Derived Nouns: Noun of Place and Time (Ism Dharf)

1. What Is Ism Dharf?

Ism Dharf is a derived noun that points to the place or time of an action.
Example idea: a word may tell us where an action happens or when it happens.
For basic triliteral verbs, this lesson introduces two common weights: مَفْعَلٌ and مَفْعِلٌ.

2. How Ism Dharf Is Formed

The source gives this construction rule from the Mudhaari' form:
1. Remove the Mudhaari' prefix.
2. Add an open Meem at the beginning.
3. If the middle root letter in Mudhaari' has Dhammah or Fathah, use مَفْعَلٌ.
4. If it has Kasrah, keep that vowel and use مَفْعِلٌ.
5. Give the final root letter Tanween.

3. Two Basic Weights

The two patterns are chosen from the Mudhaari' vowel of the middle root letter.

Ism Dharf weightMudhaari' middle vowel
مَفْعَلٌDhammah or Fathah
مَفْعِلٌKasrah

So the Mudhaari' helps you choose which of the two weights to use.

4. The Three-Form Ism Dharf Grid

The source presents Ism Dharf in a three-form grid:

FormNumber
مَفْعَلٌSingular
مَفْعَلَانِDual
مَفَاعِلُPlural

The plural shown here is a broken-plural pattern, not a simple suffix added to the singular.

5. Example with Nasara

The source example uses these three forms:

FormNumber
مَنْصَرٌSingular
مَنْصَرَانِDual
مَنَاصِرُPlural

Learn the three together so the change from singular to dual and plural is easy to recognize.

6. How to Recognize the Number

The three forms have clear shapes:
1. مَفْعَلٌ = singular.
2. مَفْعَلَانِ = dual.
3. مَفَاعِلُ = plural.
The dual is formed with the familiar dual ending, while the plural changes internally.

7. A Simple Map of the Level

Remember these points:
1. Ism Dharf shows the place or time of an action.
2. The two basic weights here are مَفْعَلٌ and مَفْعِلٌ.
3. The Mudhaari' helps you choose between the two weights.
4. The source-displayed grid has singular, dual, and plural forms.
5. The plural shown in this paradigm is مَفَاعِلُ.