Introduction to Prepositional Phrases and the Prepositions بـ، تـ، و، كـ، فِي

Read the bilingual lesson for Introduction to Prepositional Phrases and the Prepositions بـ، تـ، و، كـ، فِي and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. What Will We Learn in This Section?

● In this section, we will begin studying the second major cause of a noun's case: the prepositional phrase.
● We will be introduced to the Arabic prepositions that make the following noun genitive (majrūr).
● We will study the meanings and rules of the first five prepositions frequently used in the Qur'an: بـ، تـ، و، كـ، and فِي.
● We will study everyday examples formed with these prepositions in detail.

2. Definition of a Prepositional Phrase and Introduction to Prepositions

● Definition of a prepositional phrase:
○ A preposition together with its genitive noun is called a prepositional phrase.
● Certain Arabic particles make the following noun genitive, with a kasrah. These are called prepositions, and the noun after them is called genitive (majrūr):
○ Arabic order = preposition + genitive noun
● Arabic has 17 prepositions in total, but we will study gradually the smaller set most frequently used in the Qur'an.

3. Prepositions: بـ (with/by) and تـ (oath)

● 1. The preposition بـ (with / by / through):
○ This particle joins the beginning of a noun and makes it genitive, as in:
■ With the truth: -> بِالْحَقِّ (The preposition بـ changes اَلْحَقُّ to the genitive بِالْحَقِّ.)
■ With the pen: -> بِالْقَلَمِ | With success: -> بِالْفَوْزِ.
■ In the name of Allah: -> بِسْمِ اللهِ (بِـ + اِسْمِ combine as بِسْمِ, and اِسْمِ is a muḍāf.)
● 2. The preposition تـ (oath):
○ This preposition is used only with the personal name of Allah for an oath:
■ By Allah: -> تَاللّٰهِ (The name of Allah is genitive with a kasrah because of تـ.)

4. Prepositions: و (oath) and كـ (like/as)

● 3. The preposition و (oath):
○ This particle is also used for taking an oath and occurs frequently in the Qur'an:
■ By Allah: -> وَاللّٰهِ.
■ By the sun: -> وَالشَّمْسِ | By the moon: -> وَالْقَمَرِ | By time: -> وَالْعَصْرِ.
● 4. The preposition كـ (like / as):
○ It joins the beginning of a noun to make a comparison:
■ Like the moon: -> كَالْقَمَرِ | Like the donkey: -> كَالْحِمَارِ | Like the mountains: -> كَالْجِبَالِ.
■ Like eaten straw: -> كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُوْلٍ (عَصْفٍ is the genitive noun described.)

5. The Preposition فِي (in)

● 5. The preposition فِي (in):
○ This preposition expresses being inside something:
■ In the house: -> فِي الْبَيْتِ (الْبَيْتِ is genitive with a kasrah because of فِي.)
■ In the mosque: -> فِي الْمَسْجِدِ | In the book: -> فِي الْكِتَابِ.
■ In the way of Allah: -> فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ (سَبِيلِ is a muḍāf, and اَللهِ is the muḍāf ilayh.)
■ In the chests of people: -> فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ.
■ In the wombs of your mothers: -> فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ.

Practice questions

Question 1

In Arabic grammar, what grammatical effect do prepositions have on the noun that follows them?

They make the noun genitive (majrūr)
They make the noun accusative (manṣūb)
They always give the noun tanwīn

Question 2

What is the grammatical rule for using the preposition تـ for an oath?

It is restricted to the personal name of Allah, as in تَاللّٰهِ
It can be used with every kind of noun
It changes a dual noun into a plural

Question 3

In بِسْمِ اللهِ, the initial alif of اِسْمِ is omitted in writing when the preposition بـ joins it.

True
False

Question 4

In the name of Allah

Question 5

In the way of Allah

Question 6

Match the following Arabic prepositional phrases with their correct English meanings:

Question 7

Sort the following prepositions into the correct groups according to their meanings:

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