Qatr al-Nada: Arabic Grammar

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Qatr al-Nada wa Ball al-Sada : New,
An Intermediate Classical Text of Arabic Grammar,
Bilingual: English/Arabic,
*[A5] Paperback - 106 pages,
by Ibn Hashim al-Ansari [d.761h],
Transl. by Moustafa Elqabbany,
Royal Islamic S. Studies Centre,

Description :

The books title literally means 'Drops of Dew and Wetting a Parched Throat'. Intended as a simple book for beginners, modern students of Arabic will find it to be intermediate-level at the least.

This translation of Ibn Hisham's Qatr al-Nada is a milestone of Arabic scholarship in English. This short didactic work is not merely a text of Arabic Grammar by a major imam of the late Arabic school, it is also an insight on how to think like a grammarian.

Ibn Hisham authored a number of books on Arabic grammar, the greatest and most advanced being al-Mughni. The text at hand is his simplest work, and hence the title. The author’s intent is to offer knowledge-thirsty students just enough moisture to wet their parched throats. Having said this, the text is, at minimum, intermediate level for most contemporary students of Arabic.

About the Author

He is al-Imam, as-Shaykh Abu Muhammad 'Abd Allah Jamal al-Din bin Ahmad bin 'Abd Allah bin Hisham al-Ansari Rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi. He was born in Egypt in the month of Dhul Qihdah 708 Hijri.[1309CE]. He was considered a master in the science of Arabic Grammar.

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentions him in his book al-Durar al-Kamina that he took knowledge from all the great scholars of his time such as Taj al-Tabrizi, Taj al-Fakahani, Shuhab ibn al-Marhal, and Ibn Jama'ah. His students didn't become well known but however, it was testified that a lot of scholars from Egypt took from him. It is known that he wrote over 28 titles or works in regards to Nahw, Sarf, and Lughah, all being in the science of Arabic Grammar.

Table of Contents :

---Translator's Introduction,
---Conventions.

Qatr al-Nada wa Ball al-Sada :

---The Word: Its Definitions and Types,
-------Identifying Nouns,
-------Types of Nouns,
-------Types of Verbs,
-------Particles,
---Speech,
---The For Types of Inflection,
---Implicit Short Vowels,
---Imperfect Verbs, The Indicative Mood (Raf),
---Imperfect Verbs, The Subjunctive Mood (Nash),
---Imperfect Verbs, Operators That Effect the Jussive Mood (Jazm) in Two Verbs,
---Types of Nouns : Indefinite and Definite,
-------Definite Nouns I: Personal Pronouns,
-------Definite Nouns II: Proper Nouns,
-------Definite Nouns III: Demonstrative Pronouns,
-------Definite Nouns IV: Relative Pronouns,
-------Definite Nouns V: Those Bearing the Definite Article,
-------Definite Nouns VI: Objects Ascribed to Definite Nouns,
---Subjects and Predicates of Nominal Sentences,
---Annullers of the Subject and Predicate I: Kana and Its Analogues,
-------Scenarios Specific to Kana,
-------Particles that act like Laysa: Ma, La, and Lata,
---Annullers of the Subject and Predicate II: Inna and Its Analogues,
-------Inna vs Anna,
-------The Sliding and Distinguishing Lam with Inna,
-------The La of Categorical Negation,
-------When La is Repeated,
---Annullers of the Subject and Predicate III: Zanna and Its Analogues,
---The Verbal Subject,
-------When a Verb Bears the Feminine Ta',
-------Omitting the Verbs Subject,
-------Order of Appearance of the Subject and Object,
-------The Subject of Ni'ma and Bi'sa,
-------The Verbs Substitute Subject,
---Verbal Occupation (Ishtighal),
---Verbal Vying (Tanazu),
---Consequences of Doing I: The Direct Object (Doing To),
-------The Vocative,
----------Invoking One's Own,
----------Appositives of Vocatives,
----------Apocopation,
----------Calling for Help,
----------Lamentation.
---Consequences of Doing II: The Cognate Accusative (What is Done),
---Consequences of Doing III: The Accusative of Purpose (Doing for the Purpose Of),
---Consequences of Doing IV: Adverbs of Time and Place (Doing In),
---Consequences of Doing V: The Comitative Object (Doing With),
---Other Accusatives I: Circumstantial Expressions,
---Other Accusatives II: Specification,
---Other Accusatives III: Exceptives,
-------Other Exceptive Operators,
---The Genitive,
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs I: Irregular Verbal Nouns (Ism al-Fi'l),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs II: Gerunds (al-Masdar),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs III: Active Participles (Ism al-Fai'l),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs IV: Intensive Forms (al-Mithal),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs V: Passive Participles (Ism al-Maf'ul),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs VI: Stative Adjectives (al-Sifah al-Mushabbahah),
---Nouns that Operative Like Verbs VII: Superlatives (Ism al-Tafdil),
---Appositives (al-Tabi'),
---Appositives I: Adjectives (al-Na't),
---Appositives II: Confirmatives (Tawkid),
---Appositives III: Explicative Adjunctions ('Atf al-Bayan),
---Appositives IV: Ordinal Adjunctions ('Atf al-Nasaq),
---Appositives V: Substitution (al-Badal),
---Ordinals (al-Adad),
---Diptotes (al-Mamnu min al-Sarf),
---Amazement (Ta'ajjub),
---Stopping (Waqf),
---Orthographical Issues,
---Vowels on Hamzat al-Wasl.