فَاعِل
fa'il
Agent / doer (fa'il)
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic rolecore term18,698+ in the Qur'an
Also written: Fa'il · Faa'il · Doer of the verb · Subject of the verb
In one line
The doer of the action — the noun in the nominative (raf') that performs the verb.
Classical definition
الفَاعِلُ هُوَ الاسْمُ المَرْفُوعُ المَذْكُورُ قَبْلَهُ فِعْلُهُ.
(الآجرّومية)
What it is
Every verb needs a doer. In Arabic that doer is marked in raf' (usually a damma), and it normally follows its verb. It may be a visible noun, or a pronoun hidden inside the verb.
How to spot it
Recognition test
Find the verb, then ask “who did it?” The answer — visible or hidden — is the fa'il, and it will be in raf'.
In the Qur'an
خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ
Al-'Ankabut 29:44 — “Allah created the heavens”
ٱللَّهُ is the fa'il — the doer of خَلَقَ — in raf', shown by the damma.
Don't confuse it with
Don't confuse it with نائب فاعل (the deputy agent): the fa'il does the action; the naa'ib stands in for a dropped doer in the passive.
Related terms
Common questions
Can the doer be hidden?
Yes — in قُمْ (“stand”) the doer “you” is a hidden pronoun inside the verb. It is still the fa'il.