🔹 Text: “And its categories are three.”

🔹 Explanation:

• The types of speech are three.
• This limitation requires evidence

💡 If someone asks:

“What is the proof that the categories of speech are three? Is there anything in the Qur’an that indicates this? Or in the Sunnah? Consensus? Analogy?”

✅ We respond:

• There is no proof from the Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus, or analogy for this.
• These sources are only required for establishing Islamic rulings, not grammar.

📌 However, scholars do have a basis for restricting the categories to three:

It is based on observation and induction (التتبع والاستقراء) of the Arabic language.

They found that Arabic speech falls into only three types:

• اسم (noun),
• فعل (verb),
• حرف (particle).

The author, due to the brevity of the book and because it’s aimed at beginners, didn’t define “noun” using a formal logical definition (رسم), but rather with its signs.

🏷️ Defining the Three Parts

• اسم (Noun): What indicates meaning by itself, without implying time.
• فعل (Verb): What indicates meaning by itself and also implies time.
• حرف (Particle): Has no meaning on its own, but its meaning becomes clear when attached to others.

📌 These definitions, though technical, are hard for beginners and have limited benefit.

So instead, we ask:

🎯 “What are the signs that a word is a noun?”

🏷️ Signs of Nouns (علامات الأسماء)

📌 The author states:

“A noun is recognized by:

• being in the genitive case (الخفض),
• tanwīn (التنوين),
• the definite article (الألف واللام),
• and particles that cause genitive (حروف الخفض).”

Let’s explain these one by one:

🔹 1. Being in the Genitive Case (الخفض / الجر)

• The Basrans say جرّ (jarr), and the Kufans say خفض (khafḍ) — both mean the same.
• If we find a word in the genitive case, it’s a noun.

📍 Example:

“مررتُ برجلٍ كريمٍ”
“I passed by a generous man.”
• “رجل” is a noun by genitive and tanwīn.
• “كريم” is confirmed a noun only by being genitive.

🔹 2. Tanwīn (التنوين)

• Tanwīn is only used with nouns.
• If a word has tanwīn, it’s a noun.

📍 Example:

“هذا رجلٌ”
“This is a man.”
✅ Noun — because of the tanwīn.

“مررتُ برجلٍ”
“I passed by a man.”
✅ Noun — it shows two signs: genitive and tanwīn.

🔹 3. The Definite Article (الألف واللام)

• The Basrans say: “أل“.
• The Kufans say: “الألف واللام“.

💡 Why the disagreement?

• The Kufans say the hamzah in “أل” is not original; it’s a connecting hamzah that drops in pronunciation, like in: “أكرمتُ الرجلَ” — the hamzah doesn’t appear in speech.
• Therefore, they don’t pronounce “أل” as a word but describe it as “alif and lām“.

📍 Example:

“الليلُ في هذه الأيام قصيرٌ”
“The night in these days is short.”
• “الليل” has the sign: alif and lām
• “قصيرٌ” has the sign: tanwīn

🔹 4. Particles that Cause Genitive (حروف الخفض)

• If a word comes after a ḥarf khafḍ, it must be a noun.

📍 Example:

“مررتُ برجلٍ” — “I passed by a man.”
The particle “بـ” causes the following word to be genitive, marking it as a noun.

🏷️ 📝 Grammar Q&A Section

❓ A man writes you a letter narrating his journey to Ḥajj. Is that considered speech (كلام)?

• Answer: ❌ No. It’s not verbal, so not counted as speech in grammar.

❓ Someone says:
“إن اجتهدتَ”

“If you strive…”

• ❌ Not considered كلام — it’s incomplete and lacks full benefit (غير مفيد).

❓ What if someone says only “إنَّ“?

• ❌ Not speech — unless it’s an actual word from moaning (أنين). Otherwise, it’s just a particle of emphasis and not meaningful by itself.

❓ A non-Arab delivers a full speech in another language?

• ❌ Not Arabic speech. Even if meaningful, it’s not considered “كلام” by grammarians.

❓ The Prophet ﷺ gestured during prayer for companions to sit?

• ❌ Not considered speech — because speech must be verbal, and gesture (إشارة) does not qualify.

🏷️ Summary of Key Points

✅ Categories of speech:

• اسم – noun
• فعل – verb
• حرف – particle (that conveys meaning)

⚠️ A letter like “م” does not count as speech, unless it conveys meaning — like “مِنْ” which indicates starting point or part of something.

🏷️ Four Signs of a Noun Recap

1. Genitive case (خفض / جرّ)
2. Tanwīn (تنوين)
3. Alif and lām (الألف واللام)
4. Preceded by ḥarf khafḍ (حروف الخفض)

🏷️ Important Notes

• “جرّ” is Basran, “خفض” is Kufan — both mean genitive.

📖 Example 1
وَلِمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ

“And whoever brings it shall [have] the load of a camel.”
— Sūrat Yūsuf (12:72)

🖋 “بعيرٍ” (camel)
✅ Noun — contains:

• Tanwīn (تنوين)
• Genitive case (خفض)

📖 Example 2
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى

“By the night when it covers.”
— Sūrat al-Layl (92:1)

🖋 “اللَّيْلِ” (the night)
✅ Noun — contains:

• Alif and lām (الألف واللام)
• Genitive case (خفض)

⚠️ Tanwīn and Alif-lām NEVER combine:

• You will never see a word with both tanwīn and “أل”.

✅ But three out of four signs may appear together.