Al-Madi — Anatomy
A complete breakdown of all 14 verb forms of the perfect tense — suffixes, doers, and the three vowel scales
- Identify the suffix (ending) on any al-maadi verb and name the pronoun it represents
- Distinguish between a hidden (mustatir) doer and a visible (baariz) doer
- Understand why Sighahs 1 and 4 can have an external noun doer after them
- Conjugate any Form I verb across all 14 sighahs on the fa`ala, fa`ila, and fa`ula scales
Video Lesson
Click to play
Introduction
In Part 1 of this lesson the 14 verb forms (sighahs) of al-maadi were introduced and the verb was conjugated using the examples فَتَحَ (fataha — he opened) and نَصَرَ (nasara — he helped). Part 2 goes deeper: it examines every component of those 14 sighahs in detail — what each suffix is, what pronoun it represents, and whether the doer is hidden or visible. The teacher calls this the "anatomy of al-maadi."
The key insight of the lesson is that the same set of suffixes applies to every al-maadi verb regardless of its form — Form I, II, III, or all the way to Form X. Learning these suffixes once gives the student a lifetime tool. The lesson closes by demonstrating this principle on the other two Form I vowel scales: faila (middle root letter with kasra, example: عَلِمَ) and faula (middle root letter with dhamma, example: كَرُمَ).
A practical warning is also given: the suffixes نَا (nahnun — we) and نَ (hunna — they fem. plural) look and sound similar, and misreading them in the Quran changes the meaning entirely. Careful attention to vowel marks (tashkeel) is therefore essential.
Lesson Notes
Every al-maadi verb carries three pieces of information inside a single word: (1) the action, from the three root letters; (2) the doer, from the suffix; and (3) the tense, from the overall vowel pattern (scale/sigha).
The doer of al-maadi is identified by looking at the suffix added to the three root letters. Sighahs 1 and 4 have NO suffix indicating the doer — the doer (huwa / hiya) is HIDDEN (mustatir). All other sighahs carry a VISIBLE (baariz) suffix that directly represents the pronoun doer.
The 14 Sighahs — Suffixes and Doers
Using the example verb ذَهَبَ (dhahaba — he went):
| # | Sighah | Suffix | Doer | Pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ذَهَبَ | — | mustatir | هُوَ | he/it went |
| 2 | ذَهَبَا | ا (alif) | alif | هُمَا (m.) | they two (m.) went |
| 3 | ذَهَبُوا | وا (waw + alif of protection) | waw | هُمْ | they (m. pl.) went |
| 4 | ذَهَبَتْ | تْ (ta with sukoon) | mustatir | هِيَ | she/it went |
| 5 | ذَهَبَتَا | تَا (ta + alif) | alif | هُمَا (f.) | they two (f.) went |
| 6 | ذَهَبْنَ | نَ (na) | na | هُنَّ | they (f. pl.) went |
| 7 | ذَهَبْتَ | تَ (ta) | ta | أَنْتَ | you (m. sg.) went |
| 8 | ذَهَبْتُمَا | تُمَا (tuma) | tuma | أَنْتُمَا | you two (m.) went |
| 9 | ذَهَبْتُمْ | تُمْ (tum) | tum | أَنْتُمْ | you (m. pl.) went |
| 10 | ذَهَبْتِ | تِ (ti) | ti | أَنْتِ | you (f. sg.) went |
| 11 | ذَهَبْتُمَا | تُمَا (tuma) | tuma | أَنْتُمَا (f.) | you two (f.) went |
| 12 | ذَهَبْتُنَّ | تُنَّ (tunna) | tunna | أَنْتُنَّ | you (f. pl.) went |
| 13 | ذَهَبْتُ | تُ (tu) | tu | أَنَا | I went |
| 14 | ذَهَبْنَا | نَا (naa) | naa | نَحْنُ | we went |
Critical notes:
- From Sighah 6 onward, the third root letter always takes a sukoon (e.g., ذَهَبْنَ not ذَهَبَنَ). This is because the suffixes from 6 onward begin with a vowelled letter (mutaharrik), making the root's final letter sukoon.
- The alif in Sighah 3 (ذَهَبُوا) is called أَلِفُ الْوِقَايَة (alifu l-wiqaayah) — the protective alif. It prevents the waw of the plural from being confused with the waw of the conjunction وَ (and) in handwritten text.
- Sighahs 1 and 4 are highlighted because an external noun doer can follow them (masculine after 1, feminine after 4). This is the subject of the next lesson.
- The تْ in Sighah 4 (تَاءُ التَّأْنِيث) marks femininity — it is NOT the doer; the doer remains hidden (mustatir).
The Three Form I Vowel Scales
All three Form I scales (fa`ala, fa`ila, fa`ula) share IDENTICAL suffixes. Only the middle root letter's vowel changes: fa`ala — middle root letter: fatha (e.g., فَتَحَ) fa`ila — middle root letter: kasra (e.g., عَلِمَ) fa`ula — middle root letter: dhamma (e.g., كَرُمَ)
Faila example — عَلِمَ (alima — he knew): عَلِمَ، عَلِمَا، عَلِمُوا، عَلِمَتْ، عَلِمَتَا، عَلِمْنَ، عَلِمْتَ، عَلِمْتُمَا، عَلِمْتُمْ، عَلِمْتِ، عَلِمْتُمَا، عَلِمْتُنَّ، عَلِمْتُ، عَلِمْنَا
Fa`ula example — كَرُمَ (karuma — he was noble): كَرُمَ، كَرُمَا، كَرُمُوا، كَرُمَتْ، كَرُمَتَا، كَرُمْنَ، كَرُمْتَ، كَرُمْتُمَا، كَرُمْتُمْ، كَرُمْتِ، كَرُمْتُمَا، كَرُمْتُنَّ، كَرُمْتُ، كَرُمْنَا
Note: the fa`ula scale is very rare in verbs; it more commonly produces derived adjectives such as كَرِيم (kariim — noble). Its suffixes are nonetheless identical to the other two scales.
Summary
- Every al-maadi verb encodes three things: action (root letters), doer (suffix), and tense (overall scale).
- Sighahs 1 and 4 have a hidden doer (mustatir — huwa / hiya); all other sighahs have a visible doer (baariz) as a suffix.
- The protective alif (أَلِفُ الْوِقَايَة) in Sighah 3 guards the waw of the plural from misreading — it is not a doer.
- From Sighah 6 onward, the third root letter always carries sukoon.
- The suffixes are identical across all verb forms (Form I–X) for al-maadi — learn them once, apply them everywhere.
- The fa
ala, faila, and fa`ula scales differ only in the vowel on the middle root letter; suffixes do not change. - Careful reading of نَا (naa — we) versus نَ (na — they fem. pl.) is critical: misreading one for the other changes the meaning of the Quranic text.
Terminology Reference
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| اَلْمَاضِي | al-maadii | the perfect tense verb (completed action) | ISM |
| صِيغَة | siighah | verb form / conjugation pattern | ISM |
| فَاعِل | faa`il | the doer — the one who performed the action | ISM |
| مُسْتَتِر | mustatir | hidden — a doer pronoun not visible in the verb form | ISM |
| بَارِز | baariz | visible — a doer pronoun that appears as a suffix on the verb | ISM |
| أَلِفُ الْوِقَايَة | alifu l-wiqaayah | the protective alif — alif added after waw al-jamaa`ah to prevent misreading | ISM |
| ذَهَبَ | dhahaba | he went | FIL |
| فَتَحَ | fataha | he opened | FIL |
| عَلِمَ | `alima | he knew | FIL |
| كَرُمَ | karuma | he was noble | FIL |