أَلْ التَّعْرِيف
al al-ta'rif
Definite article (al-)
I'rab · i'rabDefinitenesscore term
Also written: Ma'rifah and Nakirah · Definite and indefinite · Marifah
In one line
The definite article (the “al-”) that makes a noun definite.
Classical definition
الأَلِفُ وَاللَّامُ حَرْفٌ يُعَرِّفُ الاسْمَ النَّكِرَةَ فَيَصِيرُ مَعْرِفَةً.
(شذا العرف)
What it is
الْ is the Arabic definite article — the equivalent of English “the.” Attached to the front of an indefinite noun it makes it definite, and in doing so it removes the tanwin: كِتَابٌ (“a book”) becomes الْكِتَابُ (“the book”). It is one small word, but one of the two main ways Arabic marks a noun as a specific, known thing.
How to spot it
Recognition test
The prefix ال turning a general noun into a specific one — كِتاب → الكِتاب.
Related terms
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From the free course The Language of Quran — Easier than English (Book 1) (LoQ1), taught by Ustad Muhammad Arjan Ali.