Lesson Two

Lesson Two

الدَّرْسُ الثَّانِي

The Fourth Division of the Verb

التَّقْسِيمُ الرَّابِعُ لِلْفِعْلِ

With regard to the number of its root letters, the verb is divided into two categories: triliteral and quadriliteral.

الْفِعْلُ بِاعْتِبَارِ عَدَدِ الْحُرُوفِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ عَلَى قِسْمَيْنِ: ثُلَاثِيٌّ وَرُبَاعِيٌّ.

1. The triliteral is that which consists of three root letters, such as: نَصَرَ وَيَنْصُرُ.

١- الثُّلَاثِيُّ: الَّذِي يَتَكَوَّنُ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ حُرُوفٍ أَصْلِيَّةٍ، كَـ «نَصَرَ وَيَنْصُرُ».

2. The quadriliteral is that which consists of four root letters, such as: بَعْثَرَ وَيُبَعْثِرُ.

٢- الرُّبَاعِيُّ: الَّذِي يَتَكَوَّنُ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةِ حُرُوفٍ أَصْلِيَّةٍ، كَـ «بَعْثَرَ وَيُبَعْثِرُ».

Each of these two is then divided into two categories:

ثُمَّ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى قِسْمَيْنِ:

1. The unaugmented (mujarrad) verb is one whose past tense contains no letter in addition to its three or four root letters, such as: نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ، وَبَعْثَرَ يُبَعْثِرُ.

١- الْمُجَرَّدُ: الَّذِي لَا يَكُونُ فِي مَاضِيهِ زِيَادَةٌ عَلَى الْحُرُوفِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ الثَّلَاثَةِ أَوِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ، مِثْلُ: «نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ، وَبَعْثَرَ يُبَعْثِرُ».

2. The augmented (mazīd fīh) verb is one whose past tense contains one or more letters in addition to its root letters, such as: اِجْتَنَبَ، وَأَكْرَمَ، وَتَسَرْبَلَ، وَابْرَنْشَقَ.

٢- الْمَزِيدُ فِيهِ: الَّذِي يَكُونُ فِي مَاضِيهِ زِيَادَةٌ عَلَى الْحُرُوفِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ، مِثْلُ: اِجْتَنَبَ، وَأَكْرَمَ، وَتَسَرْبَلَ، وَابْرَنْشَقَ.

The Fifth Division of the Verb

التَّقْسِيمُ الْخَامِسُ لِلْفِعْلِ

With regard to the types of letters in its root, the verb is divided into four types: sound, hamzated, weak, and doubled.

وَهُوَ بِاعْتِبَارِ أَقْسَامِ الْحُرُوفِ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْوَاعٍ: الصَّحِيحُ، وَالْمَهْمُوزُ، وَالْمُعْتَلُّ، وَالْمُضَاعَفُ.

1. A sound verb (ṣaḥīḥ) is a verb that contains no hamzah, no weak letter, and no two root letters of the same kind, such as نَصَرَ. The weak letters are three: alif, wāw, and yāʾ, collectively represented by وَايْ.

١- الصَّحِيحُ: هُوَ فِعْلٌ لَا تُوجَدُ فِيهِ هَمْزَةٌ، وَلَا حَرْفُ عِلَّةٍ، وَلَا حَرْفَانِ مِنْ جِنْسٍ وَاحِدٍ، مِثْلُ: نَصَرَ. وَحُرُوفُ الْعِلَّةِ ثَلَاثَةٌ: أَلِفٌ، وَوَاوٌ، وَيَاءٌ، مَجْمُوعُهَا «وَايْ».

2. A hamzated verb (mahmūz) is a verb that has a hamzah among its root letters. If the hamzah is its fāʾ, it is hamzated in the fāʾ, such as أَمَرَ; if it is its ʿayn, it is hamzated in the ʿayn, such as سَأَلَ; and if it is its lām, it is hamzated in the lām, such as قَرَأَ.

٢- الْمَهْمُوزُ: هُوَ فِعْلٌ تُوجَدُ فِي حُرُوفِهِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ هَمْزَةٌ؛ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِي فَائِهِ فَهُوَ مَهْمُوزُ الْفَاءِ، مِثْلُ: أَمَرَ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِي عَيْنِهِ فَمَهْمُوزُ الْعَيْنِ، مِثْلُ: سَأَلَ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِي لَامِهِ فَمَهْمُوزُ اللَّامِ، مِثْلُ: قَرَأَ.

3. A weak verb (muʿtall) is a verb that contains a weak letter among its root letters:

٣- الْمُعْتَلُّ: هُوَ فِعْلٌ يُوجَدُ فِي حُرُوفِهِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ حَرْفُ الْعِلَّةِ:

A. If the weak letter is the fāʾ of the root, it is weak in the fāʾ and is called a mithāl, such as وَعَدَ وَيَسَرَ.

أ- فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي فَائِهِ فَمُعْتَلُّ الْفَاءِ وَالْمِثَالُ، مِثْلُ: وَعَدَ وَيَسَرَ.

B. If the weak letter is the ʿayn of the root, it is weak in the ʿayn and is called an ajwaf, such as قَالَ وَبَاعَ.

ب- وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي عَيْنِهِ فَمُعْتَلُّ الْعَيْنِ وَالْأَجْوَفُ، مِثْلُ: قَالَ وَبَاعَ.

C. If the weak letter is the lām of the root, it is weak in the lām and is called a nāqiṣ, such as دَعَا وَرَمَى.

ج- وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي لَامِهِ فَمُعْتَلُّ اللَّامِ وَالنَّاقِصُ، مِثْلُ: دَعَا وَرَمَى.

If two weak letters occur together in one verb, it is called lafīf, and it is of two types:

وَإِنِ اجْتَمَعَ حَرْفَا عِلَّةٍ فِي فِعْلٍ وَاحِدٍ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: «لَفِيفٌ»، وَهُوَ عَلَى قِسْمَيْنِ:

A. Lafīf maqrūn (conjoined), when the two weak letters are adjacent, such as طَوَى.

أ- «مَقْرُونٌ» إِنْ كَانَا مُتَقَارِبَيْنِ، نَحْوُ: طَوَى.

B. Lafīf mafrūq (separated), when the two weak letters are separated, such as وَلِيَ.

ب- وَ«مَفْرُوقٌ» إِنْ كَانَا مُتَفَارِقَيْنِ، نَحْوُ: وَلِيَ.

4. A doubled verb (muḍāʿaf) is a verb in whose root letters two letters of the same kind occur, such as فَرَّ، وَسَرَّ، وَزَلْزَلَ، وَوَسْوَسَ.

٤- الْمُضَاعَفُ: هُوَ فِعْلٌ يُوجَدُ فِي حُرُوفِهِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ حَرْفَانِ مِنْ جِنْسٍ وَاحِدٍ، نَحْوُ: فَرَّ، وَسَرَّ، وَزَلْزَلَ، وَوَسْوَسَ.

Thus there are ten divisions: one for the sound verb, three for the hamzated verb, five for the weak verb, and one for the doubled verb. However, because of the many discussions in morphology, they are commonly treated as seven principal categories: ṣaḥīḥ, mithāl, muḍāʿaf, lafīf, nāqiṣ, mahmūz, and ajwaf.

فَصَارَتْ عَشَرَةَ أَقْسَامٍ: وَاحِدٌ لِلصَّحِيحِ، وَثَلَاثَةٌ لِلْمَهْمُوزِ، وَخَمْسَةٌ لِلْمُعْتَلِّ، وَوَاحِدٌ لِلْمُضَاعَفِ. فَلِأَجْلِ كَثْرَةِ الْمَبَاحِثِ الصَّرْفِيَّةِ الْعِبْرَةُ عَدَدُهُمْ لِسَبْعَةٍ، وَهِيَ: صَحِيحٌ، وَمِثَالٌ، وَمُضَاعَفٌ، وَلَفِيفٌ، وَنَاقِصٌ، وَمَهْمُوزٌ، وَأَجْوَفُ.