A Conversational Course in Qur'ānic Arabic
لُغَةُ القُرْآنِ
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Part 4 · Chapter Thirty-Four · Word-Types Foundation

اسْمُ الْفَاعِلِ

The Active Participle — The One Who Does It

You've already met more active participles than you might realise: مُسْلِمٌ (one who submits), مُؤْمِنٌ (one who believes), صَادِقٌ (one who is truthful) — every one of these is an اسْمُ فَاعِلٍ, a noun built from a verb's root meaning ‘the one who does this.’ Unlike the maṣdar you just met, the active participle's shape for Form I is completely predictable: فَاعِلٌ, every time.

Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.

BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 45 min
Prerequisite check: Present tense stems (Ch.9–10) — participles derive from the same root shape.
Watch out for: بِالطَّبْعِ is a good filler to model here while students search for the right participle form.
01 — THE FULL PICTURE, FIRST

رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner

Form I's active participle: فَاعِلٌ, always. Take the three root letters and slot them into this exact pattern — unlike the maṣdar, there's nothing to memorise beyond the formula itself.

كَتَبَ → كَاتِبٌ
kataba → kātibun
he wrote → a writer / one who writes
عَلِمَ → عَالِمٌ
‘alima → ‘ālimun
he knew → a scholar / one who knows

Two uses. An active participle can stand alone as a noun (“a writer”) or describe another noun as an adjective (“a writing person,” agreeing in gender/number/definiteness exactly like any other adjective from Chapter Five).

رَجُلٌ كَاتِبٌ
rajulun kātibun
a writing man / a man who writes (adjective use)

You already know several active participles as fixed vocabulary — مُسْلِمٌ (Form IV) and مُؤْمِنٌ (Form IV) follow a related but different pattern (مُفْعِلٌ), which you'll see properly once you study Form IV in Part Five. The فَاعِلٌ pattern here is specifically Form I's.

Quick check: what's the active participle of خَلَقَ (he created)? (خَالِقٌ — a creator.)

02 — LISTEN & REPEAT

حِوَارٌDialogue

Yūsuf describes people by what they habitually do. Listen twice, then read aloud.

MARYAM
مَنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ؟
man dhālika-r-rajul?
Who is that man?
YŪSUF
هُوَ كَاتِبٌ مَشْهُورٌ.
huwa kātibun mashhūr.
He's a famous writer.
MARYAM
وَهَلْ هُوَ قَارِئٌ أَيْضًا؟
wa hal huwa qāri’un ayḍan?
And is he a reader too?
YŪSUF
بِالطَّبْعِ، كُلُّ كَاتِبٍ حَقِيقِيٍّ قَارِئٌ نَهِمٌ.
bi-ṭ-ṭab‘, kullu kātibin ḥaqīqiyyin qāri’un nahim.
Of course, every true writer is a voracious reader.
03 — CORE WORDS

الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary

Every one of these follows the same فَاعِلٌ pattern — once you know it, you can recognise thousands of Arabic words on sight.

ArabicSaysMeaningNote
NEWكَاتِبٌ kātiba writer, one who writesFrom كَتَبَ.
NEWقَارِئٌ qāri’a reader, one who readsFrom قَرَأَ.
NEWعَالِمٌ ‘ālima scholar, one who knowsFrom عَلِمَ — root of ‘ulamā’.
NEWحَافِظٌ ḥāfiẓone who memorises/preservesFrom حَفِظَ — also one of Allah's Names.
NEWخَالِقٌ khāliqa creator, one who createsFrom خَلَقَ — also one of Allah's Names.
REVIEWصَادِقٌ ṣādiqtruthful, one who is truthfulFrom صَدَقَ — you met this back in Chapter Fourteen.
NEWمَشْهُورٌ mashhūrfamousActually a passive participle — preview of next chapter.
NEWنَهِمٌ nahimvoracious, avid—

Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.

ArabicSaysMeaningNote
EARLYبِالطَّبْعِbi-ṭ-ṭab‘of courseA very common discourse phrase, worth teaching as a fixed unit.
EARLYزَائِرٌzā’ira visitor—
04 — READING THE SOURCE

وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection

A verse where an active participle, not a verb, carries the entire theological weight of the sentence.

SŪRAT AL-BAQARAH — 2:255 (AYAT AL-KURSĮ, EXCERPT)
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
Allah — there is no god except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence.
اللَّهُ
Allāh
Allah
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
lā ilāha illā huwa
there is no god except Him
الْحَيُّ
al-ḥayy
the Ever-Living
الْقَيُّومُ
al-qayyūm
the Sustainer, the Self-Subsisting
الْقَيُّومُ is an intensive active-participle pattern (فَيْعُول-type, built on the same root ق-و-م as قَامَ, ‘he stood/subsisted’) — ‘the One who sustains all existence.’ Names and attributes of Allah are very often active participles, describing Him by what He continuously does or is.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE

عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases

Everyday phrases built from active participles.

طَالِبُ عِلْمٍ
ṭālibu ‘ilm — a seeker of knowledge
سَاكِنٌ هُنَا
sākinun huna — residing/living here
عَامِلٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ
‘āmilun fi-l-madrasah — working at the school
زَائِرٌ جَدِيدٌ
zā’irun jadīd — a new visitor
حَاضِرٌ
ḥāḍir — present (here)
مُسَافِرٌ غَدًا
musāfirun ghadan — travelling tomorrow
سَامِعٌ وَمُطِيعٌ
sāmi‘un wa muṫī‘ — hearing and obeying
فَاهِمٌ الْآنَ
fāhimun-l-ān — understanding now
SKILLS PRACTICE

الِاسْتِمَاعُListening

Audio track 34.1

Aḥmad describes people using active participles. Listen first, script second.

AḨMAD
أُخْتِي طَالِبَةُ عِلْمٍ، وَهِيَ حَافِظَةٌ لِأَجْزَاءَ كَثِيرَةٍ.
SALMĀ
مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ! وَأَنْتَ، هَلْ أَنْتَ حَافِظٌ أَيْضًا؟
AḨMAD
أَنَا سَامِعٌ أَكْثَرَ مِنِّي حَافِظًا، لَكِنِّي أُحَاوِلُ.
SALMĀ
كُلُّ سَامِعٍ مُجْتَهِدٍ يُصْبِحُ حَافِظًا يَوْمًا مَا.
  1. How does Aḥmad describe his sister?
  2. Is Aḥmad a memoriser too?
  3. What does Salmā say about a diligent listener?
Reveal answers
1. A seeker of knowledge, and one who has memorised many parts (of the Qur'ān).   2. Not really — more of a listener, but he's trying.   3. Every diligent listener becomes a memoriser one day.
SKILLS PRACTICE

التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking

Pair work

Partner drill. Describe three people you know using active participles — كَاتِبٌ, قَارِئٌ, عَامِلٌ, طَالِبٌ, or others you can form yourself.

Recycling round. Describe people around the room using this chapter's active participles — زَائِرٌ، مُعَلِّمٌ، طَالِبٌ — bi-ṭ-ṭab‘ makes a natural filler while thinking.

SKILLS PRACTICE

الْقِرَاءَةُReading

Read silently, then aloud

Read once for meaning, then aloud, spotting every active participle.

أَبِي عَامِلٌ فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ، وَهُوَ مُعَلِّمٌ مَحْبُوبٌ. أُمِّي حَافِظَةٌ لِلْقُرْآنِ كُلِّهِ، وَهِيَ قَارِئَةٌ نَهِمَةٌ لِلْكُتُبِ أَيْضًا. أَنَا طَالِبُ عِلْمٍ صَغِيرٌ، لَكِنِّي سَامِعٌ وَمُطِيعٌ. اللَّهُ هُوَ الْخَالِقُ الرَّازِقُ، وَنَحْنُ عَابِدُونَ لَهُ وَحْدَهُ.
1) مَاذَا يَعْمَلُ الْأَبُ؟
2) مَاذَا حَفِظَتِ الْأُمُّ؟
3) كَيْفَ يَصِفُ الْكَاتِبُ نَفْسَهُ؟
Reveal answers
1. ب — عَامِلٌ فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ   2. ب — الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ   3. ب — طَالِبُ عِلْمٍ سَامِعٌ وَمُطِيعٌ
SKILLS PRACTICE

الْكِتَابَةُWriting

On paper or in your notebook

Sentence building. Put these words in the correct order, then translate.

  1. مَحْبُوبٌ   مُعَلِّمٌ   أَبِي
  2. نَهِمَةٌ   قَارِئَةٌ   أُمِّي
  3. الرَّازِقُ   الْخَالِقُ   هُوَ   اللَّهُ

Guided writing. Write three sentences describing your own family using active participles — what they habitually do, not just what they did once.

06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES

التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises

1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer
1. The Form I active participle pattern is:
2. قَارِئٌ is the active participle of:
3. An active participle can function as:
4. الْقَيُّومُ describes Allah as:
Reveal answers
1. b   2. b   3. c   4. b
2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning
  1. كَاتِبٌ
  2. قَارِئٌ
  3. عَالِمٌ
  4. حَافِظٌ
  5. خَالِقٌ
  1. a creator
  2. one who memorises
  3. a scholar
  4. a reader
  5. a writer
Reveal answers
1–e, 2–d, 3–c, 4–b, 5–a
3تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِTranslate into English

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

  1. هُوَ كَاتِبٌ مَشْهُورٌ.
  2. أُمِّي حَافِظَةٌ لِلْقُرْآنِ.
  3. اللَّهُ هُوَ الْخَالِقُ.
  4. أَنَا طَالِبُ عِلْمٍ.
Reveal answers
1. He's a famous writer.
2. My mother has memorised the Qur'ān.
3. Allah is the Creator.
4. I am a seeker of knowledge.
4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic

Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.

  1. He is a reader and a writer.
  2. My father is a worker at the school.
  3. We are worshippers of Allah alone.
Reveal answers
١) هُوَ قَارِئٌ وَكَاتِبٌ.
٢) أَبِي عَامِلٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ.
٣) نَحْنُ عَابِدُونَ لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ.
5أَكْمِلِ الْحِوَارَComplete the dialogue
Word bank: كَاتِبٌ — قَارِئٌ — نَهِمٌ — حَقِيقِيٍّ
مريم: مَنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ؟
يوسف: هُوَ مَشْهُورٌ.
مريم: وَهَلْ هُوَ أَيْضًا؟
يوسف: بِالطَّبْعِ، كُلُّ كَاتِبٍ قَارِئٌ .
Reveal answers
كَاتِبٌ — قَارِئٌ — حَقِيقِيٍّ — نَهِمٌ
6صَحِيحٌ أَمْ خَطَأٌ؟True or false? (based on the reading passage)
الرَّجُلُ فِي الْحِوَارِ طَبِيبٌ.true / false
يُوسُفُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ كُلَّ كَاتِبٍ حَقِيقِيٍّ قَارِئٌ نَهِمٌ.true / false
مَرْيَمُ سَأَلَتْ إِنْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ قَارِئًا أَيْضًا.true / false
Reveal answers
1. False — he's a writer.   2. True.   3. True.
SKILLS PRACTICE

قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading

Hover to check — no test, just read

A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.

Word Sentence
هُوَ كَاتِبٌ مَشْهُورٌ. وَأَخِي قَارِئٌ نَهِمٌ. جَدِّي عَالِمٌ وَحَافِظٌ. اللَّهُ هُوَ الْخَالِقُ. صَدِيقِي صَادِقٌ بِالطَّبْعِ. عِنْدَنَا زَائِرٌ مَشْهُورٌ الْيَوْمَ.
SKILLS PRACTICE — NEW

مُحَادَثَةٌ حُرَّةٌConversation Practice

Chat with Yūsuf or Maryam using only what you've learned so far — type it or say it out loud, your choice.

تَمَّ الدَّرْسُ الرَّابِعُ وَالثَّلَاثُونَ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ
Chapter Thirty-Four complete — next chapter: The Passive Participle (اسْمُ الْمَفْعُولِ)
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