Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
اِسْم فِعْل
ism fi'l
Verbal noun-of-command (ism fi'l)
Nahw · syntaxWord classadvanced term12+ in the Qur'an
In one line
A word that ACTS like a verb without being one: هَيْهَاتَ 'how remote!', آمِينَ 'answer!', عَلَيْكُمْ 'hold to!'.
Classical definition
اسْمُ الفِعْلِ مَا نَابَ عَنِ الفِعْلِ مَعْنًى وَعَمَلًا وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ عَلَامَاتِهِ، كَهَيْهَاتَ وَصَهْ وَأُفٍّ.
“The verb-noun is what stands in for a verb in meaning and in government, yet does not accept the verb's markers.”
(بتصرف من الألفية)
Key words in the Arabic
نَابَ عَنِ الْفِعْلِdeputises for the verb
مَعْنًى وَعَمَلًاin meaning and in government
Understand it
These fossil-words carry a verb's full force — they even take fa'ils and objects — while refusing every verb badge (no قَدْ, no سَـ, no ta of tanith). Three tenses exist: madi-sense هَيْهَاتَ (= بَعُدَ, 'how far-fetched'), mudari'-sense أُفٍّ (= أَتَضَجَّرُ, 'ugh'), and amr-sense — the largest family — آمِينَ (= اسْتَجِبْ), عَلَيْكُمْ (= اِلْزَمُوا), صَهْ (= اسْكُتْ). They are mabni, with no i'rab place of their own.
How to spot it
Recognition test
A short invariable word doing a verb's job with a verb's government but none of its markers: ism fi'l. Translate it with the verb it deputises for.
In the Qur'an
هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ
Al-Mu'minun 23:36 — “Far-fetched, far-fetched is what you are promised!”
هَيْهَاتَ carries the meaning and force of بَعُدَ ('how remote it is!') yet accepts no verb markers — an ism fi'l.
Related terms