The Foundation: Components (الأركان والتفاعيل)
Arabic prosody is built on a binary system. Every sound is either moving or still. These atoms combine to form molecules (Sabab, Watad), which combine to form the DNA of the verse (Taf'ila).
1. The Atoms: Haraka and Sukun
- Haraka (Movement - / or 1): A letter with a vowel (Fatha, Damma, Kasra).
- Example: The 'K' in Ka-taba (كَ).
- Sukun (Stillness - o or 0): A letter with no vowel, or a long vowel (Alif, Waw, Ya).
- Example: The 'L' in Qul (قُلْ), or the 'A' in Qaala (قَالَ).
In PyArud, we represent these digitally as 1 (Haraka) and 0 (Sukun).
2. The Molecules: Roots (الأصول)
These atoms combine to form linguistic units used to build feet. Al-Khalil identified six types:
A. Asbab (Cords) - الأسباب
Named after the rope of a tent.
1. Sabab Khafif (Light Cord): A moving letter followed by a still one (/o or 10).
- Example: Laml (لَمْ), Man (مَنْ).
2. Sabab Thaqil (Heavy Cord): Two moving letters (// or 11).
- Example: Laka (لَكَ), Bika (بِكَ).
B. Awtad (Pegs) - الأوتاد
Named after the peg used to secure the tent. Pegs are stronger than Cords and rarely suffer from deletion (Zihaf).
3. Watad Majmu' (Joined Peg): Two moving letters followed by a still one (//o or 110).
- Example: Laqad (لَقَدْ), Na'am (نَعَمْ).
- Note: This is the most stable unit in Arabic prosody.
4. Watad Mafruq (Separated Peg): A moving letter, a still one, then a moving one (/o/ or 101).
- Example: Qama (قَامَ) in Qama Zaid (where Z is next). Or Lay-ta (لَيْتَ).
C. Fawasil (Separators) - الفواصل
- Fasila Sughra (Small Separator): Three moving letters followed by a still one (
///oor1110).- Example: Jabalun (جَبَلٌ).
- Analysis: Effectively a Sabab Thaqil + Sabab Khafif (
//+/o).
- Fasila Kubra (Large Separator): Four moving letters followed by a still one (
////oor11110).- Example: Samakatun (سَمَكَةٌ).
- Analysis: Effectively a Sabab Thaqil + Watad Majmu' (
//+//o).
Mnemonic
Generations of students have memorized these units with the phrase:
لَمْ أَرَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ جَبَلٍ سَمَكَةً (Lam Ara 'Ala Zahri Jabalin Samakatan) I have not seen a fish on the back of a mountain.
- Lam (
/o): Sabab Khafif. - Ara (
//): Sabab Thaqil. - 'Ala (
//o): Watad Majmu'. - Zahri (
/o/): Watad Mafruq (ignoring the final Kasra logic for isolation). - Jabalin (
///o): Fasila Sughra. - Samakatan (
////o): Fasila Kubra.
3. The DNA: Feet (التفاعيل)
Al-Khalil combined these molecules into 10 standard "Feet" (Taf'ila). These are the templates used to measure verses. They are built from the root word F-'-L (فعل).
| Taf'ila (Arabic) | Taf'ila (English) | Pattern | Structure | Used in Meters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| فَعُولُنْ | Fa'ulun | 11010 |
Watad Majmu' + Sabab Khafif | Tawil, Mutaqarib, Hazaj |
| مَفَاعِيلُنْ | Mafa'ilun | 1101010 |
Watad Majmu' + 2 Sabab Khafif | Hazaj, Tawil, Mudhari |
| مُفَاعَلَتُنْ | Mufa'alatun | 1101110 |
Watad Majmu' + Fasila Sughra | Wafir |
| مُتَفَاعِلُنْ | Mutafa'ilun | 1110110 |
Fasila Sughra + Watad Majmu' | Kamil |
| فَاعِلُنْ | Fa'ilun | 10110 |
Sabab Khafif + Watad Majmu' | Madid, Basit, Mutadarak |
| فَاعِلاتُنْ | Fa'ilatun | 1011010 |
Watad Mafruq + 2 Sabab Khafif | Ramal, Madid, Khafif |
| مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ | Mustaf'ilun | 1010110 |
2 Sabab Khafif + Watad Majmu' | Rajaz, Basit, Saree |
| مَفْعُولاتُ | Maf'ulatu | 1010101 |
2 Sabab Khafif + Watad Mafruq | Munsarih, Muqtadhib |
| فَاعِ لاتُنْ | Fa'i Latun | 101 1010 |
Watad Mafruq + 2 Sabab Khafif | Mudhari (Split version) |
| مُسْتَفْعِ لُنْ | Mustaf'i Lun | 1010 110 |
2 Sabab Khafif + Watad Majmu' | Khafif, Mujtath (Split version) |
Note on Split Feet:
Some feet like Mustaf'ilun can be effectively the same pattern (1010110), but their internal structure differs depending on the meter.
- In Rajaz, it is Sabab, Sabab, Watad (10, 10, 110).
- In Khafif, it is Sabab, Watad, Sabab (10, 110, 10), written as Mustaf'i Lun.
This distinction is crucial because Zihaf (Deletion) usually only affects Sababs, not Watads. A letter that is the 7th in one version might be part of a protected Watad in another.