Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
اِسْم إِشَارَة
ism ishara

Demonstrative noun

Nahw · syntaxWord classcore term1,060+ in the Qur'an
Also written: Ism al-isharah · Hadha and Dhalika · Pointing words · Demonstratives · Demonstrative pronouns
In one line
A demonstrative — a pointing noun: “this”, “that”, “these”.
Classical definition
اسْمُ الإِشَارَةِ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى مُعَيَّنٍ بِالإِشَارَةِ إِلَيْهِ، كَذَا وَذِهِ وَأُولَاءِ.
“The demonstrative points to a specified thing by indicating it — like ذَا, ذِهِ and أُولَاءِ.”
(بتصرف من الألفية)
Key words in the Arabic
الإِشَارَةpointing, indicating
مُعَيَّنa specified thing
Understand it

Arabic demonstratives — هَٰذَا (this), ذَٰلِكَ (that), هَٰؤُلَاءِ (these) — are nouns in their own right, and they are mabni: their ending never changes whatever the sentence does. They agree in gender and number with what they point at, and they carry distance: the opening هـ points near, the ك of ذَٰلِكَ points far. When Surat al-Baqara opens ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ, the far word honours the Book: “that (exalted) Book”. The demonstratives for near and far are used more than 1,060 times in the Quran — one or two on nearly every page of the mushaf.

How to spot it
Recognition test
If it translates as “this / that / these / those”, it is an ism ishara.
In the Qur'an
ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ
Al-Baqarah 2:2 — “That is the Book in which there is no doubt”
The far demonstrative honours the Book — elevation, not physical distance. This rhetorical use of ذَٰلِكَ is frequent in the Quran.
Related terms
حَرْف (نَوْع الْكَلِمَة) · harf (naw' al-kalima) فِعْل (نَوْع الْكَلِمَة) · fi'l (naw' al-kalima) اِسْم (نَوْع الْكَلِمَة) · ism (naw' al-kalima) اِسْم مَوْصُول · ism mawsul
▶ Watch the lessons

From the free course The Language of Quran — Easier than English (Book 1) (LoQ1), taught by Ustad Muhammad Arjan Ali.

▶ L12-P1 · Demonstrative Pronouns and the Demonstrative Phrase ▶ L12-P2 · Demonstratives — I'rab, Idafa, and the Jumla Ismiyya ▶ L12-P3 · Demonstratives in the Quran — Quranic Examples
Common questions

How do I know whether هذا الكتاب means “this book” or “this is the book”?

هَٰذَا + definite noun is normally the phrase “this book”; with an INDEFINITE noun (هَٰذَا كِتَابٌ) it is a complete sentence. A pronoun of separation (هَٰذَا هُوَ الْكِتَابُ) or context marks the sentence reading with a definite noun.

Domain: Nahw · Category: Word class · Frequency in the Qur'an: 1,060 · Source: بتصرف من الألفية, cross-checked against the Quranic corpus · Reviewed by Ustad M. Arjan Ali