What Is Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha (the Resembling Adjective)?

Consider the following sentences:

When we say 'iltasaqa bi-nufusina dhullun ʿafin' ('a festering humiliation has clung to our souls'), the quality of being 'festering' is fixed in the humiliation that has clung to our souls — it does not change away from it, nor does the humiliation change away from it. It is not bound to a particular time that ends with its passing; this humiliation is festering at every moment.

When we say 'ayna dhalika al-shahmu al-amin?' ('where is that noble, trustworthy man?'), the qualities of nobility (al-shahama) and trustworthiness (al-amana) are two fixed qualities accompanying the person whose whereabouts we are asking about.

Likewise 'ablaj' ('bright/clear') is a fixed quality in 'our cause', and 'batal' ('hero') is a fixed quality in 'the man who reclaims rights'.

These adjectives bear a resemblance to ism al-faʿil (the active participle). When we say:

rakada fulan — fa-huwa rakid ('such-and-such ran — so he is a runner'): this adjective indicates an event, i.e., an action.

ʿafina al-dhull — fa-huwa ʿafin ('the humiliation festered — so it is festering'): this adjective also indicates an event, i.e., an action.

Like 'ʿafin', other examples include shahm ('noble'), amin ('trustworthy'), ablaj ('bright/clear'), batal ('hero'), and others that follow the same pattern. For this reason these adjectives are called: al-sifa al-mushabbaha bi-ism al-faʿil ('the adjective resembling the active participle').

Definition of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha bi-Ism al-Faʿil

Examples of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha

Patterns of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha

Al-sifa al-mushabbaha is formed from the masdar of an intransitive triliteral verb. It has many patterns, as follows:

• faʿil: for what indicates sorrow or joy, e.g., qaliq ('anxious'), farih ('joyful'), hadhir ('cautious').
• afʿal: for what indicates a color, a physical defect, or an adornment, e.g., azraq ('blue'), akhal ('with naturally darkened lashes'), aʿwar ('one-eyed'), asamm ('deaf'). The feminine forms: zarqaʾ, kahlaʾ, ʿawraʾ, sammaʾ.
• faʿlan: usually for what indicates emptiness or fullness, e.g., ʿatshan ('thirsty'), malʾan ('full'). Feminine: ʿatsha, malʾa.
• faʿil: e.g., ʿazim ('great').
• faʿl: e.g., shahm ('noble').
• fuʿal: e.g., humam ('lofty/zealous').
• faʿal: e.g., batal ('hero').
• faʿal: e.g., jaban ('cowardly').
• fuʿl: e.g., hulw ('sweet').

Anything on the pattern of faʿil (active participle) or mafʿul (passive participle) that indicates fixedness and permanence is also counted as al-sifa al-mushabbaha, e.g.:

The Operation of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha

Al-sifa al-mushabbaha operates like an active participle that takes one direct object: it raises a subject (faʿil) and puts a complement (maʿmul) in the accusative. It is preferred that it be annexed (mudaf) to what is its semantic subject.

anta hasan-u al-maʿshar ('you are good of company') — meaning: 'you are good — your company is.'

Iʿrab of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha bi-Ism al-Faʿil

Al-sifa al-mushabbaha is parsed — based on its operation — in four ways:

1 — Its complement may be in the nominative as its subject (the noun after it), e.g.:

2 — It may put the noun after it (its complement) in the accusative as a direct object, e.g.:

It is also permissible to say: nazifun al-thawba ('clean — as to the garment'), or al-nazifu al-thawba ('the one clean — as to the garment').

3 — It may put the noun after it in the accusative if it is indefinite with tanwin, as a tamyiz (specification), e.g.:

4 — It may put the noun after it in the genitive as a mudaf ilayh, e.g.:

Examples of Iʿrab for Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha

Khalid: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. nazif: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. thawb-u-hu: thawb is the subject (faʿil) of al-sifa al-mushabbaha 'nazif', in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end; a mudaf. The haʾ is a connected pronoun fixed on damma, in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh.

Khalid: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. nazif: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. thawb-a-hu: thawb is a direct object in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha; a mudaf. The haʾ is a connected pronoun fixed on damma, in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh.

Khalid: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. nazif: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. thawban: tamyiz (specification) in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha at its end.

Khalid: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. nazif: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; a mudaf. al-thawb: a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra at its end.

Examples of Al-Sifa al-Mushabbaha from the Noble Quran

Allah Most High said: