What is a construct (murakkab)?
In one line
Definition
Understand it
A single meaningful word is a كَلِمَة (kalimah). Join two or more words so that together they give a meaning, and you have a مُرَكَّب (murakkab).
Words put together at random do not make a murakkab. They must be joined according to the rules of Arabic grammar, and those rules decide how each word attaches and what ending it takes.
A grammatically sound murakkab is only ever one of two kinds, and the test is the same every time: can the speaker stop there?
The two kinds of construct
| The test | Covered in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| مُرَكَّب تَامّ | Complete | the speaker can stop — the meaning stands alone | the sentence — section C |
| مُرَكَّب نَاقِص | Incomplete | the speaker cannot stop — the listener waits | the phrase — section D |
A complete construct is also called الجُمْلَة (al-jumla) or الكَلَام (al-kalam).
كِتَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ (kitabu muhammadin), “Muhammad's book”, leaves the listener waiting — nothing has been said about the book yet. That is naqis. أَقْبَلَ ضَيْفٌ (aqbala dayfun), “a guest arrived”, does not — two words, and nothing is missing. That is tamm.
This one division is the spine of the guide. The complete construct is the sentence, and it has its own section. The incomplete construct is the phrase, and it has its own section too.
Types of Murakkab
A murakkab is one of two: tam, complete, which is a sentence; or naqis, incomplete, which is a phrase.
How to spot it
In the Qur'an
In the language — فِي اللُّغَة
The word مُرَكَّب (murakkab) in everyday Arabic means assembled — a thing built out of parts.
مُرَكَّبٌ كِيمِيَائِيٌّ (murakkabun kimiya’iyyun) — “a chemical compound”
Used in that linguistic sense it covers anything put together from separate pieces.
As a grammatical term it means specifically two or more words joined to form a meaningful construct.
Related terms
Common questions
Is any group of words a murakkab?
No — the words have to add up to something. Two words thrown together at random are not a murakkab. The test is whether joining them produces a meaning neither carried alone; once it does, the only question left is whether that meaning is complete or still hanging.
Updated