مَفْعُول لِأَجْلِهِ
maf'ul li-ajlih
Object of purpose
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic roleadvanced term92+ in the Qur'an
In one line
The object of purpose — a verbal noun in nasb giving the reason for the action.
Classical definition
المَفْعُولُ لَهُ هُوَ المَصْدَرُ المَنْصُوبُ الَّذِي يُذْكَرُ بَيَانًا لِسَبَبِ وُقُوعِ الفِعْلِ.
(الآجرّومية)
How to spot it
Recognition test
It answers “why?” with a masdar in nasb — e.g. “he stood up out of respect.”
In the Qur'an
يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ
Al-Baqarah 2:19 — “they put their fingers in their ears... in dread of death”
حَذَرَ is maf'ul li-ajlih in nasb — the reason for the action.
Related terms