Grammar term · The harf · Non-Governing Particles
Interpreted verbal noun (an+verb)
al-masdar al-mu'awwal
الْمَصْدَر الْمُؤَوَّل
In one line
A clause folded into a noun: أَنْ تَصُومُوا reads as صِيَامُكُمْ — and takes rafa, nasab or jarr like any noun.
Definition (modern)
الْمَوْصُولُ الْحَرْفِيُّ: هُوَ كُلُّ حَرْفٍ أُوِّلَ مَعَ صِلَتِهِ بِمَصْدَرٍ، وَهَذَا الْمَصْدَرُ الْمُؤَوَّلُ يَكُونُ فِي مَحَلِّ رَفْعٍ، أَوْ نَصْبٍ، أَوْ جَرٍّ بِحَسَبِ مَوْقِعِهِ فِي الْجُمْلَةِ. وَالْحُرُوفُ الْمَصْدَرِيَّةُ خَمْسَةٌ هِيَ: (أَنْ، وَأَنَّ، وَمَا، وَكَيْ، وَلَوْ).
“The harfic relative is any particle that, together with its clause, is recast as a masdar. This recast masdar stands in the place of rafa, nasab or jarr according to its position in the sentence. The masdar-forming particles are five: an, anna, ma, kay and law.”
(النحو التطبيقي)
Key words in the Arabic
أُوِّلَ...بِمَصْدَرٍrecast as a masdar
بِحَسَبِ مَوْقِعِهِaccording to its position
Understand it
Where English says 'fasting', Arabic may say 'that you fast' — أَنْ + verb — and treat the whole package as one noun. The pin lists the five wrappers; whichever is used, the recast unit takes a mahall exactly where a plain masdar would sit. Unwrapping it is the standard i'rab move: وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ carries the taqdir صِيَامُكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ.
How to spot it
Recognition test
أَنْ، أَنَّ، مَا، كَيْ or لَوْ + its clause where a noun would fit: swap in the plain masdar — if the sentence still works, it is a masdar mu'awwal; give it that noun's mahall.
In the Qur'an
أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَٰتٍ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُۥ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Al-Baqarah 2:184 — “(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.”
إِن تَصُومُوا۟ = صِيَامُكُمْ — a masdar mu'awwal serving as mubtada, in mahall rafa.
Related terms
Common questions
Why call it an interpreted verbal noun rather than just a clause?
Because you are meant to read it as a noun. The particle and the verb after it can be swapped for a single verbal noun without changing the meaning — and once you have made that swap, the whole clause takes rafa, nasab or jarr exactly as that noun would.
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