In one line
The classical list
Key words in the Arabic
Understand it
These particles push the mudari' into nasab: a final fatha, or a dropped nun in the five verbs. The workhorses are أَنْ (that), لَنْ (emphatic never) and the purpose-words كَيْ، لِـ، حَتَّى (so that / until). Where jazm clips the verb short, nasab points it forward — most of these ten aim the verb at a goal.
The four that put the mudari' into nasab
| # | Meaning | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | أَنْ | an | that, to — and it folds the verb into a masdar |
| 2 | لَنْ | lan | will never — emphatic denial of the future |
| 3 | كَيْ | kay | so that — purpose |
| 4 | إِذَنْ | idhan | in that case — an answer to what was just said |
The six places أَنْ is concealed and does the work unseen
| # | Meaning | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | حَتَّى | hatta | until |
| 2 | لَام الْجُحُود | lam al-juhud | the lam of denial, after a negated كَانَ |
| 3 | أَوْ | aw | when it means 'until' or 'unless' |
| 4 | وَاو الْمَعِيَّة | waw al-ma'iyya | the waw of 'together with', after a negation or a request |
| 5 | لَام التَّعْلِيل | lam al-ta'lil | the lam of purpose |
| 6 | فَاء السَّبَبِيَّة | fa' al-sababiyya | the fa' of cause, after a negation or a request |
None of these six is itself a nasib — a preposition cannot govern a verb. An unspoken أَنْ stands between, takes the nasab and folds the verb into a masdar: لِتُبَيِّنَ is لِلتَّبْيِينِ. The fatha on the verb, or its dropped nun, is the only trace it leaves.
How to spot it
In the Qur'an
Related terms
Common questions
Do nasab-causers affect nouns as well as verbs?
No. Their whole work is on the present verb that follows them — nothing else. Particles that put a noun into nasab exist, but they are a different set with a different name, and confusing the two is a common early mistake.
Next in the guideحَرْف جَزْمJussive particle (jazm) →Updated