Consider the following sentences:
sadaqa al-rajul / al-rajul-u sadiq
— The man told the truth / The man is truthful.
nadima al-zalim / al-zalim-u nadim
— The wrongdoer regretted / The wrongdoer is regretful.
daraba al-muʿallim al-tilmidh / al-muʿallim-u darib
— The teacher struck the pupil / The teacher is one who strikes.
If you reflect on the underlined words, you find them to be derived nouns on the pattern 'faʿil', indicating the one from whom the action proceeds — i.e., the doer. So 'sadiq' indicates the doer of truthfulness, 'nadim' indicates the doer of regret, and so on. For this reason each of these words is called: ism al-faʿil (the active participle).
Definition of Ism al-Faʿil
Forming Ism al-Faʿil
1 — Ism al-faʿil is formed from the triliteral verb on the pattern 'faʿil'.
shariba / sharib
(he drank / a drinker)
nama / naʾim
(he slept / a sleeper)
ʿamala / ʿamil
(he worked / a worker)
2 — Ism al-faʿil is formed from a non-triliteral verb by converting the verb to the present tense, replacing the present-tense letter with a damma-bearing mim, and giving kasra to the letter before the last.
istaqbala / mustaqbil
(he received / a receiver)
istaqama / mustaqim
(he became upright / one upright)
adhnaba / mudhnib
(he sinned / a sinner)
Question: Could you explain in detail how to form ism al-faʿil from a non-triliteral verb?
Yes — let us apply the rule above: (a) We have non-triliteral past verbs: istaqama, istaqbala, adhnaba. (b) We convert them to the present tense: yastaqbilu, yastaqimu, yudhnibu. (c) We replace the present-tense letter with a damma-bearing mim and put kasra before the last letter: mustaqbil, mustaqim, mudhnib.
Examples of Ism al-Faʿil
muhsin
(a doer of good)
baʾiʿ
(a seller)
katib
(a writer)
muntaqim
(a vengeful one)
mubadhdhir
(a wasteful one)
saʾil
(a questioner)
munqatiʿ
(one who has cut off / disconnected)
daʾiʿ
(one who is lost)
laʿib
(a player)
Ism al-Faʿil and Its Operation
Ism al-faʿil that operates like its verb appears in two forms:
1 — Made Definite with 'Al-' In this form, ism al-faʿil performs its operation absolutely, without any further condition. E.g.:
saraqa al-liss-u al-mal
— The thief stole the money.
This sentence consists of a verb (saraqa), a subject (al-liss), and a direct object (al-mal). Let us convert it to ism al-faʿil:
hadha al-sariq-u al-mal
— This is the one who stole the money.
Ism al-faʿil: al-sariq. al-mal: a direct object of ism al-faʿil.
zaʿama al-ʿaduww-u al-intisar-a ʿalayh-i mustahilan
— The enemy claimed that defeating him was impossible.
al-intisar: the first direct object of the verb 'zaʿama'. mustahilan: the second direct object of the verb 'zaʿama'. Let us convert it to ism al-faʿil:
hadha al-ʿaduww-u al-zaʿim-u al-intisar-a ʿalayh-i mustahilan
— This is the enemy who claims that defeating him is impossible.
al-intisar: the first direct object of ism al-faʿil 'al-zaʿim'. mustahilan: the second direct object of ism al-faʿil 'al-zaʿim'.
2 — Free of 'Al-' In this form, ism al-faʿil operates like its verb only under two conditions:
(a) The meaning of the sentence — including ism al-faʿil — must be such that it pertains to the present or future, not the past. E.g.:
al-muʿallim-u sharih-un al-dars-a al-an aw ghadan
— The teacher is explaining the lesson now or [will explain it] tomorrow.
(b) Ism al-faʿil must depend on something preceding it — e.g., it falls after:
— An interrogative, e.g.:
a-munshid-un Muhammad-un qasidat-a-hu?
— Is Muhammad reciting his poem?
— A negation, e.g.:
ma samiʿ-un akh-u-ka nasihat-i
— Your brother is not heeding my advice.
— A vocative, e.g.:
ya basitan kaffayh-i bi-l-duʿaʾ
— O you who stretch out your hands in supplication!
— Falling as an attribute (sifa), e.g.:
shahad-tu binaʾan natihan al-sahab
— I saw a building reaching the clouds.
— Falling as a predicate (khabar), e.g.:
al-haqq-u dahid-un al-batil
— The truth is the refuter of falsehood.
— Falling as a circumstantial accusative (hal), e.g.:
samiʿ-tu Muhammad-an munshidan qasidat-a-hu
— I heard Muhammad reciting his poem.
Iʿrab of Ism al-Faʿil
al-ghulam-u sadiq-un
— The boy is truthful.
al-ghulam: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. sadiq: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end.
— Allah Most High said: "Creator of the heavens and the earth, [who] made the angels messengers..." — Quran 35:1 (Sahih International)
fatir: a naʿt for the divine name in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra; a mudaf. al-samawat: a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra. wa-l-ard: the waw is a conjunction; al-ard is conjoined upon al-samawat in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra. jaʿil: a second naʿt for the divine name; an ism al-faʿil annexed to its direct object (al-malaʾika); when annexed to al-malaʾika, it becomes transitive to the [second] direct object 'rusulan'; a mudaf. al-malaʾika: a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra. rusulan: a direct object of the annexed ism al-faʿil 'jaʿil', in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha.
— Allah Most High said: "Have you no desire for my gods, O Abraham?" — Quran 19:46 (Sahih International)
a-raghib: the hamza is interrogative; raghib is a fronted khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. anta: a separate pronoun fixed on fatha, in the position of nominative as a postponed mubtadaʾ. ʿan: a preposition. aliha-ti: a noun in the genitive, marked by kasra, attached to 'raghib'; the yaʾ is a connected pronoun in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh. ya: a vocative particle. Ibrahim: a vocative fixed on damma, in the position of accusative.
Examples of Ism al-Faʿil from the Noble Quran
Allah Most High said:
— "Then would you possibly leave [out] some of what is revealed to you, or is your breast constrained by it..." — Quran 11:12 (Sahih International)
— "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." — Quran 2:30 (Sahih International)
— "Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people..." — Quran 4:75 (Sahih International)
— "I would not decide a matter until you witness [for] me." — Quran 27:32 (Sahih International)
— "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women..." — Quran 33:35 (Sahih International)
Exercises on Ism al-Faʿil
1 — Identify every ism al-faʿil in the following passage and provide its full vowel-marking; indicate which is from a triliteral verb and which is from a non-triliteral verb:
— Light and darkness have a clear effect on a person's health. Whoever lives in a dark dwelling that the sun's rays do not fill is seen with a wilted body and a pale complexion. The sun's light is beneficial in many ways: it dries the air, kills disease germs, and helps reduce humidity. So make sure it is present in your home so that you may live with a healthy body, full of strength and vigor. Beware of weak artificial light, for it spoils the air and tires the power of sight.
2 — Complete the following sentences by inserting an ism al-faʿil in the blank, and indicate its position in iʿrab:
kana al-inaʾ ……
— The vessel was ……
laʿalla aba-ka ……
— Perhaps your father is ……
al-nar …… fi al-manzil
— The fire is …… in the house.
rakib-tu al-bahr ……
— I sailed the sea ……
3 — Provide the iʿrab for the underlined portions:
— Allah Most High said: "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." — Quran 2:30 (Sahih International)
— [Classical poetry]: 'The slayer with the sword in the body of the slain — for swords, as for men, have appointed terms.'