Sharh al-Ajurrumiyyah by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الآجرومية لابن عثيمين) — Page 15

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

عَلَى مَعْنًى فِي نَفْسِهِ وَدَلَّ بِهَيْئَتِهِ عَلَى الزَّمَانِ

It carries an independent meaning and its form indicates time.

وَالْحَرْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ مَعْنًى فِي نَفْسِهِ وَإِنَّمَا يَظْهَرُ مَعْنَاهُ فِي غَيْرِهِ.

A particle has no independent meaning; its meaning only becomes clear through other words.

لَكِنَّ هَذَا فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ مَعَ صُعُوبَتِهِ عَلَى الْمُبْتَدِئِ فَائِدَتُهُ قَلِيلَةٌ؛

In reality, this is difficult for beginners and offers little practical value.

إِذَا نَقُولُ: أَعْطِنَا عَلَامَةَ الِاسْمِ مِنْ أَجْلِ إِذَا وَجَدْنَا هَذِهِ الْعَلَامَةَ عَرَفْنَا أَنَّهُ اسْمٌ؟

So we ask: what is the sign of a noun, so that when we see it, we can identify the word as a noun?

فَالِاسْمُ يُعْرَفُ بِالْخَفْضِ، وَالتَّنْوِينِ، وَدُخُولِ الْأَلِفِ وَاللَّامِ، وَحُرُوفِ الْخَفْضِ.

A noun is identified by the genitive case, nunation, the addition of the definite article, and the presence of genitive particles.

أَرْبَعُ عَلَامَاتٍ.

There are four such signs.

يُعْرَفُ بِالْخَفْضِ، وَالْبَصْرِيُّونَ يُعَبِّرُونَ عَنِ الْخَفْضِ بِالْجَرِّ، وَإِلَّا فَالْمَعْنَى وَاحِدٌ لَكِنَّ هَذَا اصْطِلَاحٌ لَهُمْ

It is recognized by the genitive case. While the Basran school refers to this as jarr, the meaning is identical; it is simply a matter of terminology.

الْكُوفِيُّ يَقُولُ: خَفْضٌ، وَالْبَصْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: جَرٌّ،

The Kufans use the term khafd, while the Basrans use jarr.

فَإِذَا وَجَدْنَا كَلِمَةً مَخْفُوضَةً عَرَفْنَا أَنَّهَا اسْمٌ، مِثْلُ: مَرَرْتُ بِرَجُلٍ كَرِيمٍ.

When we find a word in the genitive case, we know it is a noun, as in the phrase: I passed by a generous man.

أَمَّا «رَجُلٌ» فَلَهَا عَلَامَةٌ غَيْرُ الْخَفْضِ لَكِنَّ «كَرِيمٌ» مَا الْعَلَامَةُ عَلَى أَنَّهَا اسْمٌ الْخَفْضُ، يَعْنِي: جُرَّتْ،

While the word man has other identifiers, how do we know generous is a noun? It is in the genitive case, meaning it has been declined.

فَإِذَا رَأَيْنَا كَلِمَةً مَجْرُورَةً أَوْ مَخْفُوضَةً عَلَى تَعْبِيرِ الْمُؤَلِّفِ، فَهِيَ اسْمٌ.

If we see a word that is majrur—or makhfuda, as the author puts it—it is a noun.

كَذَلِكَ يُعْرَفُ بِالتَّنْوِينِ، فَالتَّنْوِينُ لَا يَدْخُلُ إِلَّا عَلَى الْأَسْمَاءِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدْتَ الْكَلِمَةَ مُنَوَّنَةً فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهَا اسْمٌ.

Nouns are also identified by nunation, which only attaches to them. If you see a word with nunation, you know it is a noun.

فَإِذَا قِيلَ: هَذَا رَجُلٌ، «رَجُلٌ» اسْمٌ أَمْ فِعْلٌ؟ اسْمٌ.

If someone says, This is a man, is the word man a noun or a verb? It is a noun.

مِنْ أَيْنَ عَلِمْنَا أَنَّهَا اسْمٌ؟ التَّنْوِينُ.

How do we know? Because of the nunation.

مَرَرْتُ بِرَجُلٍ، «رَجُلٌ» اسْمٌ فِيهِ عَلَامَتَانِ: خَفْضٌ وَتَنْوِينٌ.

In the phrase I passed by a man, the word man is a noun marked by two signs: the genitive case and nunation.

Vocabulary · المفردات (12 verbs · 27 nouns)

• دَلَّ — to indicate
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• قَالَ — to say
• أَعْطَى — to give
• وَجَدَ — to find
• عَرَفَ — to know
• عَبَّرَ — to express
• مَرَّ — to pass
• جَرَّ — to mark with genitive
• رَأَى — to see
• دَخَلَ — to enter
• عَلِمَ — to know
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• نَفْس — self
• هَيْئَة — form
• زَمَان — time
• حَرْف — particle
• حَقِيقَة — reality
• صُعُوبَة — difficulty
• مُبْتَدِئ — beginner
• فَائِدَة — benefit
• عَلَامَة — sign
• اسْم — noun
• أَجْل — sake
• خَفْض — genitive case
• تَنْوِين — nunation
• أَلِف — alif
• لَام — lam
• بَصْرِيّ — Basran scholar
• جَرّ — genitive case
• اصْطِلَاح — terminology
• كُوفِيّ — Kufan scholar
• كَلِمَة — word
• مِثْل — example
• رَجُل — man
• كَرِيم — generous
• تَعْبِير — expression
• مُؤَلِّف — author
• فِعْل — verb