Sarf · morphologyVerb form (baab)core term29,903+ in the Qur'an
In one line
A verb's 'gate': the vowel pair on its middle letter in past and present — نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ, ضَرَبَ يَضْرِبُ — which you learn with the verb.
Classical definition
البَابُ صِيغَةٌ تُبَيِّنُ حَرَكَةَ عَيْنِ الفِعْلِ فِي المَاضِي وَالمُضَارِعِ، كَبَابِ نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ.
“The bab is a pattern that shows the vowel of the verb's middle radical in the madi and the mudari', like the bab of nasara–yansuru.”
(بتصرف من شذا العرف)
Key words in the Arabic
عَيْنِ الْفِعْلِthe verb's middle radical
بَابgate — a vowel pattern
Understand it
Every bare three-letter verb walks through one of six gates, named after model verbs: نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ (a–u), ضَرَبَ يَضْرِبُ (a–i), فَتَحَ يَفْتَحُ (a–a), فَرِحَ يَفْرَحُ (i–a), كَرُمَ يَكْرُمُ (u–u), حَسِبَ يَحْسِبُ (i–i). The gate is not predictable from meaning or shape — it is part of the verb's identity, learned the way English learns sing–sang. Dictionaries mark it for exactly that reason.
How to spot it
Recognition test
Take the madi and its mudari' and read the two middle vowels: that pair names the bab. When conjugating an unfamiliar verb, look the pair up rather than guessing.
Related terms
Common questions
Is there a way to remember the six gates?
A mnemonic carries them in order: OPEN the Quran (فَتَحَ يَفْتَحُ) — Allah will HELP you (نَصَرَ يَنْصُرُ) — otherwise the dunya will BEAT you (ضَرَبَ يَضْرِبُ) — so LISTEN carefully (سَمِعَ يَسْمَعُ) — COUNT your good deeds (حَسِبَ يَحْسِبُ) — and BE NOBLE (كَرُمَ يَكْرُمُ). Bab Nasara is the workhorse of Quranic Arabic: خَلَقَ، عَبَدَ، ذَكَرَ، رَزَقَ all follow it.
Domain: Sarf · Category: Verb form (baab) · Frequency in the Qur'an: 29,903 · Source: بتصرف من شذا العرف, cross-checked against the Quranic corpus · Reviewed by Ustad M. Arjan Ali