Ism al-Mafʿul (the Passive Participle)
al-kitab-u maqruʾ
— The book is read.
al-dars-u mafhum
— The lesson is understood.
al-bab-u maftuh
— The door is opened.
al-wajib-u maktub
— The assignment is written.
In these examples, the words (maqruʾ, mafhum, maftuh, maktub) are nouns indicating the one upon whom the action falls — that is, the book is the recipient of reading, the lesson is the recipient of understanding, the door is the recipient of opening, and the assignment is the recipient of writing. Each is an ism al-mafʿul.
Forming Ism al-Mafʿul
The formation of ism al-mafʿul varies depending on the verb it is derived from — whether triliteral or non-triliteral.
First: Forming Ism al-Mafʿul from the Triliteral Verb
kataba, maktub
(he wrote / written)
qaraʾa, maqruʾ
(he read / read [as adjective])
nasara, mansur
(he aided / aided / victorious)
fataha, maftuh
(he opened / opened)
daraba, madrub
(he struck / struck)
akala, maʾkul
(he ate / eaten)
shariba, mashrub
(he drank / drunk / a beverage)
hafiza, mahfuz
(he memorized / memorized / preserved)
Forming Ism al-Mafʿul from the Weak Triliteral Verb
If the triliteral verb is weak, certain rulings apply when forming ism al-mafʿul from it.
1 — The Hollow Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Ajwaf — Weak in the Middle)
qala, maqul
(he said / said. Originally: maqwul.)
baʿa, mabiʿ
(he sold / sold. Originally: mabyuʿ.)
sama, masum
(he fasted / fasted)
qada, maqud
(he led / led)
2 — The Defective Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Naqis — Weak in the Last Letter)
daʿa, madʿuww
(he called / called. Originally: madʿuw.)
rama, marmiyy
(he threw / thrown. Originally: marmuy.)
qada, maqdiyy
(he decreed / decreed)
hada, mahdiyy
(he guided / guided)
saʿa, masʿiyy
(he strove / striven for)
Second: Forming Ism al-Mafʿul from Non-Triliteral Verbs
| Verb | Passive Present | Ism al-Mafʿul |
|---|---|---|
| akrama(he honored) | yukramuيُكْرَمُ | mukram(honored) |
| ʿallama(he taught) | yuʿallamuيُعَلَّمُ | muʿallam(taught) |
| sharaka(he shared) | yusharakuيُشارَكُ | musharak(shared) |
| intalaqa(he set off) | yuntalaquيُنْطَلَقُ | muntalaq(setting-off place) |
| ijtamaʿa(he gathered) | yujtamaʿuيُجْتَمَعُ | mujtamaʿ(gathering place / society) |
| istakhraja(he extracted) | yustakhrajuيُسْتَخْرَجُ | mustakhraj(extracted) |
| dahraja(he rolled) | yudahrajuيُدَحْرَجُ | mudahraj(rolled) |
| taʿallama(he learned) | yutaʿallamuيُتَعَلَّمُ | mutaʿallam(learned) |
mukrim (active participle), mukram (passive participle)
(one who honors / one who is honored)
muʿallim (active), muʿallam (passive)
(teacher / one taught)
mustakhrij (active), mustakhraj (passive)
(extractor / extracted)
What May Substitute for Ism al-Mafʿul
qatil, in the meaning of maqtul
(slain — meaning 'one who is killed')
jarih, in the meaning of majruh
(wounded)
asir, in the meaning of maʾsur
(captive)
dhabih, in the meaning of madhbuh
(slaughtered)
khadab, in the meaning of makhdub
(dyed)
hadha rajul-un qatil
— This is a slain man.
hadhihi imraʾat-un qatil
— This is a slain woman. (still 'qatil', not 'qatila')
hadhani rajulani qatil
— These are two slain men. (still 'qatil')
haʾulaʾ rijal-un qatil
— These are slain men. (still 'qatil')
The Operation of Ism al-Mafʿul
al-talib-u mahmud-un khuluq-u-hu
— The student — his character is praised.
al-bayt-u maftuhat-un nawafidh-u-hu
— The house — its windows are open.
al-shajarat-u maqtuʿat-un aghsan-u-ha
— The tree — its branches are cut.
In these sentences, the ism al-mafʿul (mahmud, maftuha, maqtuʿa) has each raised a naʾib al-faʿil: 'khuluq-u-hu' is naʾib al-faʿil for 'mahmud'; 'nawafidh-u-hu' for 'maftuha'; 'aghsan-u-ha' for 'maqtuʿa'.
Conditions for the Operation of Ism al-Mafʿul
1 — When Prefixed with 'Al-'
jaʾa al-mahmud-u khuluq-u-hu
— He whose character is praised has come.
hadha huwa al-maktub-u ism-u-hu fi al-qaʾima
— This is the one whose name is written on the list.
2 — When Free of 'Al-'
- Depending on a negation: ma mahmudun khuluquhu kadhibun ('the one whose character is praised is not a liar').
- Depending on an interrogative: a-mafhumun darsuhu? ('is his lesson understood?').
- Depending on a qualified noun: marartu bi-rajulin mahmudin khuluquhu ('I passed by a man whose character is praised').
- Depending on a noun being predicated about: al-talibu mafhumun darsuhu ('the student — his lesson is understood').
- Depending on a sahib hal: jaʾa al-talibu mafhuman darsuhu ('the student came with his lesson having been understood').
Iʿrab of the Complement of Ism al-Mafʿul
al-talib-u maktub-un ism-u-hu
— The student — his name is written. (singular naʾib al-faʿil)
al-talibani maktub-un ismah-u-huma
— The two students — their (two) names are written. (dual naʾib al-faʿil)
al-tullab-u maktubat-un asmaʾ-u-hum
— The students — their names are written. (plural naʾib al-faʿil)
Masculinity and Femininity of Ism al-Mafʿul
| Type of naʾib al-faʿil | Example |
|---|---|
| Masculine singular | al-talib-u mafhum-un dars-u-huالطالبُ مَفْهومٌ درسُهُ |
| Feminine singular | al-talibat-u mafhumat-un qasidat-u-haالطالبةُ مَفْهومةٌ قصيدتُها |
| Masculine dual | al-talibani mafhumani darsah-u-humaالطالبانِ مَفْهومانِ درساهُما |
| Feminine dual | al-talibatani mafhumatani qasidatah-u-humaالطالبتانِ مَفْهومتانِ قصيدتاهُما |
| Masculine plural | al-tullab-u mafhumun-a duruswa-humالطلابُ مَفْهومونَ دروسُهُم |
| Feminine plural | al-talibat-u mafhumat-un qasaʾid-u-hunnaالطالباتُ مَفْهوماتٌ قصائدُهنَّ |
al-tullab-u mafhum-un dars-u-hum
— The students — their lesson is understood. (mafhum is singular because the naʾib al-faʿil is manifest)
al-tullab-u mafhumun
— The students are understood. (mafhumun is plural because the naʾib al-faʿil is a concealed pronoun)
Difference Between Ism al-Faʿil and Ism al-Mafʿul
| Aspect | Ism al-Faʿil (Active Participle) | Ism al-Mafʿul (Passive Participle) |
|---|---|---|
| Indicates | The one performing the action | The one upon whom the action falls |
| Derived from | The active-voice verb | The passive-voice verb |
| Triliteral pattern | faʿil (e.g., katib)فاعِل (كاتِب) | mafʿul (e.g., maktub)مَفْعول (مَكْتُوب) |
| Non-triliteral pattern | Same as the present-tense form, with kasra before the last letter | Same as the present-tense form, with fatha before the last letter |
| Operation | Raises a subject and puts an object in the accusative | Raises a deputy subject (naʾib al-faʿil) |
How are ism al-faʿil and ism al-mafʿul distinguished from non-triliteral verbs?
They are distinguished by the vowel before the last letter: ism al-faʿil from non-triliteral verbs has a kasra before the last (mukrim, muʿallim, mujtahid), and ism al-mafʿul has a fatha before the last (mukram, muʿallam, mujtahad). They are also distinguished by meaning: ism al-faʿil indicates the doer, while ism al-mafʿul indicates the recipient of the action.
Example of Iʿrab
al-talib-u mafhum-un dars-u-hu
— The student — his lesson is understood.
al-talib: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. mafhum: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; an ism al-mafʿul operating like its verb. dars: naʾib al-faʿil for the ism al-mafʿul, in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; a mudaf. The haʾ: a connected pronoun fixed on damma, in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh.
Allah Most High said: "...indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart — about all those [one] will be questioned." — Quran 17:36 (Sahih International)
In this noble verse, 'masʾulan' is an ism al-mafʿul from the triliteral verb 'saʾala' on the pattern 'mafʿul'. It serves as the predicate of 'kana' in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha. It indicates that the human being will be the recipient of questioning and accountability regarding his hearing, sight, and heart.