نَعْت
na't
Adjective (na't / sifa)
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic rolecore term2,894+ in the Qur'an
Also written: Sifah and Mawsuf · Na't · Adjective phrase
In one line
The adjective — a follower that describes its noun and copies its case, number and definiteness.
Classical definition
النَّعْتُ تَابِعٌ لِلْمَنْعُوتِ فِي رَفْعِهِ وَنَصْبِهِ وَخَفْضِهِ وَتَعْرِيفِهِ وَتَنْكِيرِهِ.
(الآجرّومية)
What it is
An adjective in Arabic trails its noun and matches it in four things at once: case, gender, number, and definiteness. This agreement is how you know which noun an adjective belongs to.
How to spot it
Recognition test
A describing word that comes after its noun and mirrors its case and definiteness is a na't.
In the Qur'an
فِى كِتَٰبٍ مَّكْنُونٍ
Al-Waqi'ah 56:78 — “in a well-protected Book”
مَّكْنُونٍ describes كِتَٰبٍ and copies its jarr and indefiniteness.
Don't confuse it with
A na't describes a fixed quality of its own noun; a حال describes the temporary state of someone during an action.
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.