Consider the following sentences:
al-fahd-u asraʿ-u min al-asad
— The cheetah is faster than the lion.
al-fil-u adkham-u min al-jamal
— The elephant is bigger than the camel.
Kamal-un atyab-u min Saʿid
— Kamal is kinder than Saʿid.
If you reflect on the underlined words (asraʿ, adkham, atyab), you will find them to be nouns indicating that two things share a particular attribute, but one of them surpasses the other in it. The cheetah and the lion both share in 'speed', but the cheetah surpasses the lion in this attribute.
The same applies to the words 'adkham' and 'atyab'. These words are called ism al-tafdil (the elative — comparative or superlative). What precedes it is called al-mufaddal ('the preferred'); what follows it is called al-mufaddal ʿalayh ('the one over which preference is given').
Examples of Ism al-Tafdil
al-ʿilm-u anfaʿ-u min al-mal
— Knowledge is more beneficial than wealth.
al-shams-u akbar-u min al-ard
— The sun is bigger than the earth.
al-sukut-u afdal-u min al-kalam
— Silence is better than speech.
shahad-tu imraʾat-an ajmal-a min al-qamar
— I saw a woman more beautiful than the moon.
Conditions for Ism al-Tafdil
Ism al-tafdil is formed from a verb that meets the following conditions:
- 1 — The verb is triliteral; it is not formed from a quadriliteral or quintiliteral verb. E.g.:
- 2 — The verb is in the active voice; it is not formed from a passive-voice verb. E.g.:
- 3 — The verb is complete (not 'kana' or its sisters, which are incomplete).
- 4 — The verb is flexible (mutasarrif); it is not formed from an inflexible (jamid) verb. E.g.:
- 5 — The verb is affirmative; it is not formed from a negated verb. E.g.:
- 6 — Its descriptive adjective is not on the pattern 'afʿal' (i.e., colors and physical defects). E.g.:
- 7 — The verb is capable of variation and gradation. E.g.:
laʿiba : alʿabu
(played : I play)
kataba : aktubu
(wrote : I write)
nasara : ansaru
(aided : I aid)
fadula : afdal
(was preferred : more preferred)
ahmar, azraq, akhdar
— No ism al-tafdil is formed from these adjectives (red, blue, green) since they are themselves on the pattern afʿal.
saruʿa : asraʿ
(was fast : faster)
mata
(died — not capable of variation/gradation)
Question: How is ism al-tafdil formed if the verb does not meet the previous conditions?
If the verb does not meet the previous conditions, ism al-tafdil is formed from it by adding the verbal noun (masdar) in the accusative after one of the following words: ashadd ('more intense'), akthar ('more'), akbar ('greater'), etc. These verbal nouns are parsed as tamyiz (specification) in the accusative. For example:
ʿAliyy-un akthar-u tasamuhan min akhi-hi
— Ali is more tolerant than his brother.
Rashid ashadd-u tahammulan li-l-masaʿib min Hisham
— Rashid is stronger in bearing hardships than Hisham.
Note: Three words in Arabic occur without the hamza but still convey 'preference'. They are: khayr ('better'), sharr ('worse'), and habb ('more loved'). They convey what 'akhyar', 'ashadd', and 'ahabb' would. For example:
— Allah Most High said, on the tongue of Iblis exalting himself over Adam: "I am better than him." — Quran 7:12 (Sahih International)
sharr-u al-nas-i aktharu-hum isaʾat-an li-ghayri-him
— The worst of people are those who do the most harm to others.
Ism al-Tafdil: Its States and Its Operation
Ism al-tafdil is used in four states:
1 — Free of 'al-' and Construct (Idafa)
In this state, ism al-tafdil is masculine singular, and the al-mufaddal ʿalayh follows it in the genitive after 'min'. E.g.:
al-ʿilm-u anfaʿ-u min al-mal
— Knowledge is more beneficial than wealth.
Al-mufaddal: al-ʿilm. Ism al-tafdil: anfaʿ. Al-mufaddal ʿalayh: al-mal.
2 — Made Definite with 'Al-'
In this state, ism al-tafdil agrees with al-mufaddal in masculinity, femininity, singularity, duality, and plurality; and al-mufaddal ʿalayh is not mentioned. E.g.:
al-walad-u al-akbar-u dhakiyy
— The eldest boy is intelligent.
al-baqarat-u al-kubrayat-u hazilat
— The largest cows are emaciated.
Al-mufaddal: al-walad. Ism al-tafdil: al-akbar.
Al-mufaddal: al-baqarat. Ism al-tafdil: al-kubrayat.
3 — Annexed to an Indefinite Noun
In this state, ism al-tafdil is masculine singular, and the noun following it agrees with the noun before it in masculinity and femininity. E.g.:
al-kitab-u afdal-u Samir
— The book is the best [of any companion] of Samir.
Al-mufaddal: al-kitab. Ism al-tafdil: afdal. Al-mufaddal ʿalayh: Samir.
4 — Annexed to a Definite Noun
In this state, it may agree with the noun preceding it (as with the form made definite by 'al-'), or it may stay singular and masculine (as with the form annexed to an indefinite noun). E.g.:
al-sadiq-u khayr-u al-anis
— A friend is the best of companions.
al-sadiqani khayra al-jalisayn
— Two friends are the best of two companions.
Makka wa-l-Madina ashraf-u al-mudun — aw ashrafa al-mudun
— Mecca and al-Madinah are the most honored of cities — or 'the two most honored of cities'.
The Operation of Ism al-Tafdil
Ism al-tafdil operates like a verb, raising a subject (faʿil) in two cases:
1 — It raises a concealed pronoun if no verb of the same meaning could fit in its place. E.g.:
ʿAliyy-un asdaq-u min Salim
— Ali is more truthful than Salim.
Implied: 'ʿAliyy is more truthful — he — than Salim.' The pronoun 'huwa' is in the position of nominative as the subject (faʿil) of 'asdaq'.
2 — Ism al-tafdil may raise a manifest noun (a faʿil) if a verb of its meaning could fit in its place. E.g.:
ma raʾay-tu rajulan ahsan-a fi ʿayn-i-hi al-kuhl-u min-hu fi ʿayn-i Zayd
— I have not seen a man on whom kohl looks better in his eye than it looks on Zayd.
The word 'al-kuhl' is in the nominative, raised by 'ahsan', because a verb of its meaning could fit there. The implied form: 'ma raʾaytu rajulan yahsunu fi ʿaynihi al-kuhlu ka-Zayd' ('I have not seen a man on whom kohl looks beautiful in his eye like Zayd').
Examples of Iʿrab for Ism al-Tafdil
inna asdaq-a al-hadith-i kitab-u Allah
— Indeed, the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah.
inna: a particle of emphasis and accusative-governance. asdaq: ism inna in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha at its end; a mudaf. al-hadith: a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra. kitab: khabar inna in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; a mudaf. Allah: the divine name, a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra.
ʿAliyy-un afsah-u lahjatan
— Ali is more eloquent in dialect.
ʿAliyy: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma. afsah: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; its subject is a permissibly concealed pronoun, implied as 'huwa'. lahjatan: tamyiz (specification) in the accusative, marked by the manifest fatha.
khayr-u al-nas-i anfaʿ-u-hum li-l-nas
— The best of people is the most beneficial of them to others.
khayr: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma; a mudaf. It is an irregular ism al-tafdil — its original form would have been 'akhyar'. al-nas: a mudaf ilayh in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra. anfaʿu-hum: khabar in the nominative; an ism al-tafdil annexed to a definite noun ('hum'), which is a separate pronoun in the position of genitive as a mudaf ilayh. li-l-nas: a prepositional phrase attached to 'anfaʿ'.
— Allah Most High said: "He said, 'My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me.'" — Quran 12:33 (Sahih International)
qala: a past-tense verb fixed on the manifest fatha; the subject is a permissibly concealed pronoun, implied as 'huwa'. rabb: a vocative with an omitted vocative particle (implied 'ya rabb'); a mudaf in the accusative, marked by an estimated fatha at its end. al-sijn: mubtadaʾ in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. ahabb: khabar in the nominative, marked by the manifest damma at its end. ilayya: a prepositional phrase attached to 'ahabb'. mimma: originally 'min ma'; 'min' is a preposition, 'ma' is a relative pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of genitive after 'min'. The phrase is attached to 'ahabb'; the clause that follows is in the position of accusative as a direct object. yadʿuna-ni: a present-tense verb in the nominative, marked by the retention of the nun; the waw is a connected pronoun in the position of nominative as the subject; the nun is the protective nun (nun al-wiqaya); the yaʾ is a connected pronoun fixed on sukun, in the position of accusative as the direct object. ilayhi: a prepositional phrase attached to 'yadʿunani'.
Exercises on Ism al-Tafdil
1 — Form ism al-tafdil from the following verbs and use them in meaningful sentences:
ʿalima
(he knew)
jamula
(he was beautiful)
qaraʾa
(he read)
saʿida
(he was happy)
sharufa
(he was honored)
saruʿa
(he was swift)
2 — Identify ism al-tafdil in the following:
— Allah Most High said: "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men." — Quran 18:34 (Sahih International)
al-yad-u al-ʿulya khayr-un min al-yad-i al-sufla
— 'The upper hand is better than the lower hand.' (Hadith)
al-mustaqim-u asʿad-u al-nas-i fi hayat-i-hi
— The upright person is the happiest of people in his life.
qiraʾat-un fi kitabin afdal-u min jalis-i al-suʾ
— Reading a book is better than the company of an evil companion.
3 — Provide the iʿrab for the underlined portions:
— [Al-Qarawi, classical poetry]: 'That is purer in fragrance and gentler in embrace; through its touch the bodies are healed.'
— "Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason." — Quran 8:22 (Sahih International)