Al-Mamnuʿ min al-Sarf (the Diptote)
jaʾa Ahmad-u
— Ahmad came. (nominative with damma)
raʾay-tu Ahmad-a
— I saw Ahmad. (accusative with fatha)
sallam-tu ʿala Ahmad-a
— I greeted Ahmad. (genitive with fatha — substituting for kasra)
In the third example, 'Ahmad' is in the genitive with fatha (substituting for kasra) because it is mamnuʿ min al-sarf. It does not carry tanwin in any of the examples because it does not accept tanwin.
Categories of Al-Mamnuʿ min al-Sarf
Al-mamnuʿ min al-sarf is divided into three main categories: those restricted for two reasons (ʿillatayn); those restricted for one reason; and the descriptive adjective restricted from full declension.
First: Restricted for Two Reasons
1 — The Proper Name (ʿAlam)
A proper name is restricted from full declension when it bears any of the following reasons: feminine-ness, foreignness (ʿujma), addition of alif and nun, the pattern of a verb, deviation from original form (ʿadl), or compound-blend composition.
(a) The Feminine Proper Name
zara Muʿawiyat-u al-Sham
— Muʿawiya visited al-Sham. (formally feminine, of a male)
takallamat Zaynab-u
— Zaynab spoke. (semantically feminine)
jaʾat Fatimat-u
— Fatima came. (formally and semantically feminine)
(b) The Foreign Proper Name
hajara Ibrahim-u ila al-Sham
— Ibrahim emigrated to al-Sham. (foreign, more than three letters)
kallama Allah-u Musa
— Allah spoke to Moses. (foreign, more letters)
jaʾa Nuh-un
— Noah came. (foreign three-letter, sukun on middle — masruf)
(c) The Proper Name Ending in Added Alif and Nun
khalafa ʿUthman-u ʿUmar
— ʿUthman succeeded ʿUmar.
arsala Allah-u Sulayman-a nabiyyan
— Allah sent Sulayman as a prophet.
sumtu fi Ramadan-a
— I fasted in Ramadan.
(d) The Proper Name on the Pattern of a Verb
jaʾa Ahmad-u
— Ahmad came.
hakama Yazid-u bn-u Muʿawiya
— Yazid ibn Muʿawiya ruled.
sakanat Taghlib-u fi al-jazira
— [The tribe of] Taghlib settled in al-Jazira.
(e) The Deviated Proper Name (Al-ʿAlam al-Maʿdul)
kana ʿUmar-u bn-u al-Khattab ʿadilan
— ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab was just.
jaʾa Zufar-u
— Zufar came.
(f) The Proper Name with Compound-Blend Composition
zur-tu Baʿlabakk-a
— I visited Baalbek.
sakana fi Hadramawt-a
— He lived in Hadramawt.
2 — The Descriptive Adjective
An adjective is restricted for two reasons when, together with descriptive-ness, it bears another reason: addition of alif and nun, the pattern of a verb, or deviation from original form.
(a) Adjective Ending in Added Alif and Nun
jaʾa rajul-un ʿatshan-u
— A thirsty man came.
raʾay-tu sabiyyan juʿan-a
— I saw a hungry boy.
kana al-ab-u ghadban-a
— The father was angry.
(b) Adjective on the Pattern afʿal
labis-tu thawban ahmar-a
— I wore a red garment.
raʾay-tu farasan abyad-a
— I saw a white horse.
saʾal-tu ʿan makanin abʿad-a
— I asked about a more distant place.
(c) The Deviated Adjective
jaʾa al-tullab-u mathna wa-thulath-a wa-rubaʿ-a
— The students came two by two, three by three, and four by four.
raʾay-tu nisaʾan ukhar-a
— I saw other women.
Second: Restricted for One Reason
1 — Ending in Alif al-Taʾnith al-Maqsura
hadhihi dhikra ʿazima
— This is a great memory.
sakanat Salma fi al-qarya
— Salma settled in the village.
raʾay-tu imraʾatan hubla
— I saw a pregnant woman.
2 — Ending in Alif al-Taʾnith al-Mamduda
sir-tu fi sahraʾ-a wasiʿa
— I walked in a vast desert.
raʾay-tu zahratan hamraʾ-a
— I saw a red flower.
zara-ni asdiqaʾ-u kathiruna
— Many friends visited me.
3 — Nouns on the Extreme Plural Pattern
masjid, masajid
(mosque / mosques)
madrasa, madaris
(school / schools)
miftah, mafatih
(key / keys)
ʿusfur, ʿasafir
(sparrow / sparrows)
funduq, fanadiq
(hotel / hotels)
buniyat fi al-madinat-i masajid-u kathira
— Many mosques have been built in the city.
sallay-tu fi masajid-a ʿazima
— I prayed in great mosques.
tatir-u fi al-samaʾ-i ʿasafir-u saghira
— Small sparrows fly in the sky.
Iʿrab of Al-Mamnuʿ min al-Sarf
| State | Iʿrab Marker | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Manifest damma | jaʾa Ahmad-uجاء أحمدُ |
| Accusative | Manifest fatha | raʾay-tu Ahmad-aرأيتُ أحمدَ |
| Genitive | Fatha (substituting for kasra) | sallam-tu ʿala Ahmad-aسلَّمتُ على أحمدَ |
When Is Al-Mamnuʿ min al-Sarf Put in the Genitive with Kasra?
sallay-tu fi al-masajid-i
— I prayed in the mosques. ('al-' attached)
sallay-tu fi masajid-i al-madina
— I prayed in the mosques of the city. (mudaf)
sallay-tu fi masajid-a kathira
— I prayed in many mosques. (no 'al-' and not mudaf — genitive with fatha)
Why does al-mamnuʿ min al-sarf return to genitive with kasra when annexed or carrying 'al-'?
The reason is that restriction from full declension is a secondary status of the noun, while genitive with kasra is the original iʿrab. When the noun is annexed or carries 'al-', the cause restricting it is lightened, so it returns to its original and is put in the genitive with kasra. As for tanwin, it does not return even with annexation or 'al-', because both of those originally prevent tanwin in all nouns.
Causes of Restriction from Full Declension — Summary
| Cause | Restricted for One or Two Reasons | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Proper-name + femininity | Two | Fatima, Zaynab, Muʿawiyaفاطمةُ، زينبُ، معاويةُ |
| Proper-name + foreignness | Two | Ibrahim, Ismaʿil, Yaʿqubإبراهيمُ، إسماعيلُ، يعقوبُ |
| Proper-name + added alif-nun | Two | ʿUthman, Sulayman, Ramadanعثمانُ، سليمانُ، رمضانُ |
| Proper-name + verb pattern | Two | Ahmad, Yazidأحمدُ، يزيدُ |
| Proper-name + deviation | Two | ʿUmar, Zufarعُمَرُ، زُفَرُ |
| Proper-name + compound-blend | Two | Baʿlabakk, Hadramawtبعلبكُّ، حضرموتُ |
| Adjective + added alif-nun | Two | ʿatshan, juʿanعطشانُ، جوعانُ |
| Adjective + pattern afʿal | Two | ahmar, abyadأحمرُ، أبيضُ |
| Adjective + deviation | Two | mathna, thulath, ukharمَثْنى، ثُلاثَ، أُخَرُ |
| Shortened feminine alif | One | dhikra, Salmaذكرى، سلمى |
| Extended feminine alif | One | sahraʾ, hamraʾصحراءُ، حمراءُ |
| Extreme plural pattern | One | masajid, mafatihمساجدُ، مفاتيحُ |
Example of Iʿrab
salla al-muslim-una fi masajid-a kathira
— The Muslims prayed in many mosques.
salla: a past-tense verb fixed on an estimated fatha. al-muslimuna: the subject in the nominative, marked by waw because it is a sound masculine plural. fi: a preposition. masajid-a: a noun in the genitive after 'fi', marked by fatha (substituting for kasra) because it is mamnuʿ min al-sarf on the extreme plural pattern. kathira: a naʿt in the genitive, marked by the manifest kasra.
Allah Most High said: "And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars (masabih)..." — Quran 67:5 (Sahih International)
In this noble verse, 'masabiha' is in the genitive after the 'baʾ', marked by fatha (substituting for kasra) because it is mamnuʿ min al-sarf on the extreme plural pattern. It does not carry 'al-' and is not annexed, so it remains restricted from full declension.
And Allah Most High said: "Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. On thrones (al-araʾiki), observing." — Quran 83:22-23 (Sahih International)
In His saying 'al-araʾik-i', the noun is put in the genitive with kasra — not with fatha — even though it is on the extreme plural pattern. This is because 'al-' is attached to it, returning it to the original genitive with kasra.