Khabar Shibhul Jumlah Explained: Mudaf and Mudaf Ilaih in Durusul Lughah Vol 1 Lesson 8

Durusul Lughah Vol 1 Lesson 8 Explanation

Arabic Nominal Sentence with Mubtada’ + Khabar Shibhul Jumlah (Amāma & Khalfa)

If you're studying Durusul Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah (Madinah Arabic Book 1) and you've reached Lesson 8, this is where things start to get really interesting.

Until now, you've learned simple nominal sentences like:

• البَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ
  Al-baytu kabīrun
  The house is big.

And also:

• هَذَا البَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ
  Hādhā al-baytu kabīrun
  This house is big.

Now we level up.

In this lesson, you learn how to build an Arabic nominal sentence (جُمْلَةٌ اسْمِيَّةٌ / jumlah ismiyyah) where the khabar is not just one word — but a phrase.

And this phrase follows a very important structure:

Mudaf + Mudaf Ilaih

Let’s break it down step by step so it makes total sense.

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Quick Review: What Is a Nominal Sentence?

In Arabic, a جُمْلَةٌ اسْمِيَّةٌ (jumlah ismiyyah / nominal sentence) is a sentence that starts with a noun.

It has two core parts:

1. مُبْتَدَأ (mubtada’ / subject)
2. خَبَر (khabar / predicate)

Unlike English, Arabic does not need the verb “is.”

So when you see:

البَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ
Literally: The house big
Naturally: The house is big.

Arabic implies the “is.”

That’s your foundation.

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What’s New in Lesson 8?

In this lesson, the structure changes slightly.

Instead of:

Mubtada’ + Khabar (single word)

We now have:

Mubtada’ + Khabar Shibhul Jumlah

What is شِبْهُ جُمْلَةٍ (Shibhul Jumlah)?

It literally means “a phrase that resembles a sentence.”

In simple terms:

It’s not a full sentence by itself — but it works as the predicate.

And in Lesson 8, this shibhul jumlah follows this structure:

Mudaf + Mudaf Ilaih

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The Core Vocabulary: Arabic Position Words

In this lesson, we are introduced to two extremely common words of location:

1️⃣ أَمَامَ (amāma) — in front of

2️⃣ خَلْفَ (khalfa) — behind

These are called ظَرْفُ مَكَانٍ (zharf makan / adverb of place).

But here’s the key:

They behave like mudaf.

That changes everything.

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The Golden Rule: The “-i” Ending

Whenever you use:

• أَمَامَ
• خَلْفَ

The noun that comes after them must be in the genitive case (مَجْرُور / majrūr).

In practical terms?

It usually ends with an “-i” sound (kasrah).

Why?

Because:

• أَمَامَ / خَلْفَ = مُضَاف (mudaf / possessed term)
• The noun after it = مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ (mudaf ilaih / possessor)

And mudaf ilaih is always majrur (genitive).

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Main Example from the Lesson

البَيْتُ خَلْفَ المَسْجِدِ

Al-baytu khalfa al-masjidi
The house is behind the mosque.

Let’s break it down properly.

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Full Grammatical Breakdown

1️⃣ Entire sentence type:

جُمْلَةٌ اسْمِيَّةٌ (jumlah ismiyyah / nominal sentence)

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2️⃣ مُبْتَدَأ (Mubtada’ / Subject)

البَيْتُ (al-baytu)
“The house”

• Ends with dammah (ـُ)
• Because mubtada’ is marfū‘ (nominative)

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3️⃣ خَبَر (Khabar / Predicate)

خَلْفَ المَسْجِدِ
“Behind the mosque”

But this khabar is not one word.

It is:

شِبْهُ جُمْلَةٍ (shibhul jumlah / phrase-like predicate)

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Inside the Shibhul Jumlah

We have:

مُضَاف (Mudaf)
خَلْفَ

مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ (Mudaf Ilaih)
المَسْجِدِ

Notice the ending:

المَسْجِدِ → ends with kasrah (ـِ)
Because mudaf ilaih is always majrur (genitive case).

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Why This Matters

This structure appears everywhere in Arabic.

Other examples:

أَمَامَ البَيْتِ
In front of the house

تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ
Under the table

فَوْقَ السَّطْحِ
Above the roof

Once you understand mudaf–mudaf ilaih, you unlock a huge portion of Arabic grammar.

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Real-World Examples from Lesson Context

Let’s see how it works in natural usage.

حَامِدٌ أَمَامَ الْمُدَرِّسِ
Hamid is in front of the teacher.

• حَامِدٌ → mubtada’
• أَمَامَ الْمُدَرِّسِ → khabar shibhul jumlah

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السَّبُّورَةُ أَمَامَ الطُّلَّابِ
The whiteboard is in front of the students.

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أَيْنَ جَلَسَ حَامِدٌ؟
Where did Hamid sit?

جَلَسَ خَلْفَ مَحْمُودٍ
He sat behind Mahmud.

Notice again:
مَحْمُودٍ ends with kasrah because it is mudaf ilaih.

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Important Concept: Arabic Thinks Differently from English

In English we say:

“behind the mosque”

In Arabic, structurally, it’s more like:

“behind-of the mosque”

That’s why the second noun must be genitive.

If you try to translate word-for-word from English grammar, you’ll get confused.

Instead, think in Arabic structure.

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Summary of What You Learned (Lesson 8 Core Goals)

After this lesson, you should clearly understand:

• ✔️ What a جملة اسمية (nominal sentence) is
• ✔️ The roles of مبتدأ (mubtada’) and خبر (khabar)
• ✔️ What شبه جملة (shibhul jumlah) means
• ✔️ How mudaf + mudaf ilaih works
• ✔️ Why mudaf ilaih is always majrur (genitive)
• ✔️ How to use Arabic position words like أمام and خلف

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Final Takeaway

This lesson might look small — just three words:

البَيْتُ خَلْفَ المَسْجِدِ

But inside it, you’re learning:

• Sentence structure
• Case endings
• Possessive construction
• Location expressions
• Real Arabic sentence building

And this is exactly how Madinah Arabic Book 1 trains you — step by step.

If you truly understand this structure, you’re no longer just memorizing sentences.

You’re starting to think in Arabic.

And that’s when Arabic stops feeling overwhelming...
and starts feeling beautifully logical.

🧠 What You Should Remember

✅ Nominal sentence = Mubtada’ + Khabar

✅ Khabar can be a phrase (Shibhul Jumlah)

✅ Location words like أَمَامَ and خَلْفَ act as Mudaf

✅ The noun after them is always Mudaf Ilaih

✅ Mudaf Ilaih is always Majrūr (ends with ـِ)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What exactly is a Khabar Shibhul Jumlah?

Great question! [cite_start]A شِبْهُ جُمْلَةٍ (shibhul jumlah) literally translates to "a phrase that resembles a sentence"[cite: 32, 33]. [cite_start]In Arabic grammar, it means your predicate (the part giving information about the subject) isn't just one single word, but a phrase[cite: 35]. [cite_start]In this specific lesson, that phrase is made up of a location word and the noun following it[cite: 38, 39, 76, 77].

Why do nouns after Amama and Khalfa always end with an "i" sound?

This is the golden rule of Arabic location words! [cite_start]Words like أَمَامَ (amāma) and خَلْفَ (khalfa) act as a مُضَاف (mudaf / possessed term)[cite: 44, 48, 49, 55]. [cite_start]Because of this relationship, the noun that comes right after them becomes the مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ (mudaf ilaih / possessor)[cite: 56]. [cite_start]A strict rule in Arabic is that the mudaf ilaih must always be in the genitive state, meaning it takes a kasrah (the "-i" sound) at the end[cite: 52, 57].

Do I need to use a word for "is" in an Arabic nominal sentence?

Nope! [cite_start]Unlike English, Arabic does not need a specific verb for "is" or "are" in a standard nominal sentence (جُمْلَةٌ اسْمِيَّةٌ)[cite: 21, 64]. [cite_start]The "is" is naturally implied just by placing the subject (مُبْتَدَأ) and the predicate (خَبَر) together[cite: 19, 20, 24]. [cite_start]So, saying "The house behind the mosque" in Arabic is perfectly understood as "The house is behind the mosque"[cite: 23, 60].

Are words like Amama and Khalfa considered prepositions?

Not exactly. [cite_start]While they act like prepositions in English translation, in Arabic grammar, they are classified as ظَرْفُ مَكَانٍ (zharf makan / adverbs of place)[cite: 42]. [cite_start]The key difference is that they behave structurally like a possessed noun (mudaf) rather than a simple preposition particle[cite: 44].

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Test Your Knowledge! 🧠

Let's see how much you've learned from Lesson 8. Try to answer these 5 quick questions before clicking to reveal the correct answers and explanations.

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