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

اسْمُ الْمَفْعُولِ

The Passive Participle — The One It's Done To

If the active participle (Chapter Thirty-Four) names ‘the one who does it,’ the passive participle names ‘the one it's done to.’ كَاتِبٌ is a writer; مَكْتُوبٌ is ‘written.’ The two patterns are close cousins — swap the prefix and vowel pattern, and the whole meaning flips from doer to done-to.

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: 40–45 min
Prerequisite check: Active participle (Chapter Thirty-Four) as the natural contrast pair.
Watch out for: مَمْنُوعٌ / مَشْغُولٌ are genuinely useful classroom-management words — use them in real classroom instructions, not just examples.
01 — THE FULL PICTURE, FIRST

رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner

Form I's passive participle: مَفْعُولٌ, always. Fit the root's three letters into this fixed pattern, and you have ‘the one/thing it's done to.’

كَتَبَ → مَكْتُوبٌ
kataba → maktūbun
he wrote → written
حَفِظَ → مَحْفُوظٌ
ḥafiẓa → maḥfūẓun
he memorised → memorised, preserved

Active vs. passive, side by side:

كَاتِبٌ   vs   مَكْتُوبٌ
kātib (active) vs maktūb (passive)
a writer (does the writing) vs written (writing is done to it)

Just like the active participle, the passive participle can stand alone as a noun (“something written”) or describe another noun as an adjective (“a written thing”), agreeing in gender and number the normal way.

Quick check: what's the passive participle of عَرَفَ (he knew)? (مَعْرُوفٌ — known.)

02 — LISTEN & REPEAT

حِوَارٌDialogue

Yūsuf and Maryam talk about things that have been done to them or around them. Listen twice, then read aloud.

MARYAM
هَلْ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ مَكْتُوبٌ بِخَطِّ يَدِكَ؟
hal hādhā-l-kitābu maktūbun bi-khaṭṭi yadik?
Is this book written in your own handwriting?
YŪSUF
لَا، هَذَا مَطْبُوعٌ، لَكِنَّ هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ بِيَدِي.
lā, hādhā maṭbū‘, lākinna hādhihi-r-risālata maktūbatun bi-yadī.
No, this is printed, but this letter is written by my hand.
MARYAM
خَطُّكَ مَعْرُوفٌ بِالْجَمَالِ!
khaṭṭuka ma‘rūfun bi-l-jamāl!
Your handwriting is known for its beauty!
YŪSUF
شُكْرًا، هَذَا شَيْءٌ مَحْبُوبٌ عِنْدِي.
shukran, hādhā shay’un maḥbūbun ‘indī.
Thanks, it's something I love (lit. loved by me).
03 — CORE WORDS

الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary

Compare each of these to its active-participle cousin from last chapter — same root, opposite direction.

ArabicSaysMeaningNote
NEWمَكْتُوبٌ maktūbwrittenFrom كَتَبَ — compare كَاتِبٌ, ‘a writer.’
NEWمَقْرُوءٌ maqrū’read (that which is read)From قَرَأَ.
NEWمَعْلُومٌ ma‘lūmknownFrom عَلِمَ — compare عَالِمٌ, ‘a scholar.’
REVIEWمَحْفُوظٌ maḥfūẓmemorised, preservedFrom حَفِظَ — you met this pattern back in Chapter Twenty-One.
NEWمَخْلُوقٌ makhlūqcreated (a creation)From خَلَقَ — compare خَالِقٌ, ‘a creator.’
NEWمَحْبُوبٌ maḥbūbloved, belovedFrom أَحَبَّ — note: Form IV, so the pattern shifts slightly (مُحَبٌّ), but مَحْبُوبٌ is the commonly used form.
NEWمَعْرُوفٌ ma‘rūfknown, well-known; also ‘kindness’From عَرَفَ.
NEWمَطْبُوعٌ maṭbū‘printedFrom طَبَعَ.

Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.

ArabicSaysMeaningNote
EARLYلَوْحٌlawḥa board, a tablet—
EARLYمَشْغُولٌmashghūlbusy—
EARLYمَمْنُوعٌmamnū‘forbidden, not allowedUseful classroom-management phrase.
04 — READING THE SOURCE

وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection

A famous description of the Preserved Tablet — using the exact passive-participle pattern from this chapter.

SŪRAT AL-BURŪJ — 85:21–22
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَّجِيدٌ. فِي لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ
Rather, it is a glorious Qur'ān, in a Preserved Tablet.
بَلْ هُوَ
bal huwa
rather, it is
قُرْآنٌ مَّجِيدٌ
qur’ānun majīd
a glorious Qur'ān
فِي لَوْحٍ
fī lawḥin
in a tablet
مَّحْفُوظٍ
maḥfūẓin
preserved (passive participle, genitive after فِي)
مَحْفُوظٍ is the exact word from this chapter's vocabulary, here genitive because it follows the preposition فِي and describes لَوْحٍ (‘tablet’). ‘Preserved’ is a textbook passive participle: the tablet doesn't do the preserving — it is preserved.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE

عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases

Everyday phrases built from passive participles.

غَيْرُ مَعْقُولٍ
ghayru ma‘qūl — unreasonable, unbelievable
مَمْنُوعٌ
mamnū‘ — forbidden, not allowed
مَشْغُولٌ الْآنَ
mashghūlun-l-ān — busy right now
مَوْجُودٌ
mawjūd — present, existing
مَفْهُومٌ
mafhūm — understood
غَيْرُ مَوْصُوفٍ
ghayru mawṣūf — indescribable
مَكْسُورٌ
maksūr — broken
مَطْلُوبٌ مِنْكَ
maṭlūbun mink — required/requested of you
SKILLS PRACTICE

الِاسْتِمَاعُListening

Audio track 35.1

Salmā tells Aḥmad about something. Listen first, script second.

SALMĀ
هَلْ هَذَا الدَّرْسُ مَفْهُومٌ لَكَ؟
AḨMAD
نَعَمْ، وَاسْمُ الْمَفْعُولِ مَعْرُوفٌ لِي الْآنَ.
SALMĀ
جَيِّدٌ! هُوَ مَوْجُودٌ فِي كُلِّ صَفْحَةٍ تَقْرَؤُهَا تَقْرِيبًا.
AḨMAD
صَحِيحٌ، وَهُوَ غَيْرُ صَعْبٍ كَمَا ظَنَنْتُ.
  1. Is the lesson clear to Aḥmad?
  2. What does he say he now knows?
  3. Where does Salmā say this pattern appears?
Reveal answers
1. Yes, clear.   2. The passive participle, now known to him.   3. In almost every page you read.
SKILLS PRACTICE

التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking

Pair work

Partner drill. Say three things that are مَعْرُوفٌ (known), مَمْنُوعٌ (forbidden), or مَوْجُودٌ (present) around you right now.

LettersWord 1Word 2Tip
كَاتِبٌ vs مَكْتُوبٌكَاتِبٌمَكْتُوبٌActive starts with the root's first letter directly; passive adds a مَـ prefix and shifts the vowels — listen for both differences together.
SKILLS PRACTICE

الْقِرَاءَةُReading

Read silently, then aloud

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

الْقُرْآنُ كِتَابٌ مَحْفُوظٌ مِنَ التَّحْرِيفِ. اسْمُ اللَّهِ مَذْكُورٌ فِي كُلِّ صَفْحَةٍ تَقْرِيبًا. هَذَا أَمْرٌ مَعْرُوفٌ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ. رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ مَحْبُوبًا عِنْدَ أَصْحَابِهِ.
1) مِمَّاذَا مَحْفُوظٌ الْقُرْآنُ؟
2) مَاذَا مَذْكُورٌ فِي كُلِّ صَفْحَةٍ تَقْرِيبًا؟
3) كَيْفَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ عِنْدَ أَصْحَابِهِ؟
Reveal answers
1. أ — مِنَ التَّحْرِيفِ   2. ب — اسْمُ اللَّهِ   3. أ — مَحْبُوبًا
SKILLS PRACTICE

الْكِتَابَةُWriting

On paper or in your notebook

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

  1. التَّحْرِيفِ   مِنَ   مَحْفُوظٌ   الْقُرْآنُ
  2. مَحْفُوظٍ   لَوْحٍ   فِي
  3. مَحْبُوبًا   كَانَ   الرَّسُولُ

Guided writing. Write three sentences using passive participles — describe something written, known, or loved.

06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES

التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises

1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer
1. The Form I passive participle pattern is:
2. مَحْفُوظٌ means:
3. The difference between كَاتِبٌ and مَكْتُوبٌ is:
4. لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ describes the Tablet as:
Reveal answers
1. b   2. b   3. b   4. b
2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning
  1. مَكْتُوبٌ
  2. مَعْلُومٌ
  3. مَحْفُوظٌ
  4. مَخْلُوقٌ
  5. مَحْبُوبٌ
  1. beloved
  2. created
  3. memorised, preserved
  4. known
  5. written
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. هَذَا الْكِتَابُ مَكْتُوبٌ بِيَدِي.
  2. الْقُرْآنُ مَحْفُوظٌ مِنَ التَّحْرِيفِ.
  3. هَذَا أَمْرٌ مَعْرُوفٌ.
  4. هُوَ مَحْبُوبٌ عِنْدَ الْجَمِيعِ.
Reveal answers
1. This book is written by my hand.
2. The Qur'ān is preserved from distortion.
3. This is a well-known matter.
4. He is loved by everyone.
4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic

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

  1. This letter is written by my hand.
  2. The Qur'ān is preserved in a tablet.
  3. This matter is well-known.
Reveal answers
١) هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ بِيَدِي.
٢) الْقُرْآنُ مَحْفُوظٌ فِي لَوْحٍ.
٣) هَذَا الْأَمْرُ مَعْرُوفٌ.
5أَكْمِلِ الْحِوَارَComplete the dialogue
Word bank: مَكْتُوبٌ — مَطْبُوعٌ — مَكْتُوبَةٌ — مَعْرُوفٌ
مريم: هَلْ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ بِخَطِّ يَدِكَ؟
يوسف: لَا، هَذَا ، لَكِنَّ هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةَ بِيَدِي.
مريم: خَطُّكَ بِالْجَمَالِ!
Reveal answers
مَكْتُوبٌ — مَطْبُوعٌ — مَكْتُوبَةٌ — مَعْرُوفٌ
6صَحِيحٌ أَمْ خَطَأٌ؟True or false? (based on the reading passage)
الْكِتَابُ فِي الْحِوَارِ مَكْتُوبٌ بِخَطِّ يَدِ يُوسُفَ.true / false
الرِّسَالَةُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ بِيَدِ يُوسُفَ.true / false
مَرْيَمُ تَقُولُ إِنَّ خَطَّهُ قَبِيحٌ.true / false
Reveal answers
1. False — it's printed, not handwritten.   2. True.   3. False — she says it's known for its beauty.
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
هَذَا الدَّرْسُ مَكْتُوبٌ وَجَمِيلٌ. وَهَذَا الْكِتَابُ مَقْرُوءٌ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ. هَذَا مَعْلُومٌ عِنْدَ كُلِّ طَالِبٍ. دَرْسِي مَحْفُوظٌ فِي قَلْبِي. كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مَخْلُوقٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ. أُسْتَاذُنَا مَحْبُوبٌ وَمَعْرُوفٌ. عَلَى اللَّوْحِ دَرْسٌ مَطْبُوعٌ. أُسْتَاذِي مَشْغُولٌ 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 الْخَامِسُ وَالثَّلَاثُونَ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ
Chapter Thirty-Five complete — next chapter: The Passive Verb (الْفِعْلُ الْمَجْهُولُ)
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