مُضَاف إِلَيْه
mudaf ilayh
Possessor in idafa (mudaf ilayh)
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic rolecore term9,515+ in the Qur'an
Also written: Idaafah · Idafa · Mudaf and Mudaf Ilayh · Possessive construct
In one line
The possessor in a construct (idafa) — the second noun, always in jarr.
Classical definition
المَخْفُوضُ بِالإِضَافَةِ هُوَ الاسْمُ المُضَافُ إِلَيْهِ.
(الآجرّومية)
What it is
Arabic has no separate word for “of.” Instead it stands two nouns side by side — the idafa — and the structure itself carries the meaning of possession or belonging. The second noun is the mudaf ilayh, the owner or definer, and it is always in jarr, without exception. This is in fact the second and final reason any noun is ever in jarr (the first being a preposition): in مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ, يَوْم is mudaf ilayh to مَالِك, and الدِّين is mudaf ilayh to يَوْم.
How to spot it
Recognition test
In an “X of Y” phrase with no preposition between them, Y is the mudaf ilayh, in jarr.
In the Qur'an
مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Al-Fatihah 1:4 — “Master of the Day of Judgement”
يَوْمِ is mudaf ilayh to مَٰلِكِ (in jarr); ٱلدِّينِ is mudaf ilayh to يَوْمِ.
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.