Names: one ending for two cases
Eight of the commonest names of the Qur’ān, the ending that sets many of them apart from most other nouns, and which names show it.
Written and checked by AI
These lessons were written and checked by AI, and no teacher of Arabic has read them yet. The verses, their meanings and the analysis of every word are taken from their sources, which are named where they are shown.
- Words of the Qur’ān known whole
- 62.8%
- Parts of the Qur’ān’s words taught so far
- 77.5%
Counted from the Quranic Arabic Corpus: a word is known whole when every part of it has been taught. The counts say which words you have met, not how much you understand.
Most names are definite simply by being names: they take no al-, and the corpus marks them as proper nouns. Many of the Qur’ān's names also do something most other nouns do not. This lesson teaches that, with eight of the names the Qur’ān uses most. The course gives a person's name as it is said, and says nothing of who the person was: that is read in the verses, with the edition's meaning beside them.
The new words
- مُوسَىٰAs the Qur’ān writes it: مُوسَىٰ · مُوسَىٰٓ · مُوسَى
Mūsā, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 136
- فِرْعَوْنAs the Qur’ān writes it: فِرْعَوْنَ · فِرْعَوْنُ
Firʿawn, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 74
- إِبْرَاهِيمAs the Qur’ān writes it: إِبْرَٰهِيمَ · إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ · إِبْرَٰهِيمُ
Ibrāhīm, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 69
- إِسْرَائِيلAs the Qur’ān writes it: إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ · إِسْرَٰٓءِيلُ
Isrāʾīl, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 43
- نُوحAs the Qur’ān writes it: نُوحٍ · نُوحًا · نُوحٌ
Nūḥ, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 43
- مَرْيَمAs the Qur’ān writes it: مَرْيَمَ · مَرْيَمُ
Maryam, a name
Times in the Qur’ān: 34
- قُرْءَانAs the Qur’ān writes it: قُرْءَانَ · قُرْءَانِ · قُرْءَانُ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Root: ق ر اTimes in the Qur’ān: 70
- جَهَنَّمAs the Qur’ān writes it: جَهَنَّمَ · جَهَنَّمُ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Times in the Qur’ān: 77
Two of them, al-qurʾān and jahannam, carry the religion: the course gives no meaning of its own for either, and you read them in the verses, with the edition's meaning beside them.
No tanwīn, and -a for the genitive
Most of these names take no tanwīn, and have one ending, -a, for both the accusative and the genitive. In the nominative they end in -u as other nouns do. Grammar calls such a noun mamnūʿ min aṣ-ṣarf, "kept from a part of its endings".
- فِرْعَوْنُFirʿawn, a name
Firʿawnu: the corpus marks it nominative, and it ends in u.
- فِرْعَوْنَFirʿawn, a name
Firʿawna: the corpus marks it genitive, after ilā, and it ends in a.
- وَand
- إِبْرَٰهِيمَIbrāhīm, a name
Wa-ibrāhīma is wa and ibrāhīma: the corpus marks this one accusative.
- وَand
- إِبْرَٰهِيمَIbrāhīm, a name
Wa-ibrāhīma again, and the same a: the corpus marks this one genitive. The word is written alike, and the sentence tells you its case.
- إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَIsrāʾīl, a name
Isrāʾīla, genitive, with a.
- مَرْيَمَMaryam, a name
Maryama, genitive, with a.
- وَand
- مَرْيَمَMaryam, a name
Wa-maryama, accusative, with a.
- جَهَنَّمَ
Jahannama, genitive, with a.
Mūsā
A name ending in a long -ā shows no case at all.
- مُوسَىٰMūsā, a name
Mūsā: the corpus marks it nominative.
- وَand
- مُوسَىٰMūsā, a name
Wa-mūsā: the corpus marks it genitive, and it is written the same.
the Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20In this verse the two stand side by side, joined by wa. Ibrāhīma shows the genitive with a, and mūsā shows nothing.
Nūḥ: a short name
A short name of three letters with a long vowel in the middle may take its endings as other nouns do, with tanwīn. Nūḥ is one.
- نُوحٌNūḥ, a name
Nūḥun: nominative.
- نُوحًاNūḥ, a name
Nūḥan: accusative.
- نُوحٍNūḥ, a name
Nūḥin: genitive.
Lesson 24 taught tanwīn as the ending of a noun that is not definite. This one does not make the name indefinite: the corpus marks none of these three as indefinite.
With al-
Qurʾān takes al- in most of its places, and then it has the three endings of any noun with al-, -u, -a and -i.
- ٱلْthe
- قُرْءَانُ
Al-qurʾānu: the corpus marks it as a proper noun, nominative.
- قُرْءَانٌ
Qurʾānun, with no al- and with tanwīn: the corpus marks it as a proper noun, and here it does mark it indefinite.
Reading
The words you know whole after this lesson are marked.
Allah said, “Throw it down, O Moses!”
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20What is that in your right hand, O Moses?”
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20Pharaoh said, “So who is the Lord of you two, O Moses?”
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20Recall
- Which ending do most of these names have in the genitive?
- Why does Mūsā show no case?
- Which two names of this lesson take tanwīn?
Answers: -a; it ends in a long -ā; Nūḥ and Qurʾān.
Next
The next lesson teaches eight more small words: "she", "I", "which" and others.
Word analysis: Quranic Arabic Corpus 0.4 (Kais Dukes)