Al-Asmaʾ al-Mawsula (the Relative Pronouns)

Consider the following sentences:

If you reflect on the underlined words, you find that taken alone they yield no complete meaning. If you say 'samahtu alladhi...' and stop there, the intent is unclear. But if you follow it with a clause — 'I forgave the one who insulted me' — the meaning becomes specific and identified for the listener.

Thus the word 'alladhi' is definite — provided that it is connected to a clause that follows clarifying its intent. For this reason, the word 'alladhi' is called an ism mawsul (relative pronoun, lit. 'connected noun'), and the clause that clarifies its meaning is called silat al-mawsul (the relative clause, lit. 'connection of the connected').

Types of Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are of two types: specific (khassa) and general/shared (ʿamma mushtaraka).

The Specific Relative Pronouns

Each of these is specific to a particular type of person or thing — namely:

— alladhi: for the masculine singular (rational or non-rational). — alladhani / alladhayni: for the masculine dual (rational or non-rational). — alladhina: for the masculine plural (rational only). — allati: for the feminine singular (rational or non-rational). — allatani / allatayni: for the feminine dual. — allaʾi / allati / allawati: for the feminine plural (rational or non-rational).

The General/Shared Relative Pronouns

These are those whose form is the same for masculine and feminine, dual and plural — namely:

— man: a relative pronoun, generally for rational beings. — ma: a relative pronoun, generally for non-rational entities. — al-: a relative pronoun for both rational and non-rational entities. — dhu (in the meaning of 'alladhi', not the 'dhu' that is one of the Five Nouns): a relative pronoun for both rational and non-rational entities. — dha: a relative pronoun for both rational and non-rational; it is conditioned that it not be a demonstrative, and that it fall after 'man' or 'ma'.

Sentences About Relative Pronouns

Iʿrab of the Relative Pronouns and What Follows

Relative pronouns take their iʿrab according to their position in the sentence. They are always mabni (invariable) — except in the dual, which is muʿrab (declinable): nominative with alif, accusative and genitive with yaʾ.

Silat al-Mawsul (the Relative Clause)

It is the clause that follows the relative pronoun in order to make it definite, complete its meaning, and clarify what is intended by it.

Types of Silat al-Mawsul:

— A verbal clause (jumla fiʿliyya), e.g.:

— A nominal clause (jumla ismiyya), e.g.:

— A prepositional phrase (jarr wa-majrur), e.g.:

— An adverbial phrase (zarf), e.g.:

Conditions for the Relative Clause: — It must be declarative (khabariyya) in both wording and meaning, e.g.: 'Indeed Allah does not let the reward of the one who acts righteously go to waste.' — It must be known to the addressee and not vague, e.g.: 'I performed the duty that you abandoned.' — It must contain a pronoun referring back to the relative pronoun, e.g.: 'The one whom I honored came (jaʾa alladhi akram-tu-hu).'

ʿAʾid al-Mawsul (the Returning Pronoun)

This is a third-person pronoun that links the relative clause to the relative pronoun, e.g.:

Examples of Relative Pronouns with Iʿrab

jaʾa: a past-tense verb fixed on the manifest fatha at its end. al-talib: the subject (faʿil) in the nominative case, marked by the manifest damma at its end. alladhi: a relative pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of nominative as a naʿt (attributive adjective). najaha: a past-tense verb fixed on the manifest fatha at its end; the subject is a permissibly concealed pronoun, implied as 'huwa' ('he').

raʾaytu: a past-tense verb fixed on sukun; the taʾ is a connected pronoun fixed on damma, in the position of nominative as the subject. alladhayni: a relative pronoun, the direct object in the accusative case, marked by yaʾ because it is dual; the nun substitutes for the tanwin of the singular noun. qadima: a past-tense verb fixed on fatha; the alif is a connected pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of nominative as the subject. min: a preposition. baʿid: a noun in the genitive after 'min', its genitive marker being the manifest kasra at its end.

alladhina: a relative pronoun fixed on fatha, in the position of nominative as a mubtadaʾ. faz-u: a past-tense verb fixed on damma; the waw is a connected pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of nominative as the subject; the alif is for distinction (alif al-tafriq). abtal: a khabar in the nominative case, marked by the manifest damma at its end.

ma: a relative pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of nominative as a mubtadaʾ. ʿinda-kum: a noun of place (zarf) in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha; it is a mudaf, and 'kum' is a connected pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh. yanfadu: a present-tense verb in the nominative case, marked by the manifest damma at its end. The waw: has no place in iʿrab. ma: a relative pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of nominative as a mubtadaʾ. ʿinda: a noun of place in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha; a mudaf. Allah: the divine name, a mudaf ilayh in the genitive case, marked by the manifest kasra at its end. baqin: a khabar in the nominative case, marked by an estimated damma on the omitted yaʾ.