle is related to something known as Taa’ul-faaìl (‫انفبعم‬ ‫ ربء‬- the taa’ of the doer).
TAA’UL-FAAÌL
Taa’ul-faaìl (the taa’ of the doer) is the open taa’ (‫ )د‬that is added to the end of the maadhee in
order to express (the doer). For example, when you want to refer the maadhee - dharaba (َ‫ – ضَشَة‬he
has hit) to yourself, then you silence the last letter and add a taa’ with a dhammah to the end of it –
dharabtu (‫ذ‬
ُ ِ‫ – ضَشَث‬I have hit). Why did we silence the last letter of the maadhee - the laamul-
kalimah? If we left it with a vowel then the word would be dharabatu (‫ذ‬
ُ َ‫ )ضَشَث‬- this violates a
principle which states: The Arabs do not prefer four harakaat in succession in one word or what is in
the power of one word. So they dropped the final harakah on the maadhee and gave it sukoon so that
the word becomes dharabtu5. Some other examples of adding the taa’ul-faaìl are:
1. Akala (َ‫ – أَكَم‬he ate) becomes Akaltu (ُ‫ – أكَهْذ‬I ate)
2. Shariba (َ‫ – شَشِة‬he drank) becomes Sharibtu (ُ‫ – شَشِثِذ‬I drank)
3. Karuma ( َ‫ – كَ ُشو‬he was generous) becomes Karumtu (ُ‫ – كَ ُشيِذ‬I was generous)
When we apply these two principles (that the maadhee and the taa’ul-faaìl are treated as one word –
and that the Arabs do not prefer four harakaat in succession in one word or what is in its power) to the
remaining four forms in the scale we get:
ُ‫َفعَهْذُ َفعِهْذُ َفعُهْذُ َفعِهْذ‬

5
This, in reality, is two words – dharaba and tu, but the Arabs have a principle where they treat it as one word and this is
what is meant in the previous principle (in the power of one word).

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[20]
Notice that the final form contains two saakins in a row and this brings us to another principle: It is
not possible to have two saakin letters one after the other in continuous speech. If two letters with
sukoon come one after the other then (depending on the types of letters), the first thing the Arabs do
is give the first of these saakin letters a kasrah, if not kasrah then a fathah, and if not fathah then a
dhammah. If we replaced the sukoon on the àyn of the final form with any of the three harakaat, we
would simply be duplicating the three forms that came before it.
Finally, there is one last option, which is dropping the first saakin (i.e. the àyn here), but if we do so it
will turn out to be‫ذ‬
ُ ‫ فَ ْه‬which is a corrupted form because it lost the àyn which is the only way to
distinguish between the forms. Therefore ُ‫ َفعِهْذ‬with two saakins in a row is not valid, so we drop this
form completely and are left with three forms.
THE MUDHAARI`
The mudhaari’ is formed by prefixing one of the four letters of “anaytu” (ُ‫ – أٍََِذ‬meaning: I got close)
to the maadhee, that is- a hamzah (‫)أ‬, a noon (ٌ), a yaa’ (‫)ي‬, or a taa’ (‫)د‬. Each of these four letters
expresses a certain meaning:
 The hamzah (‫ )أ‬is used for the single speaker; whether male or female (I-anaa - ‫)أَب‬.
 The noon (ٌ) is used for a group of speakers or by a single speaker for glorification (we - nahnu
-ٍ‫)حن‬.
 The yaa’ (‫ )ي‬is used for males spoken about whether one (he - huwa -َ‫)ْى‬, two (them - humaa
-‫)مهب‬, or a group of 3 or more whether all males or mixed males and females (them - hum - ‫)ْى‬.
The yaa’ (‫ )ي‬is also used for a group of three or more females spoken about (them - hunna -
ٍّْ).
 The taa’ (‫ )د‬is used in six places for anyone that is spoken to whether male or female -
whether one (you - anta/anti - ِ‫أَذ‬/َ‫) أَذ‬, two (you -antumaa/antumaa - ‫أَزًب‬/‫)أَزًب‬, or a

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[21]
group of three or more (you -antum/antunna -ٍَُّ‫أَز‬/‫)أَزى‬. The taa’ (‫ )د‬is also used for one or
two females spoken about (she - hiya -ًَْ( (them - humaa -‫(مهَب‬.
The one speaking (I/we) is called al-mutakallim (‫)ادلزكهّى‬, the one spoken about (he/she/them) is called
al-ghaa’ib (‫)انغبئت‬, and the one spoken to (you) is called al-mukhaatab (‫)ادلخبطت‬.
The mudhaari` which is prefixed with the yaa’ is the one most commonly used by the scholars when
setting forth examples. The maadhee bears a fathah on the end while the mudhaari` bears a
dhammah. The faa’ is also silenced in the mudhaari` due to the principle that it is not preferred to
have four harakaat in a row in one word. The example is: faàla - yafàlu (ُ‫ ٌَ ْفعَم‬/َ‫) َف َعم‬. The madhee is
faàla (َ‫ ) َف َعم‬and the mudhaari` is yafàlu (ُ‫)ٌَ ْفعَم‬.

One may ask, “Why is the sukoon given to the faa’ and not one of the other letters?” It is because the
harakah on the laam (final letter) is the harakah of i`raab (to be learned in Nahw) and the harakah on
the yaa’ is fixed for the mudhaari` (and it is not possible to start on sukoon), while the harakah on the
àyn is the harakah of one of the three forms and if we gave it sukoon we would spoil the three forms
as there won't be a way to distinguish between them. So since the faa’ is no longer in the beginning
we can give it a sukoon. The forms of the mudhaari` which are derived from the three forms of the
maadhee are:
ُ‫ٌَ ْف َعمُ ٌَ ْف ِعمُ ٌَ ْفعُم‬
THE MAADHEE AND MUDHAARI` COMBINATIONS
Now we have three forms of the maadhee and three forms of the mudhaari` which means there are
nine possible chapters (combinations of maadhee and mudhaari`). It is important to understand this
because we will see that there are some afàal that are on the form of faàla, (e.g. fataha َ‫ – فَزَخ‬He
opened), that can only have a mudhaari` that is on the form of yafàlu, (e.g. yaftahu ُ‫ٌَفزَخ‬- I opened).
Meaning that the mudhaari` of fataha will not come as yaftihu or yaftuhu, but only yaftahu. In every
combination that is placed in the scale, the root letters of both the maadhee and the mudhaari` will be
the same. That is, the faa’ of the maadhee will be the same letter as the faa’ of the mudhaari`, and the
àyn of the maadhee will be the same letter as the àyn of the mudhaari` and the laam of the maadhee
will be the same letter as the laam of the mudhaari`. The nine possible combinations are illustrated
below.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[22]
Not all of these combinations are valid however- in fact only six of the nine are used. This is either due
to certain principles that come into effect or what has been heard on the tongues of the Arabs.
Before we determine which six of the nine are valid, there are certain principles that must be
understood. First, a basic principle regarding the combinations is that the harakah of the àynul-
kalimah in both the madhee and the mudhaari` must differ in each combination. This is because the
maadhee is past tense and the mudhaari` is present tense so this difference in meaning is reflected by
a difference in harakaat. When we say this is a basic principle we mean that it is the way it should be
in Arabic speech – but it doesn’t mean that the Arabs sometimes don’t go against the principles in their
speech. They sometimes go off their own principle for a reason as an exception because of either a
condition or in a limited usage.
The combinations that go along with this principle are called Asl (‫ – أصم‬original), while the
combinations that go against this principle are called Shaadh (‫ – شبر‬odd). So the oddity is made an
exception sometimes due to the verbs being limited or for a condition behind it.
A second principle is that moving from a kasrah to a dhammah and vice versa is not preferred in the
Arabic language (whether in one word or two words). That is, if the maadhee has a kasrah on the àyn
then it is not preferred for the mudhaari` to have a dhammah on the àyn. Now we can consider the
possible maadhee/mudhaari` combinations and based on these two principles, determine what are the
valid chapters.
Why or why not? Is this a valid Chapter?

‫مصارع‬ ‫ماض‬
It follows the 1st principle Yes
ُ‫َ ْفؼُل‬ َ‫َفؼَل‬
ُ‫َ ْفؼِل‬ َ‫َفؼَل‬
It is an exception to the 1st principle
based on a condition
Yes
ُ‫َ ْفؼَل‬ َ‫َفؼَل‬
It goes against the 2nd principle No
ُ‫َ ْفؼُل‬ َ‫َفؼِل‬
It goes against the 1st principle
however the Arabs have spoken of such
Yes
ُ‫َ ْفؼِل‬ َ‫َفؼِل‬
in limited verbs
ُ‫َ ْفؼَل‬ َ‫َفؼِل‬
ُ‫َ ْفؼُل‬ َ‫َفؼُل‬
st
It goes against the 1 principle but it is Yes
an exception because of its meaning.
It goes against the 2nd principle No
ُ‫َ ْفؼِل‬ َ‫َفؼُل‬
It is in accordance with the principles
but the Arabs have not spoken of such
No
ُ‫َ ْفؼَل‬ َ‫َفؼُل‬
These chapters are the only combinations you can get from a three letter maadh

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[23]
CONJUGATING THE MAADHEE
When we want to refer to an action committed in the past by a specific person or group of people,
then we must bring the fìl on a certain form in order to express that particular meaning. The basic
conjugation of the maadhee is as follows:
I did Ana faàltu

ُ‫َفؼَلْت‬ ‫أوا‬ Mutakallim
We did Nahnu faàltunaa
*‫َفؼَلْىَا‬ ‫حنه‬
You (m) did Anta faàlta
َ‫َفؼَلْت‬ َ‫أوت‬
You (f) did Anti faàlti
ِ‫َفؼَلْت‬ ِ‫أوت‬ Mukhaatab
You (2m 2f or m/f) did Antumaa faàltumaa
‫َفؼَلْتُما‬ ‫أوتما‬
You (3+m or 3+m/f) did Antum faàltum
ِ‫َفؼَلْتُم‬ ‫أوتم‬
You (3+f) did Antunna faàltunna
َّ‫َفؼَلْتُه‬ ّ‫أونت‬
He did Huwa faàla
َ‫َفؼَل‬ ‫هى‬
She did Hiya faàlat
ِ‫َفؼَلَت‬ ٍ‫ه‬ Ghaa’ib
They (2m or m/f ) did Humaa faàlaa
‫َفؼَلَا‬ ‫مها‬
They (2f) did Humaa faàlataa
‫َفؼَلَتَا‬ ‫مها‬
They (3+m or 3+m/f) did Hum faàloo
‫َفؼَلُىا‬ ‫هم‬
They (3+f) did Hunna faàlna
َ‫َفؼَلْه‬ ّ‫هه‬
* Here the “taa’ of the doer” is replaced with a “noon alif”

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[24]
CONJUGATING THE MUDHAARI`
When we want to refer to an action that is being done by a specific person or group of people, we add
the appropriate prefix (ُ‫ )أٍََِذ‬to the maadhee and bring the fìl on different forms in order to express
each meaning. The basic conjugation of the mudhaari` is as follows:
I do Ana afàlu
ُ‫أَ ْفؼَل‬ ‫أوا‬ Mutakallim
We do Nahnu nafàlu
ُ‫َو ْفؼَل‬ ‫حنه‬
You (m) do Anta tafàlu
ُ‫َت ْفؼَل‬ َ‫أوت‬
You (f) do Anti tafàleena
َ‫َت ْفؼَلني‬ ِ‫أوت‬ Mukhaatab
You (2m 2f or m/f) do Antumaa tafàlaani
ِ‫َت ْفؼَالن‬ ‫أوتما‬
You (3+m or 3+m/f) do Antum tafàloona
َ‫َت ْفؼَلُىن‬ ‫أوتم‬
You (3+f) do Antunna tafàlna
َ‫َت ْفؼَلْه‬ ّ‫أونت‬
He does Huwa yafàlu
ُ‫َ ْفؼَل‬ ‫هى‬
She does Hiya tafàlu
ُ‫َت ْفؼَل‬ ٍ‫ه‬ Ghaa’ib
They (2m or m/f) do Humaa yafàlaani
ِ‫َ ْفؼَالن‬ ‫مها‬
They (2f) do Humaa tafàlaani
ِ‫َت ْفؼَالن‬ ‫مها‬
They (3+m or 3+m/f) do Hum yafàloona
َ‫َ ْفؼَلُىن‬ ‫هم‬
They (3+f) do Hunna yafàlna
َ‫َ ْفؼَلْه‬ ّ‫هه‬


Fahad Al-Tahiri
[25]
PART FOUR
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTERS
In Sarf Level One we will focus on the six chapters of the maadhee which consist of three letters. After
learning how to form the maadhee and mudhaari` and how to bring them in the scale, there are a few
more key concepts that should be understood in order for the student to fully comprehend the
chapters and their meanings.
MUJARRAD & MAZEED
The maadhee that contains three or four original letters and is free of any extra letters is called
Mujarrad (‫ )رلشّد‬- taken from the masdar: At-Tajreed (‫ )انزّجشٌذ‬which means: for something to be free
from something else. If something is mujarrad then that means it is free from something else.
Therefore the maadhee that is mujarrad would be the one free from extra letters. Some examples
are:
1. Three original letters: Dharaba ( ‫ ضشة‬- He hit)
2. Four original letters: Dahraja ( ‫ – ددشط‬rolled something [like a rock or a ball])
* The limit for the number of letters in a mujarrad fi`l is four *
The fìl that contains extra letters is called Mazeedun Feehi (ٍّ‫ف‬ ٌ‫ )يضٌذ‬or simply Mazeed (‫ )يضٌذ‬which
means: a verb to which extra letters have been added. The maadhee which is mazeed is one of two
types:
1. That to which one extra letter has been added (a four letter maadh with one of the letters not
being an original letter). An example is Qattala (‫– لزّم‬massacred, killed alot). Here the extra
letter that is not an original letter is the taa’. Another example is Qaatala (‫ – لبرم‬fought) where
the alif is the extra letter that has been added to the maadhee.
2. That to which two or three extra letters have been added (a five or six letter maadh with only
three letters being original letters). An example is taqaatala (‫ – رمبرم‬two fought together). The
two extra letters are the first taa’ and the alif.
* The limit for the number of letters in a mazeed is six *

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[26]
Some more examples of mujarrad and mazeed:
Mujarrad (three original letters) Kharaja ( ‫) خرج‬

Mazeed (one extra letter) Akhraja ( ‫) أخرج‬
Mazeed (one [doubled] extra letter) Kharraja ( ‫) خرّج‬
Mazeed (two extra letters) Takharraja ( ‫) تـخرّج‬
Mazeed (three extra letters)
Istakhraja (‫) استخرج‬
MUTAÀDDEE & LAAZIM

Afàal are of two kinds from another aspect as well. Generally they are either mutaàddee or laazim.
Muta` addee (‫ )يزعذي‬literally means: something that crosses. Technically it is a verb/action which has
a doer and a receiver, meaning this action crossed from a doer to a receiver or there is something else
which it affects. For example: The maadhee - nasara (‫ – َصش‬he gave victory to) is mutaàddee – there
is someone who gave the victory and someone to whom the victory was given to.
Laazim (‫ )الصو‬literally means: something that stays in its place. Technically it is a verb/action that
does not cross to a receiver. For Example: The maadhee - kharaja (‫ خشط‬- he went out) is laazim. It
does not have a receiver or anything else that it affects. The laazim verbs cannot come cross to a
receiver except by the aid of a harf.
Muta` addee He made

someone/something Nasara ‫وصر‬
victorious (gave victory too)
Mutaàddee He wrote Kataba
‫كتة‬
Laazim He went out Kharaja
‫خرج‬
Laazim He laughed Dhahika
‫ظحك‬
Mutaàddee He knew (something) Àlima
‫ػلم‬
Laazim He walked Mashaa
ً‫مش‬

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[27]
QIYAAS & SAMAA`
Sarf is the study of words before they are put into a sentence; their original and extra letters, their
harakaat and saakanaat (silences), their different forms, combinations and meanings. All of these
factors are either based on certain principles or heard from the Arabs.
Linguistically the term qiyaas (‫ )لٍبط‬means: basing something on another thing. Its istilaah meaning
is: basing a word on a principle just as a branch is based on its roots. A word which follows a principle
is called qiyaasee (ً‫)لٍبع‬.
The term samaa` (‫ )مسبع‬literally means: hearing while its istilaah meaning is: saying the word just as it
was heard (from the Arabs) without having a principle to base it on. When you don’t have a principle
to base a word on then you go back to the dictionaries to see if that word was said by the Arabs or not.
If it was said by them then you use it but if it was not said by them then you leave it. A word which
does not follow a known principle is called samaaèe (ً‫)مسبع‬.
One may ask, “Isn’t everything heard from the Arabs? Why do we have to differentiate between
qiyaas and samaa`?” The answer is although it is all heard from the Arabs, when you have a principle
you don’t have to go back to the dictionaries to see if a word is valid or not. By following certain
principles, you are able to speak many words.


Fahad Al-Tahiri
[28]
PART FIVE
THE CHAPTERS
The three letter maadhee combined with a mudhaari` comes on six chapters. The maadhee - faàla
(َ‫ ) َف َعم‬has three chapters:
1. faàla – yafùlu ( ُ‫ ٌَ ْفعُم‬/ َ‫)َف َعم‬

2. faàla – yafìlu ( ‫ ٌَ ْفعِ ُم‬/ َ‫)َف َعم‬
3. faàla – yafàlu (‫م‬
ُ َ‫ٌَ ْفع‬/ َ‫)َف َعم‬
The maadhee- faìla (َ‫ ) َفعِم‬has two chapters:
1. faìla – yafàlu (‫م‬

ُ َ‫ٌَ ْفع‬/ َ‫)َفعِم‬
2. faìla – yafìlu (‫م‬
ُ ِ‫ٌَ ْفع‬/ َ‫)َفعِم‬
The maadhee - faùla (َ‫ ) َفعُم‬has one chapter:
1. faùla – yafùlu (‫م‬

ُ ُ‫ٌَ ْفع‬/ َ‫)َفعُم‬
Faàla (َ‫ ) َف َعم‬is used more mutaàddee and less laazim, while faìla (َ‫ ) َفعِم‬is used more
laazim and less mutaàdee. Faùla (َ‫ ) َفعُم‬is used only laazim.
The scholars of Sarf have mentioned one particular example (or two - one as mutaàddee and one as
laazim) for each chapter so as not to confuse the beginner students. They wanted for all the examples
to be unified in all books for our benefit. Other examples included in the following pages are those
that fall under a principle or a sign, (qiyaasee) so that the student can know them and that by which
they can form a foundation. This is important for the beginner - upon which he can build the coming
levels, In shaa' Allaah.
CHAPTER ONE
Al-Baabul-'Awwal ( ‫األوّل‬ ‫ انجبة‬- The first chapter) is on the scale of faàla - yafùlu (ُ‫ٌَ ْفعُم‬ / َ‫)َف َعم‬. Its
word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is nasara – yansuru ( ُ‫ ٌَُِصُش‬/ َ‫ َصَش‬-to help, gave victory to). An example of a fìl
on this chapter is the word: akhadha (‫ أخز‬- to take). This word is found in the Qur’aan. When the

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[29]
Mufassiroon (scholars of Tafseer) - for example - interpret this they say, “Akhadha min baabi nasara”
(akhadha is from the chapter nasara). By this they mean that the mudhaari` of it is on the scale of
yafùlu.
The student who has studied Sarf will know that nasara is the example for Chapter One. This is a
shorter way of giving the information instead of saying, “Akhadha min baabi faàla-yafùlu.” Nasara is
the common example for the mutaàddee. The common example for the laazim of chapter one is
kharaja-yakhruju (‫ط‬
ُ ُ‫ ٌَخِش‬/ َ‫خَ َشط‬ - to exit, go out).
SIGNS THAT A FÌL IS OF CHAPTER ONE

This chapter is qiyaasee in some cases meaning, there are certain signs that allow for a word to be
identified as being of this chapter. From the signs that a fìl is of the first chapter are:
1. The àynul-kalimah is a waaw. EXAMPLE: qaala-yaqoolu (‫ ٌمىل‬/ ‫ لبل‬- to say).
2. The laamul-kalimah is a waaw. EXAMPLE: daàa-yadòo (‫ ٌذعى‬/ ‫دعب‬ - to call, invite).
In the two examples above, the waaw is not present in the maadhee, but we find it in the mudhaari`.
The reason it is not seen in the maadhee is due to a principle which states that: if the waaw was
originally mutahaarik and the letter before it has a fathah then the waaw is turned into an alif. So
qaala (َ‫ )لَبل‬was originally qawala (َ‫ىل‬
َ َ‫ )ل‬and daàa (‫ )دَعَب‬was originally daàwa (َ‫)دَعَى‬.
It is also observed that in the mudhaari` of both examples there is no harakah on the waaw, i.e;
yaqoolu (ُ‫ )ٌَمُىل‬and yadòo (‫ )ٌَذِعُى‬do not appear to be on the form of yafùlu (ُ‫)ٌَ ْفعُم‬. In reality, they are
on this form as yaqoolu (ُ‫ )ٌَمُىل‬was originally yaqwulu (‫ل‬

ُ ‫ )ٌَمْ ُى‬and yadòo (‫ )ٌَذِعُى‬was originally yadùwu
(ُ‫)ٌَذِعُى‬, but since a dhammah on a waaw is heavy on the tongue, and the Arabs always seek lightness in
speech, some changes were made to the mudhaari` for both examples. In the first word (yaqoolu), the
dhammah on the waaw was moved to the non-vowelled faa'ul-kalimah. (This is done with every verb
where the àynul-kalimah was originally a waaw). In the second example (yadòo) the dhammah on
the waaw was dropped so that the waaw became non-vowelled and light on the tongue.
SOME MORE EXAMPLES BASED ON THESE PRINCIPLES

 Kaana-yakoonu (ٌ‫ ٌكى‬/ ٌ‫ – كب‬to be). Kaana (ٌَ‫ )كَب‬was originally Kawana(ٌََ‫ )كَى‬and yakoonu
(ٌ
ُ ‫ )ٌَ ُكى‬was originally yakwunu (ٌُ ‫)ٌَ ْك ُى‬.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[30]
 Qaama-yaqoomu ( ‫ ٌمىو‬/ ‫ – لبو‬to stand). Qaama (َ‫ )لَبو‬was originally qawama (َ‫ )لَىَو‬and
yaqoomu (‫ )ٌَمُى ُو‬was originally yaqwumu (‫ى ُو‬
ُ ْ‫)ٌَم‬
 Maata-yamootu (‫ ٌـًىد‬/ ‫– يبد‬ to die). Maata (َ‫ )يَبد‬was originally mawata (َ‫ )يَىَد‬and
yamootu (‫د‬
ُ ‫ )ٌَ ًُى‬was originally yamwutu (‫د‬
ُ ‫)ٌَ ًِ ُى‬
 Rajaa-yarjoo (‫ ٌشجى‬/ ‫ سجب‬- to hope). Rajaa (‫ )سَجَب‬was originally Rajawa (َ‫ )سَدَى‬and yarjoo (‫)ٌَشِجُى‬
was originally yarjuwu (‫ى‬
ُ ُ‫)ٌَشِج‬
 Àfaa-ya`foo (‫ ٌعفى‬/ ‫ – عفب‬to pardon). Àfaa (‫ )عَفب‬was originally àfawa (َ‫عفَى‬
َ ) and ya`foo (‫)ٌَ ِعفُى‬
was originally ya`fuwu (ُ‫)ٌَ ِعفُى‬
 Badaa-yabdoo (‫ ٌجذو‬/ ‫ – ثذا‬to appear). Badaa (‫ )ثَذَا‬was originally badawa (َ‫ )ثَذَو‬and yabdoo
(‫ )ٌَجِذُو‬was originally yabduwu (ُ‫)ٌَجِذُو‬
CHAPTER TWO
Al-Baabuth-Thaanee (‫انضبين‬‫ انجبة‬- The second chapter) is on the scale of faàla – yafìlu (‫ ٌَ ْفعِ ُم‬/ َ‫)َف َعم‬.
Its word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is dharaba – yadhribu (ُ‫ ٌَضِشِة‬/ َ‫ – ضَشَة‬to hit). Dharaba is the common
example for the mutaàddee. It has a doer (the one who is hitting) and a receiver (the one/thing being
hit). This chapter is called Baabu Dharaba for short. It also has a common example for the laazim
which is jalasa-yajlisu ( ُ‫ ٌَجِهِظ‬/ ‫ظ‬
َ َ‫ – جَه‬to sit).
SIGNS THAT A FÌL IS OF CHAPTER TWO
This chapter is also qiyaasee in some cases. Three signs for identifying a fìl as being from this chapter
are:
1. The maadhee is mutaàddee and the faa’ul-kalimah is a waaw with the condition that the
laamul-kalimah is not one of the six hurooful-halq (‫احلهك‬ ‫ دشوف‬- throat letters)6 EXAMPLE:
wajada-yajidu (ُ‫ ٌَجِذ‬/ َ‫ – وَجَذ‬to find). So when it is said, “wajada min baabi dharaba”, we can
understand that wajada is from chapter two and it is mutaàddee. The mudhaari` here does
not appear to be on the same form as yafìlu and this is because a change was made due to a
6
The hurooful-halq are ‫خ غ ح ع هـ ء‬

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[31]
principle which is: if the waaw fell between two different “enemies” it is dropped. What is
meant by “two enemies”? It means the harakaat that do not go with the waaw (i.e. the fathah
and the kasrah). So yajidu (ُ‫ )ٌَجِذ‬was originally yawjidu (ُ‫ )ٌَىِجِذ‬but the waaw was dropped.
This principle is not only for this chapter but carries over to other cases as we will see when we
come to the explanation of Chapter Five.
2. If the àynul-kalimah was a yaa’

In this case we have to put a principle in mind which states: when there is a yaa with a
harakah while the letter before it had a fathah, then the yaa’ is turned into an alif. EXAMPLE:
jaa’a – yajee’u (ُ‫ جيًِء‬/ ‫ جبء‬- to come). The maadhee jaa’a (‫ )جبء‬was originally jaya’a (َ‫ )جٍََأ‬and
the mudhaari` was originally yajyi’u (ُ‫ )ٌَجًِِء‬but a kasrah on the yaa’ is heavy on the tongue so
the yaa’ was moved to the the non - vowelled jeem (the faa’ul-kalimah).
3. The third sign is if the laamul-kalimah was a yaa’ and the àyn was not one of the hurooful-halq
(‫احلهك‬ ‫ – دشوف‬the throat letters). EXAMPLE: ataa-ya’tee (ًِ‫ ٌَأْر‬/ ‫ – أرى‬to come).
The last letter of the maadhee here is an alif that has been written in the form of a yaa’. It is
written this way in order to express that it was originally a yaa’. It is called alif maqsoorah and
is only used at the end of a word. The alif that is written as a straight line is called alif
mamdoodah. Mamdoodah means: straightened, elongated, stretched-out.
The general principle is that no alif in a three letter maadhee is original, it is either
turned from a yaa’ or a waaw. If the waaw or the yaa' were mutahaarik and the
letter before them had a fathah then they are turned into an alif.
CHAPTER THREE
Al-Baabuth-Thaalith (‫انضبنش‬ ‫ انجبة‬- The third chapter) is on the scale of faàla – yafàlu (‫ ٌَ ْفعَ ُم‬/َ‫)فَعَم‬. It is
shaadh (odd) because it goes against the principle which states: the harakah on the àynul-kalimah in
the maadhee and the mudhaari` should differ. And it was stated that the only time they would have
the same harakah would be due to less usage or a certain condition. In this chapter the exception to
the principle is due to a condition which is that the àynul-kalimah or the laamul-kalimah must be one
of the hurooful-halq. However, this does not necessitate that any maadhee with a fathah on àynul-
kalimah and a throat letter as the àyn or laam must be of this chapter (i.e. must have a mudhaari` on
the scale of yafàlu).

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[32]
Its word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is fataha – yaftahu (ُ‫ ٌَفْزَخ‬/ َ‫ – فَزَخ‬to open). The laamul-kalimah of this word
is one of the throat letters – it is the letter haa’ (َ‫)فَزَخ‬. Fataha is the common example for the
mutaàdee while the common example for the laazim is dhahaba-yadhabu (ُ‫ ٌَزَْْت‬/ َ‫ رََْت‬- to go) with
the àynul-kalimah being a throat letter - the letter haa’ (َ‫)رََْت‬.
So whenever we see faàla coming on yafàlu, the àyn or the laam has to be one of the throat letters
but - if we find faàla with the àyn or laam as a throat letter, that does not necessarily mean that the
mudhaari` will come on yafàlu. For example the àyn of the maadhee - akhadha (‫ )أَخَز‬is from the
hurooful-halq - the letter khaa’ (‫)ر‬, but the mudhaari` of it is ya’khudhu (ُ‫ )ٌَأْخُز‬which makes this fìl
from Chapter One. Allaah Ta'Aalaa says:
‫ﭽﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﭼ‬
Or that He may catch them in the midst of their going to and fro (in their jobs), so that
there be no escape for them (from Allaah's Punishment)? (An-Nahl 16:46)
WHY DID THE ARABS USE THIS CHAPTER?

The Arabs used this chapter so as not to go against the main principle: Seek lightness in speech. How is
this so? The hurooful-halq are heavy letters because they are the furthest makhraj (they come out
from the place farthest away from the lips), and both the kasrah and the dhammah are heavy harakaat
such that if we were to give the heavy throat letters in the mudhaari` a different harakah besides the
one in the maadhee (going along with the principle that the harakaat on the àyn in both the maadhee
and the mudhaari` must differ), then we would be left with a heavy harakah on a heavy letter. So
most words containing hurooful-halq in the àyn or laam were brought on this chapter.
A POINT CONCERNING THE “ODD”

Another fìl from this chapter is ‘abaa-ya’baa (‫ ٌأىب‬/ ‫ – أىب‬to refuse). It does not have a throat letter in
the àyn or laam position, so it goes against the condition for a fìl to be on this chapter - it is an odd
exception to the principle. An example of it is found in the Qur’aan where Allaah TaÀalaa said:
‫ﭽ… ﭗ ﭘ ﭙ ﭚ ﭛ ﭜ ﭝ ﭞ ﭟ ﭼ‬
…but Allaah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the
Kaafiroon (disbelievers) hate (it). (At-Tawbah 9:37)
One might say, “Saying that it is odd results into oddity existing in the Qur’aan!”

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[33]
The answer to such a statement is that the “odd” in these sciences is of three kinds:
1. Odd in usage not in principle
2. Odd in principle not in usage
3. Odd in both usage and principle (this type is never found in the Qur’aan)
The first kind refers to something that goes according to principle but the Arabs have used it
otherwise. For example, the word akramu (‫ )أكشو‬is a four letter maadh and in order to turn it into a
mudhaari` we would commonly prefix it with the yaa’ (according to the principle of turning a maadh
into a mudhaari`). It would then sound like yu’akrimu (ُ‫)ٌُإَكْشِو‬, but the Arabs did not say yu’akrimu
(ُ‫)ٌُإَكْ ِشو‬, they said yukrimu (ُ‫)ٌُكْشِو‬, dropping the hamzah from the original maadhee. Therefore,
yu’akrimu became odd in usage because they have dropped the hamzah from every four letter verb
that is on the scale of afàla (َ‫)أ ْفعَم‬.
The second kind refers to something that goes against the principles but the Arabs have used it (it is
samaa`). ‘Abaa-ya’baa (‫ٌأىب‬ /‫ )أىب‬is of this kind of oddity.

The third kind refers to something that is odd in usage and principle and this is usually found in poetry.
For example, a line of poetry reads:
‫ما أوت تِاحلكم الترظً حكىمته‬
The word in red (at-turdhaa-‫ )انزشضى‬is a fìl and the fìl never accepts the alif-laam (‫)ال‬, so this is odd
both in usage and in principle. The Arabic poetry sometimes forces you to go off the principle and say
something and change it in a way that is against the principle and this is why they said the Arabic
poetry is harsh because sometimes it does not allow you to go with the principles or usage.
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTERS FOUR & FIVE

The maadhee of these next two chapters is on the scale of faìla (َ‫) َفعِم‬. Chapter Four is faìla- yafàlu
(‫م‬
ُ َ‫ٌَ ْفع‬ / َ‫َفعِم‬ ). It is asl (original) because the harakaat on the àyn in both the maadhee and the
mudhaari` are different. Chapter Five is faìlu – yafìlu (‫م‬

ُ ِ‫ٌَ ْفع‬ / َ‫ )َفعِم‬and this is shaadh (odd) as both
àyns have the same harakah.
Chapter Five is used as an exception due to limited usage. There are only thirty-one verbs that come
on this chapter. Nineteen of them are heard shaadh (only as faìla-yafìlu) and twelve of them are
heard shaadh and on the asl, meaning the mudhaari` of twelve of these verbs (faìla) will come as
either yafìlu or yafàlu. The common mutaàdee example is heard both shaadh and asl: hasiba-
yahsibu (ُ‫ٌَذِغِت‬ / َ‫ )دَغِت‬and hasiba- yahsabu (‫ت‬
ُ َ‫ ٌَذِغ‬/ َ‫)دَغِت‬.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[34]
We will begin with the fifth chapter because when you come to know Chapter Five it will be easier to
know Chapter Four.
CHAPTER FIVE
Al-Baabul-'Khaamis (‫اخلبيظ‬ ‫ انجبة‬- The fifth chapter) is on the scale of faìla – yafàlu (‫ ٌَ ْفعَ ُم‬/ َ‫)َفعِم‬. Its
word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is hasiba – yahsibu (ُ‫ ٌَذِغِت‬/ َ‫ دَغِت‬- to calculate, reckon). This is the
example for mutaàddee. The example for laazim is: wathiqa – yathiqu (‫ك‬ ُ ِ‫ ٌَض‬/ َ‫ وَِصك‬- to trust). Yathiqu
(‫ك‬
ُ ِ‫ )ٌَض‬was originally yawthiqu (ُ‫)ٌَىِصِك‬, but since the waaw came between two different enemies it was
dropped.
THE FIRST CASE OF CHAPTER FIVE

The verbs that are only heard shaadh, were gathered into two verses of poetry by the grammarian ibn
Maalik (not to be confused with Imaam Maalik- of the four famous jurists) in his famous poem:
Allaamiyyah. The nineteen verbs are listed below.
,‫ وسن‬,‫ وعك‬,‫ وجذ‬,‫ ٌشي‬-‫ وسي‬,‫ وصك‬,ّ‫ وفم‬,‫ ويك‬,‫ وسع‬,‫ وسو‬,ًِ‫ ٌَه‬-ٍِّ‫ وَن‬,ّ‫ ٌشِص‬-ّ‫وسِص‬
‫ ٌطئ‬-‫ وطئ‬,‫ طبح‬,ًّ‫ وع‬,‫ وْى‬,ٍّ‫ ٌز‬-ِ‫ رب‬,‫ ٌئني‬-ٌ‫ آ‬,ّ‫ ول‬,‫وكى‬
The afàal with a haa’ (ّ‫ )ـ‬at the end of them are mutaàddee, the others are laazim.
 In the first verb waritha-yarithu (ّ‫ٌشِص‬ / ّ‫)وسِص‬, the waaw was dropped from the mudhaari`
(originally yawrithu – ُ‫)ٌَ ِىسِس‬ because it was non-vowelled and between two different
enemies.
 In the second verb waliya-yalee (ًِ‫ٌَه‬ / ٍِّ‫)وَن‬, the dhammah was dropped from the end of the
mudhaari` (originally yaliyu - ًُِ‫ )ٌَه‬because it is heavy on the tongue. The same for the eighth:
wariya-yaree (‫ٌَشِي‬ / َ‫ )وَسِي‬-the mudhaari` was originally yariyu (ُ‫)ٌَشِي‬.

 The verb ‘aana (ٌَ‫ )آ‬was originally ‘ayina (ٌٍََِ‫ )أ‬but two principles are applied here:
1. If a yaa’ has a harakah and the letter befor it has fathah the yaa’ is turned into an alif.
2. If a hamzah is followed by an alif then the two letters are merged into one letter with
the wavy symbol above it. The yaa’ shows in the mudhaari`.
The same is for the verb after it: taaha-yateehu (ٍُِّ‫ٌَز‬ -َِ‫)رَب‬. The maadhee was originally tayaha
(ٍّ‫)ر‬.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[35]
THE SECOND CASE OF CHAPTER FIVE

The twelve verbs that are heard on both the oddity and accordingly were collected in the verses of Ibn
Maalik’s poem, and they are listed below:
ّ‫ *وصع‬,‫ ومحذ‬,‫ وثك‬,‫ ونغ‬,‫ وْم‬,‫ ٌجظ‬,ّ‫ ون‬,‫ ٌئظ‬,‫ ثئظ‬,‫ َعى‬,‫ ودش‬,‫ وغش‬,ّ‫دغج‬
CHAPTER FOUR
Al-Baabur-Raabi` ( ‫انشّاثع‬
‫ انجبة‬- The fourth chapter) is on the scale of faìla – yafàlu (‫ ٌَ ْفعَ ُم‬/ َ‫)َفعِم‬. Its
word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is àlima – ya`lamu (ُ‫ ٌَعِهَى‬/ َ‫ عَهِى‬- to know). This is the common example for the
mutaàddee. The common example for the laazim is wajila-yawjalu (ُ‫جم‬ َ ِ‫ ٌَى‬/ َ‫ وَ ِجم‬- to fear). The
chapter is asl because the harakah on the àyn of the mudhaari` differs from the harakah on the àyn
of the maadhee.
SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS IN THIS CHAPTER

The verbs khaafa (‫خبف‬- to fear) and Naama (‫ – َبو‬to sleep) are from this chapter although the àynul-
kalimah of both words is a waaw and we recall that a sign of a fìl being from the first chapter is that
the aynul-kalimah is a waaw however, khaafa and naama are not from the first chapter.
The mudhaari` of both of these verbs indicates to us that they are not from the first chapter because if
they were of the first chapter we would have khaafa- yakhoofu ( ُ‫ ٌَخُىف‬/ ‫ ) خبف‬and naama-yanoomu
( ‫ى ُو‬
ِ ٌَُ/ ‫)َبو‬. However, the combinations here are: khaafa- yakhaafu ( ُ‫ ٌَخَبف‬/ ‫ )خبف‬and naama-
yanaamu ( ُ‫ ٌََُبو‬/ ‫)َبو‬. The maadhee of khaafa was originally khawifa (‫ )خىِف‬and naama was originally
nawima (‫)َىِو‬. They were changed due to the principle that a waaw with a vowel is changed to an alif
when the letter before it bears a fathah. As for the forms of the mudhaari`; they were originally
yakhwafu (ُ‫ )ٌَخِىَف‬and yamwamu (‫ )ٌَ ُِىَ ُو‬respectively. If we move the fathah from the waaw to the
letter before it we would have yakhawfu (‫ف‬

ُ ‫ )ٌَخَ ِى‬and yanawmu (‫)ٌََُ ِى ُو‬. From here they followed the
principle of changing the waaw into an alif when the letter before it has a fathah even though the
waaw here is not vowelled. The reason they did this was because the letter before the non-vowelled
waaw was not a dhammah (the harakah that goes with the waaw) so they didn’t have a reason to keep
the waaw as it is. The final form of the mudhaari` became yakhaafu (‫ف‬
ُ ‫ )ٌَخَب‬and yanaamu (ُ‫)ٌََُبو‬.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[36]
CHAPTER SIX
Al-Baabus-Saadis ( ‫ – انجبة انغّبدط‬The sixth chapter) is on the scale of faùla – yafùlu (‫ ٌَ ْفعُ ُم‬/‫) َفعُم‬.
Its word weighed (َّ‫ )يىصو‬is hasuna – yahsunu (ٍُ‫غ‬
ُ ِ‫ ٌَذ‬/ ٍَ‫غ‬
ُ َ‫د‬- to be pleasant). Being pleasant could
be in looks or in morality...etc. This chapter is only used laazim. It is shaadh (odd) because it goes
against the principle which states that the harakah on the àyn of both the maadhee and mudhaari`
should be different.
Recall that the reason for the different harakaat on the maadhee and mudhaari` is because they both
give a different meaning so it was appropriate to give the àyn a different harakah so it could show the
difference in meaning or to be a sign. Dharaba Zaydun Àmran (‫عًشا‬ ‫ )ضشة صٌذ‬- expresses that Zayd
was hitting Àmr in the past and that act of hitting is finished/completed and not going on any
longer. The act of hitting is not an inborn characteristic, rather it is something that can be done at one
time and left another time. Yadhribu Zaydun Àmran (‫عًشا‬ ‫)ٌضشة صٌذ‬ expresses an act that is
occuring in the time of speech so it is giving a different meaning. It is something that was started, is
occurring, and will stop.
The reason for this chapter having the same harakah on the àyn in both the maadhee and the
mudhaari` is because it is only used for verbs expressing inborn characteristics such as height, skin
color, eye color, beauty, being generous, etc… verbs that express something that is continuous and
never changing. Take for example the fìl - hasuna wajhu Zaydin ( ‫ دغٍ وجّ صٌذ‬- Zayd’s face was
pleasant looking). Does it mean that he is not pleasant looking later? No it does not. And if we say:
yahsunu Zaydun (‫صٌذ‬ ٍ‫ حيغ‬- Zayd is pleasant looking). Does it mean that he wasn't so in the past? No,
it does not. So since there is no difference in meaning whether the fìl takes place in the past, present
or future, then there is no need to have the different harakaat on the àyn in the maadhee and
mudhaari`.
A BEAUTIFUL PRINCIPLE
Any verb on the scale of faàla (َ‫ ) َفعَم‬or faìla (َ‫ ) َف ِعم‬can be brought on the scale of faùla (َ‫ ) َف ُعم‬to
express that it has become as an inborn characteristic. All scales can be brought on this chapter but
not vice versa, that is faùla (َ‫ ) َف ُعم‬can’t be brought on the scale of faàla (َ‫ ) َف َعم‬or faìla (َ‫) َف ِعم‬. Some
examples of verbs being brought on this scale are:
 Faqiha (َِّ‫ – َفم‬to understand) can be brought on faquha (َُّ‫ ) َفم‬as in faquha Zaydun ( ّ‫فم‬
‫ )صٌذ‬- the understanding has become as if it something of Zayd’s nature.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[37]
 Àlima (َ‫ – عَهِى‬to know) can be brought on àluma (َ‫ )عَُهى‬as in àluma Zaydun (‫صٌذ‬ ‫ )عهى‬-
the knowledge has become part of Zayd’s nature.
 Karuma (َ‫ – كَشُو‬to be generous). Karuma Zaydun (‫صٌذ‬ ‫ )كشو‬means generosity is of his
nature. It is originally on this chapter but it cannot be brought on faàla or faìla.

ُ‫اْنذًَِذُ هللِ انَّزي ثَُِعًَِزِ ِّ رَزِىُّ انصَّبِنذَبد‬

This completes Sarf Level One, Alhamdulillaahi Rabbil Àlaameen wa salaatu wa salaam alaa
Muhammad ~ Aameen.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[I]
APPENDIX 1
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1. Àynul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ – ) عني‬Letter of a word that corresponds to the àyn of the scale.
2. Amr (‫ – )األيش‬A word that expresses a command to do something in the future.
3. Asl (‫ )أصم‬- Literally it is: origin or original. In Sarf it refers to a chapter that goes along with a
certain principle.
4. Binaa’ (‫( )ثَُِبء‬pl. abniyah ‫ – )أَثٍَُِِخ‬The form - The number of letters and their order, the harakaat
and sukoon, and the original and extra letters all in its position.
5. Chapter - A combination of a maadh and a mudhaari` based on certain rules and principles.
6. Faa’ul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ – ) فبء‬Letter of a word that corresponds to the faa’ of the scale.
7. Fi`l (‫( )انفعم‬pl. al-afàal ‫ – )األفعبل‬It is a word that gives a meaning and a specific or particular
time where that meaning took place.
8. Haal (‫ – )احلبل‬The present time.
9. Harf (‫( )احلشف‬pl. al-huroof ‫) احلشوف‬ -It is a word that points out a meaning by way of another
word.
10. Ism (‫( )االسم‬pl. al-asmaa’ ‫ – )األمساء‬It is a word that only gives a meaning. It can be something
physical (alive or not alive) and it can be something mental.
11. Istilaah (‫ )اصطالح‬- The agreement of a certain group of scholars on giving something a name
after moving it from its original usage.
12. Jaamidah (‫ )جبيذح‬- Its linguistic meaning is: stiff or still. Its technical meaning is referring to
those words that mostly cannot be brought into different forms.
13. Laamul-kalimah (‫انكهًخ‬ ‫ – ) الو‬Letter of a word that corresponds to the laam of the scale.
14. Laazim (‫ )الصو‬literally means: something that stays in its place. Technically it is a verb/action
that does not cross to a receiver.
15. Lughah(‫ )نغخ‬- The original linguistic Arabic usage of a word.
16. Maadhee (ً‫ – )ادلبض‬A word that expresses an act that happened in the past. It is also the name
used to describe the past time.
17. Masdar(‫( )يصذس‬pl. masaadir ‫ – )يصبدس‬The source or name of the act one does.
18. Mazeedun feehi (ٍّ‫ )يضٌذٌ ف‬or Mazeed (‫ )يضٌذ‬- A verb to which extra letters have been added.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[II]
19. Meezaanus-Sarfiyy (‫انصشيف‬ ٌ‫ )ادلٍضا‬- It is the scale (al-meezan - ٌ‫ )ادلٍضا‬used to study the forms
of the words before putting them into a sentence.
20. Mudhaari` (‫ – )ادلضبسع‬A word that expresses an act that is happening now – in the present.
21. Mujarrad (‫ )رلشّد‬- The maadhee that contains three or four original letters and is free of any
extra letters.
22. Mushtaqqah (‫ – )يشزمّخ‬Its linguistic meaning is: derived. Its technical meaning is referring to
those words that mostly are changeable; meaning they can be put into different forms.
23. Mustaqbal (‫ – )ادلغزمجم‬The future time.
24. Muta` addee (‫ )يزعذي‬literally means: something that crosses. Technically it is a verb/action
which has a doer and a receiver, meaning this action crossed from a doer to a receiver or there
is something else which it affects.
25. Qiyaas (‫ )لٍبط‬literally means: basing something on another thing. Technically it is basing a
word on a principle just as basing a branch on its roots. A word which follows a principle is
called qiyaasee (ً‫)لٍبع‬.
26. Samaa` (‫ )مسبع‬literally means: hearing. Technically it is saying the word just as it was heard
(from the Arabs) without having a principle to base it on.
27. Sarf (‫ )صشف‬- Changing the source to different forms in order to express different meanings
that aren’t expressed except through their certain forms.
28. Shaadh (‫ )شبر‬- Literally it means odd. In Sarf it refers to a word or usage that goes against a
certain principle.
29. Taa’ul-faaìl (‫انفبعم‬ ‫ ) ربء‬- Literally it means: the taa’ of the doer. It is the open taa’ ( ‫ )د‬that is
added to the end of the maadhee in order to express the action that “you” (the doer) have
done in the past.
30. Tajreed (‫ )انزّجشٌذ‬A masdar which means for something to be free from something else.
31. Wazn (ٌ‫ )انىص‬- The scale on which the words are weighed.

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[III]
APPENDIX 2
WORKSHEETS
CHAPTER ONE WORKSHEET

Chapter One - Baabu Nasara
Example from Qur’aan Meaning Al-Mudhaari` Al-Maadhee #
( ‫)املعارع‬ ( ٍ‫)املاظ‬

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[IV]
CHAPTER TWO WORKSHEET

Chapter Two - Baabu Dharaba

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[V]
CHAPTER THREE WORKSHEET

Chapter Three - Baabu Fataha

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[VI]
CHAPTER FOUR WORKSHEET

Chapter Four - Baabu Àlima

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[VII]
CHAPTER FIVE WORKSHEET 1

Chapter Five – The Nineteen Shaadh Verbs
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
*
*
*

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[VIII]
CHAPTER FIVE WORKSHEET 2

Chapter Five – The Twelve Asl Verbs
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
*
*

Fahad Al-Tahiri
[IX]
CHAPTER SIX WORKSHEET

Chapter Six – Baabu Karuma

Fahad Al-Tahiri

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The Science of Sarf

Arabic Language Series

To print the worksheets:

Arabic Language Series

This publication may be stored, printed, copied and

Arabic Language Series

PART ONE .............................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction to Every Science in General (Particularly Sarf) ................................................................ 1

Lughah & Istilaah ............................................................................................................................. 1

The Definition of Sarf ....................................................................................................................... 6

The Subject of This Science .............................................................................................................. 8

The Benefit of This Science .............................................................................................................. 9

The Merit of This Science ................................................................................................................. 9

The Position It Takes from Other Sciences ....................................................................................... 9

The Inventor of This Science ............................................................................................................ 9

The Name of This Science ................................................................................................................ 9

The Source of This Science ............................................................................................................... 9

The Ruling of This Science .............................................................................................................. 10

The Issues of This Science .............................................................................................................. 10

PART TWO ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Types of Words/Types of Times ........................................................................................................ 11

Types of Times ............................................................................................................................... 13

Putting Words in the Scale ............................................................................................................. 14

PART THREE ......................................................................................................................................... 18

Forming the Maadhee and the Mudhaari` ........................................................................................ 18

The Maadhee ................................................................................................................................ 18

The Mudhaari` ............................................................................................................................... 20

Arabic Language Series

The Maadhee and Mudhaari` Combinations .................................................................................. 21

Conjugating the Maadhee ............................................................................................................. 23

Conjugating the Mudhaari` ............................................................................................................ 24

PART FOUR .......................................................................................................................................... 25

Introduction to Chapters .................................................................................................................. 25

Mujarrad & Mazeed ...................................................................................................................... 25

Muta`addee & Laazim ................................................................................................................... 26

Qiyaas & Samaa`............................................................................................................................ 27

PART FIVE ............................................................................................................................................ 28

The Chapters .................................................................................................................................... 28

Chapter One .................................................................................................................................. 28

Chapter Two .................................................................................................................................. 30

Chapter Three ............................................................................................................................... 31

Introduction to Chapters Four & Five ............................................................................................. 33

Chapter Five .................................................................................................................................. 34

Chapter Four ................................................................................................................................. 35

Chapter Six .................................................................................................................................... 36

Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................................................ I

Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................................ III

Worksheets ....................................................................................................................................... III

Arabic Language Series

INTRODUCTION TO EVERY SCIENCE IN GENERAL (PARTICULARLY SARF)

LUGHAH & ISTILAAH

Arabic Language Series

Arabic Language Series

Arabic Language Series

3. Dhammah (‫)ضًّخ‬ originally means: a gathering or joining together. It makes an “oo”

Arabic Language Series

And Allaah said:

Arabic Language Series

ْ‫ع ثُمَّ الثّـَمَرَج‬