مَفْعُول مُطْلَق
maf'ul mutlaq
Absolute/cognate object
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic roleadvanced term297+ in the Qur'an
In one line
The absolute (cognate) object — a verbal noun in nasb from the same root as the verb, for emphasis.
Classical definition
المَفْعُولُ المُطْلَقُ هُوَ المَصْدَرُ المَنْصُوبُ الَّذِي يَجِيءُ ثَالِثًا فِي تَصْرِيفِ الفِعْلِ.
(الآجرّومية)
How to spot it
Recognition test
A masdar from the verb's own root, in nasb, stressing or quantifying the action — e.g. “he was utterly shaken.”
In the Qur'an
وَكَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ مُوسَىٰ تَكْلِيمًا
An-Nisa 4:164 — “And Allah spoke to Musa with [direct] speech”
تَكْلِيمًا is maf'ul mutlaq in nasb, from the root of كَلَّمَ, emphasising the speaking.
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