Kerala SSLC Arabic Oriental flashcards

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Jumlah ismiyyah

A nominal sentence beginning with a noun. It consists of a mubtada' (subject) and a khabar (predicate); both are normally in the nominative case, e.g., al-baytu kabirun.

Maf'ul bihi

The direct object of a transitive verb. It is in the accusative case (mansub), usually marked by a fathah, as in qara'a al-talibu al-kitaba.

Mamnu' min al-sarf

A diptote noun that refuses tanwin and takes a fathah instead of a kasrah in the genitive. Common causes are the af'al pattern, feminine proper names, and foreign names.

Kana and sisters

Verbal particles such as kana, asbaha, and laysa that enter a nominal sentence and make the khabar accusative while leaving the subject nominative.

Inna and sisters

Particles including inna, anna, ka'anna, la'alla, and lakinna. They make the following subject accusative and keep the predicate nominative.

Idafah construction

A possessive construct of two nouns: the mudaf loses tanwin and the definite article, and the mudaf ilayhi is always genitive, e.g., kitabu al-tilibi.

Verb form X

The pattern istaf'ala, typically expressing seeking or requesting. Examples include istaghfara (to seek forgiveness) and istakhraja (to extract).

Sound masculine plural

Plural formed by adding waw and nun in the nominative, and ya and nun in the accusative and genitive, e.g., al-mu'allimuna, al-mu'allimina.

Three-letter root

The core consonants shared by a word family. Identifying the root lets a reader relate words such as kataba, kitab, katib, and maktabah.

Question words

Interrogatives used in comprehension passages: man (who), madha (what), ayna (where), mata (when), kayfa (how), limadha (why), kam (how many), hal (yes/no).

Relative pronoun alladhi

The masculine singular relative pronoun. Its feminine is allati, masculine plural alladhina, and it introduces a clause describing a preceding definite noun.

Prepositions governing genitive

Particles such as fi, 'ala, ila, min, bi, li, and 'an that put the following noun in the genitive case, usually marked by a kasrah.

Numbers three to ten

These numbers take the opposite gender of the counted noun: thalathatu kutub (masculine number, masculine noun) versus thalathu fatayat (with feminine noun).

Antonym pairs

Opposite word pairs frequent in set passages: kabir/saghir, qadim/jadid, sahl/sa'b, qarib/ba'id, and ghani/faqir. Recognising them speeds matching questions.

Pronoun reference

In comprehension, huwa, hiya, hadha, and tilka point back to a previously mentioned noun. Locating that noun fixes the meaning of the sentence.

Mu'allaqat

A group of celebrated pre-Islamic qasidahs preserved as models of jahili poetry. They typically open with a nasib love prelude before the main theme.

Qasidah structure

The classical ode moves from the nasib (love prelude) to the rahil (journey description) and then to the main purpose, such as madih (praise) or fakhr (boasting).

Isnad and matn

Two parts of a hadith: the isnad is the chain of narrators, and the matn is the actual wording of the report. Both are studied for authenticity.

Al-Jahiz

An Abbasid prose writer (d. 868 CE) famous for Kitab al-Hayawan and al-Bukhala'. His style uses digression, humour, and carefully balanced rhetorical passages.

Taha Husayn

A leading figure of the modern Arabic nahdah, best known for the autobiography al-Ayyam. His prose is a standard set text in Oriental Arabic syllabi.

Tashbih and isti'arah

Tashbih is explicit simile using particles such as ka; isti'arah is metaphor, where the comparison is implied without the particle. Both are key rhetorical terms.

Saj'

Rhymed prose in which consecutive short clauses end in the same sound. It appears in the Qur'an, in hadith, and in early oratory and khatabah.

I'jaz al-Qur'an

The doctrine of the Qur'an's inimitability in style and content. It is the central argument for its divine origin and a standard topic in literary study.

Verb-initial order

The default Arabic verbal sentence order is verb, then subject, then object. The verb stays singular even when a plural subject follows it.

Nominal sentence translation

Arabic has no present-tense copula. 'The book is new' is rendered al-kitabu jadidun, with no word for 'is'.

Delayed indefinite subject

In an existential statement the indefinite subject follows the prepositional phrase, as in 'ala al-tawilati kitabun ('on the table there is a book').

Composition connectors

Linking words for written Arabic: wa (and), thumma (then), lakin (but), li'anna (because), fa (so), and idhan (therefore).

Formal letter parts

A formal Arabic letter includes the sender, the addressee, a greeting (al-tahiyyah), the subject (al-mawdu'), the body, and a closing with wa al-salam.

Five pillars

The core obligations of Islam: shahadah (declaration of faith), salah (prayer), zakah (almsgiving), sawm (fasting in Ramadan), and hajj (pilgrimage).

Zakah rate and nisab

Zakah is 2.5 percent of wealth held for one lunar year above the nisab, commonly given as the value of 85 g of gold or 595 g of silver.

Hajj order of rites

Ihram, tawaf around the Ka'bah, sa'y between Safa and Marwah, standing at 'Arafah on 9 Dhul-Hijjah, then stoning the jamarat and offering the sacrifice.