The ismDefinitenesscore term
Also written: Idaafah · Idafa · Mudaf and
Mudaf Ilayh · Possessive construct · Idafah · Possessive construction
In one line
A mudaf is the first noun of an idafa — the noun “related to” the one after it, and made definite by it: رَسُولُ اللهِ.
Classical definition
وأما ما يخفض بالإضافة فنحو قولك: ما يقدر باللام وما يقدر بمن؛ فالذي يقدر باللام نحو «غلام زيدٍ»، والذي يقدر بمن نحو «ثوب خزٍّ» و«باب ساجٍ» و«خاتم حديدٍ».
“What is put into jarr by annexation is of two kinds: what carries the sense of belonging to, and what carries the sense of being made of.”
Understand it
The mudaf leans on the noun after it: كِتَابُ اللهِ, “the Book of Allah”. Leaning costs it two things — its tanwin and its الْ — and buys it definiteness from its partner. Its own case is whatever its job in the sentence demands; only its partner, the mudaf ilayh, is locked in jarr.
How to spot it
Recognition test
A noun with no الْ and no tanwin, gripping the noun after it — a mudaf.
In the Qur'an
مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Al-Fatihah 1:4 — “Master of the Day of Judgment.”
A chained idafa: مَٰلِكِ is mudaf to يَوْمِ, and يَوْمِ is itself mudaf to ٱلدِّينِ. Each link is in jarr, and only the final word can carry ال.
Study this ayah word by word →In the language — فِي اللُّغَة
The word إِضَافَة (idafa) in everyday Arabic means adding one thing to another.
أَضَافَ ضَيْفًا (adafa dayfan) — “he took in a guest”
As a grammatical term it means the first of two nouns joined so that the second defines the first.
Related terms
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From the free course The Language of Quran — Easier than English (Book One) (LoQ1), taught by Ustadh Muhammad Arjan Ali.
Common questions
How do I spot an idafa in the Quran?
Two nouns directly adjacent: the first with no ال and no tanwin, the second in jarr (usually a kasra). If inserting “of” between them gives a sensible meaning, it is an idafa.
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Al-Qamar 54:17
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