Demonstrative Pronouns — Ism al-Isharah
The pointing words — هذا، هذه، ذلك، تلك — used over 1,060 times in the Quran.
What Are the Demonstratives?
The demonstratives (اِسْمُ الْإِشَارَةِ — literally "the noun of pointing") are the Arabic words for this and that. They direct attention to something specific, and Arabic treats them as a fully-fledged category of noun with their own gender, number, and grammatical behaviour.
They matter enormously for Quranic study: the demonstratives for near and far are used more than 1,060 times in the Quran — one or two on nearly every page of the mushaf.
The Core Set
| Near ("this") | Far ("that") | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | هَٰذَا | ذَٰلِكَ |
| Feminine singular | هَٰذِهِ | تِلْكَ |
| Plural (rational) | هَٰؤُلَاءِ | أُولَٰئِكَ |
1. Demonstratives are always DEFINITE and always MABNI — their endings never change for case. 2. Non-rational plurals (objects, animals) take the FEMININE SINGULAR demonstrative: هَٰذِهِ كُتُبٌ — "these are books".
The demonstrative combines with a definite noun to form the demonstrative phrase (مُرَكَّبٌ إِشَارِيٌّ): هَٰذَا الْكِتَابُ — "this book". With an indefinite noun the same words become a complete nominal sentence: هَٰذَا كِتَابٌ — "this is a book". As with so much of Arabic grammar, definiteness is the hinge on which meaning turns.
Quranic Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know whether هذا الكتاب means "this book" or "this is the book"?
هَٰذَا + definite noun (هَٰذَا الْكِتَابُ) is normally the phrase "this book", which needs more words to complete a sentence. A pronoun of separation (هَٰذَا هُوَ الْكِتَابُ) or context marks the sentence reading "this is the book".
Why does the Quran use ذلك for things that are present?
The far demonstrative often signals greatness and elevation rather than physical distance — ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ honours the Quran by placing it high, not far away. This rhetorical use is frequent in the Quran.
Which demonstrative is used for non-rational plurals?
The feminine singular. Books, mountains, deeds — all take هَٰذِهِ / تِلْكَ: تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ — "these are the signs of Allah". The same rule governs adjectives and verbs with non-rational plurals throughout Arabic.