Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
الْمَصْدَر الْمُؤَوَّل
al-masdar al-mu'awwal
Interpreted verbal noun (an+verb)
Nahw · syntaxClause/structureadvanced term854+ in the Qur'an
In one line
A clause folded into a noun: أَنْ تَصُومُوا reads as صِيَامُكُمْ — and takes rafa', nasb 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', nasb 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
وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ
Al-Baqarah 2:184 — “But to fast is better for you”
أَن تَصُومُوا۟ = صِيَامُكُمْ — a masdar mu'awwal serving as mubtada, in mahall rafa'.
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