Ask three questions:
1. Is the word functioning as a proper name here?
2. What is the additional cause, for example femininity, ʿadl, or verb-pattern shape?
3. If it becomes indefinite, what cause remains—and is it independent of proper-name status?
This avoids treating “another ʿUmar” and an indefinite “mosques” as though they behaved identically.
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Restoring Declension: Indefinite Names, Al- and Iḍāfah
Ask three questions:
1. Is the word functioning as a proper name here?
2. What is the additional cause, for example femininity, ʿadl, or verb-pattern shape?
3. If it becomes indefinite, what cause remains—and is it independent of proper-name status?
This avoids treating “another ʿUmar” and an indefinite “mosques” as though they behaved identically.