Idafah — The Possessive Construction
The 'X of Y' construct — arguably the single most important phrase structure in Quranic Arabic.
What Is the Idafah?
The idafah (الْإِضَافَة) — the possessive or genitive construct — is arguably the single most important grammatical structure in Arabic. It expresses the relationship English conveys with "of" or an apostrophe-s: the book of the student, the Lord of the worlds, the Day of Judgement.
An idafah consists of exactly two parts:
- The mudaf (مُضَاف) — the possessed thing, the "X" in "X of Y"
- The mudaf ilayhi (مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ) — the possessor, the "Y" in "X of Y"
The idafah is found in virtually every line of the Quran and is the basis of innumerable Islamic phrases: بِسْمِ اللهِ (in the name of Allah), رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (Lord of the worlds), يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (Day of Judgement) — all idafah constructions.
The Rules
1. The mudaf NEVER takes tanween and NEVER takes ال. 2. The mudaf ilayhi is ALWAYS in the jarr case — without exception. 3. The mudaf takes whatever case its role in the sentence requires.
The mudaf ilayhi rule matters enormously for reading the Quran: along with the prepositional phrase (harf of jarr), the idafah is the second and final reason a noun appears in the jarr case in Arabic. If you see a noun in jarr, it is either preceded by a harf of jarr or it is a mudaf ilayhi.
A useful test for English speakers: if you can put "of" between the two words and the phrase makes sense, you are almost certainly looking at an idafah.
Quranic Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I recognise an idafah in the Quran?
Look for two nouns directly next to each other where the first has no ال and no tanween, and the second is in the jarr case (usually a kasrah ending). If inserting "of" between them gives a sensible meaning, it is an idafah.
What is the difference between idafah and a descriptive phrase (murakkab tawsifi)?
In a descriptive phrase the second word is an adjective that matches the first noun in definiteness, gender, number and case. In an idafah the second noun is a possessor and is always in jarr, regardless of the case of the first noun.
Can an idafah have more than two words?
Yes — idafah constructions chain. In مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ each link is mudaf to the next: "Master of the Day of the Judgement". Only the final word can carry ال.