9/13.5 - Derivative 5 Superlative/Comparative Noun اِسْمُ التَّفْضِيْلِ

 

Section 13.5 - Derivative 5 Superlative/Comparative Noun اِسْمُ التَّفْضِيْلِ ismut-taf-deeli

 

This Noun is divided into two forms. One is Comparative التًّفْضِيْلُ الْبَعْضُat-taf-deel-ul ba’-adu and the other is Superlative التَّفْضِيْلُ الْكُلُّ at-taf-deel-ul kul-lu.

 

1.     Comparative Nounsاَلتًّفْضِيْلُ الْبَعْضُ at-taf-deel-ulba’-adu are used generally for comparing the attributes of two described Nouns. For example, Zaid is faster than Amr or Hamid is smarter than Mahmoud.

Comparative Noun in Arabic for masculine gender has the scale of af-alou أَفعَلُ af-‘aluand for the feminine gender is fou-laaفُعْلٰى fu’-laa.

 

Rule for Using Comparative Noun is that the preposition مِنْis always used.

-        For example, the phrase حَامِدٌ أَعْلَمُ مِنْ زَيْدٍ Haa-mi-dun ‘aa-la-mu min Zaid-in means Hamid knows more than Zaid.

-        Another example with the phrase from Qur’an, surah Al-An'aam - Verse 21:

-         

“وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا”

 

Wa man az-la-ma mim-manif-ta-ra ‘alal-lahi kazi-ban

 

Here مِمَّنِ mim-man is مِنْ+مَنْ, مِنْminmeaning from and مَنْmunmeaning who أَظْلَمُaz-la-mumore unjust is the comparative Noun on the scale أَفعَلُ af-‘a-lu. The meaning here is “And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie or denies His verses?”

 

Comparative Noun is always predicate اَلْخَبَرُ al-kha-ba-ru and therefore is inflexible نَكِرةٌ na-ki-ra-tun and is always a single since comparison is always against a single entity one or one group.

 

The table below shows the inflections in all three states. Only Sound plurals اَلْجمْعُ السَّالِمُ al-jam-‘us saa-li-mu are given. The scales for broken plurals الْجمْعُ الْمُكَسّرُ aljam-’ul-mu-kas-sa-ru are not mentioned here and can be studied in more advanced books.

 

Nominative رَفْعٌ Raf’un

 

Sound plural	Dual	Single
أَفعَلُوْنَ   Af-‘a-loona	أَفعَلَانِ   Af-‘a-laa-ni	أَفعَلُ   Af-‘a-lu	Masculine
فُعَلَيَاتٌ   Fu’-a-la-yaa-tun	فُعْلَيَانِ   Fu’-la-yaa-ni	فُعْلٰى   Fu’-laa	Feminine

 

Accusative نَصْبٌ Nas-bun

 

Sound plural	Dual	Single
أَفعَلِيْنَ   Af-‘alee-na	أَفعَلَيْنِ   Af-‘alai-nee	أَفعَلَ     Af-‘ala	Masculine
فُعَلَيَاتٍ   Fu-‘ala-yaa-tin	فُعْلَيَيْنِ   Fu’-la-yay-ni	فُعْلٰى   Fu’-laa	Feminine

 

Genitive جَرٌّ jar-run

 

Sound plural	Dual	Single
أَفعَلِيْنَ   Af-‘alee-na	أَفعَلَيْنِ   Af-‘ala-ni	أَفعَلَ     Af-‘ala	Masculine
فُعَلَيَاتٍ   Fu-‘a-la-yaa-tin	فُعْلَيَيْنِ   Fu’-la-yay-ni	فُعْلٰى   Fu’-laa	Feminine

 

 

2.     The Superlative التًّفْضِيْلُ الْكُلُّ at-taf-dee-lul kul-lu is the form of an adjective indicating the greatest degree of the quality that the adjective describes. Best is the superlative form of good; fastestis the superlative form of fast and most charming is the superlative form of charming. We also know this as a comparative degree.

 

Masculine gender has the scale of af-‘alu أَفعَلُand for the feminine gender is فُعْلٰى fu’-laa. These are the same those used in comparative Noun التًّفْضِيْلُ الْبَعْضُ at-taf-dee-lul-ba’-du.

 

The Superlative is made in two ways:

 

1.     Make the Noun a definite by ال and make a descriptive compound as in الرَّجْلُ الْاَفْضَلُar-raju-lul af-da-lu meaning the man who is the best.

2.     Make a possessive compound and make the possessed part as the one over which the tasf-deelis to be shown as in اَعْلَمُ النَّاسِaa’la-munnaa-si meaning the most learned among all people.

3.     Just like English language, words like most are also used to create the superlative. Commonly used ones are اَشَدُّ ashad-du, اَكْثَرُ ak-tha-ru, and اَعْظَمُ aa’za-mu, all meaning most. As in,

اَشَدُّ سَوَادًا ashad-du saw-daa-anmeaning most black, اَكْثَرُ اِخْتِيَارًا ak-tha-ru ikh-tia-ranmeaning having most power.

***