Lesson 105: Muḥammad ﷺ (2)

Step 1 of 5: Learn

The Prophet ﷺ spent his first years in the desert with Ḥalīma's family, exactly as the custom described in lesson 101 required, and he kept all his life the pure speech he learned there. Then came three losses in quick succession: his mother Āmina when he was about six, his grandfather ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib when he was eight, and with them the last of the generation that had known his father. His uncle Abū Ṭālib, poor and burdened with children, took him in and never let him go. The passage needs a sure grasp of the family words, which are collected below.

Rule 1: 1. The family in Arabic

Arabic distinguishes the father's and the mother's side. عَمٌّ paternal uncle, عَمَّةٌ paternal aunt; خَالٌ maternal uncle, خَالَةٌ maternal aunt. جَدٌّ grandfather, جَدَّةٌ grandmother, حَفِيدٌ grandchild. شَقِيقٌ is a full brother, sharing both parents; a half-brother is أَخٌ لِأَبٍ or أَخٌ لِأُمٍّ. Cousins are named by their parent: اِبْنُ عَمٍّ, بِنْتُ خَالٍ. A nephew is اِبْنُ أَخٍ or اِبْنُ أُخْتٍ. يَتِيمٌ is strictly a child whose father has died; يَتِيمُ الْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ has lost both. كَفَلَ is to take charge of, bring up an orphan, and the guardian is كَافِلٌ.

كَانَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ شَقِيقَ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ.
kāna abū ṭālibin shaqīqa ʿabdi llāhi
Abū Ṭālib was ʿAbdullāh's full brother.
Accusative predicate of كَانَ.
كَفَلَ الْجَدُّ حَفِيدَهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ أُمِّهِ.
kafala l-jaddu ḥafīdahu baʿda mawti ummihi
The grandfather took charge of his grandson after his mother's death.
أَحَبَّ الْعَمُّ ابْنَ أَخِيهِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَبْنَائِهِ.
aḥabba l-ʿammu bna akhīhi akthara min abnāʾihi
The uncle loved his nephew more than his own sons.
أَكْثَرَ مِنْ 'more than' as an adverb.
زَارَتْ أُمُّهُ أَخْوَالَ جَدِّهِ فِي يَثْرِبَ.
zārat ummuhu akhwāla jaddihi fī yathriba
His mother visited his grandfather's maternal uncles in Yathrib.
صَارَ يَتِيمَ الْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ فِي السَّادِسَةِ.
ṣāra yatīma l-abi wa-l-ummi fi s-sādisati
He became an orphan of both father and mother at six.

Rule 2: 2. The verb in the passage: a review

Read the passage a second time with the verb forms in mind. Form I: سَكَنَ, خَرَجَتْ, مَرِضَتْ, كَفَلَهُ, صَارَ. Form II: فَضَّلَهُ. Form III: يُفَارِقْهُ. Form IV: أَحَبَّهُ, يُجْلِسُهُ. Form V: تَعَلَّمَ, تَكَلَّمَ, and the passive تُوُفِّيَتْ. Note too the auxiliaries: كَانَ يُجْلِسُهُ he used to seat him, لَمْ يُفَارِقْهُ he did not part from him (jussive of Form III), and the circumstantial clauses introduced by وَ: وَهُوَ غُلَامٌ while he was a boy, وَلِرَسُولِ اللّٰهِ ثَمَانِي سَنَوَاتٍ when the Messenger of God was eight.

كَانَ الْجَدُّ يُجْلِسُهُ مَعَهُ وَلَا يَسْمَحُ لِأَحَدٍ غَيْرِهِ بِذٰلِكَ.
kāna l-jaddu yujlisuhu maʿahu wa-lā yasmaḥu li-aḥadin ghayrihi bi-dhālika
The grandfather used to seat him beside himself and allowed no one else that.
Form IV يُجْلِسُ 'to make sit'; سَمَحَ لِـ … بِـ 'to allow someone something'.
فَضَّلَهُ عَمُّهُ عَلَى أَبْنَائِهِ وَلَمْ يُفَارِقْهُ.
faḍḍalahu ʿammuhu ʿalā abnāʾihi wa-lam yufāriqhu
His uncle preferred him to his own sons and did not part from him.
Form II فَضَّلَ عَلَى; Form III jussive after لَمْ.
تُوُفِّيَتْ أُمُّهُ فِي الطَّرِيقِ وَهُوَ ابْنُ سِتِّ سَنَوَاتٍ.
tuwuffiyat ummuhu fi ṭ-ṭarīqi wa-huwa bnu sitti sanawātin
His mother died on the way when he was six years old.
اِبْنُ سِتِّ سَنَوَاتٍ 'six years old', literally 'son of six years'.
أَخَذَهُ عَمُّهُ مَعَهُ إِلَى الشَّامِ وَهُوَ غُلَامٌ.
akhadhahu ʿammuhu maʿahu ilā sh-shāmi wa-huwa ghulāmun
His uncle took him with him to Syria while he was still a boy.

Vocabulary

Why do words end with “-un”?

The -un ending is called tanween (nunation). It marks indefinite nouns — similar to “a/an” in English.

كِتَابٌ (kitaabun) = a bookvsكِتَاب (kitaab) = book (base word)

To find the base word, simply remove the final “-un” sound (the double-stacked damma بٌ on the last letter).

عَمٌّ

ʿammun

paternal uncle

عَمَّةٌ

ʿammatun

paternal aunt

جَدٌّ

jaddun

grandfather

جَدَّةٌ

jaddatun

grandmother

شَقِيقٌ

shaqīqun

full brother

حَفِيدٌ

ḥafīdun

grandson, grandchild

قَبْرٌ

qabrun

grave

فَقْرٌ

faqrun

poverty

عِيَالٌ

ʿiyālun

dependants, family to support

فِرَاشٌ

firāshun

bed, mat, couch

كَفَلَ يَكْفُلُ

kafala, yakfulu

to take charge of, bring up (an orphan)

أَحَبَّ يُحِبُّ

aḥabba, yuḥibbu

to love

فَضَّلَ يُفَضِّلُ عَلَى

faḍḍala, yufaḍḍilu ʿalā

to prefer (someone) to

فَارَقَ يُفَارِقُ

fāraqa, yufāriqu

to part from, leave

مَرِضَ يَمْرَضُ

mariḍa, yamraḍu

to fall ill

سَمَحَ يَسْمَحُ لِـ … بِـ

samaḥa, yasmaḥu li- … bi-

to allow (someone) (something)

Step 2 of 5: Read

The childhood of the Messenger of God ﷺ

طُفُولَةُ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ ﷺ

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.What two things did the Prophet ﷺ gain from his years among Banū Saʿd?
2.Why did Āmina travel to Yathrib?
3.Where did Āmina die?
4.How did ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib show his love for his grandson?
5.What relation was Abū Ṭālib to the Prophet ﷺ, and what was his situation?

In the Quran

أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًۭا فَـَٔاوَىٰ
Surah Ad-Duhaa · 93:6
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَى: God reminds the Prophet ﷺ of his orphanhood and the shelter he was given; يَتِيمًا is an accusative of state after a jussive with لَمْ.
- أَلَمْalamDid not
- يَجِدْكَyajid'kaHe find you
- يَتِيمًۭاyatīmanan orphan
- فَـَٔاوَىٰfaāwāand give shelter
Read in context
وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ
Surah Al-Isra · 17:23
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا: 'and kindness to parents'; اَلْوَالِدَانِ 'the two parents' is the dual of the participle وَالِدٌ.
- وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِwabil-wālidayniand to the parents
- إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚiḥ'sānan(be) good
Read in context
لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَبِينَا مِنَّا
Surah Yusuf · 12:8
لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَبِينَا مِنَّا: أَحَبُّ إِلَى 'dearer to', the comparative of the root of أَحَبَّ, with the five nouns أَخُوهُ and أَبِينَا.
- لَيُوسُفُlayūsufuSurely Yusuf
- وَأَخُوهُwa-akhūhuand his brother
- أَحَبُّaḥabbu(are) more beloved
- إِلَىٰٓilāto
- أَبِينَاabīnāour father
- مِنَّاminnāthan we
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 60/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Complete with the right kinship word ('paternal uncle'):

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

سَكَنَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ ﷺ فِي بَنِي سَعْدٍ نَحْوَ خَمْسِ سَنَوَاتٍ.

2.

تُوُفِّيَتْ أُمُّهُ فِي الطَّرِيقِ بَيْنَ يَثْرِبَ وَمَكَّةَ.

3.

كَفَلَهُ جَدُّهُ وَأَحَبَّهُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ أَوْلَادِهِ.

4.

كَانَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ فَقِيرًا كَثِيرَ الْعِيَالِ.

5.

فَضَّلَ الْعَمُّ ابْنَ أَخِيهِ عَلَى أَبْنَائِهِ وَلَمْ يُفَارِقْهُ.

6.

عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ وَأَبُو طَالِبٍ شَقِيقَانِ، أُمُّهُمَا فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ عَمْرٍو.

Translate from English to Arabic

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

My maternal uncle lives in Yathrib and my paternal uncle lives in Mecca.

2.

His grandfather died when he was eight years old.

3.

The mother visited her husband's grave with her son.

4.

The grandfather used to seat his grandson beside him by the Kaʿba.

5.

She fell ill on the way and did not return to Mecca.

6.

In spite of his poverty he took charge of the orphan and loved him.

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