Durusul Lughah Vol 1 Lesson 8 Explanation: Lam of Possession & “Whose?” in Arabic

If you want to say:

• “This book belongs to Muhammad.”

• “Whose house is that?”

• “This car is for the doctor.”

…then you’re stepping into one of the most important structures in beginner Arabic grammar.

In Durusul Lughah Vol. 1, Lesson 8, we learn:

• How to say “belongs to” in Arabic

• The Arabic word for “whose”

• How the Lam (لِ) works as a preposition of possession

• And how to build a jumla ismiyyah with shibhul jumla (a nominal sentence with a prepositional phrase as the predicate)

Let’s break it down step by step in a way that actually makes sense.

1. How to Say “Belongs To” in Arabic (Lam of Possession)

In Arabic, you don’t use a verb like “belongs.” Instead, you use the letter:

لِ (li-) = for / belonging to

This is known as the lam of possession (lam al-milk).

Example 1

هَذَا كِتَابٌ
This is a book.

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ
This book belongs to Muhammad.

Notice something powerful here:

• Arabic does not say: “This book belongs to Muhammad” with a verb.

• It literally says:
  “This book — for Muhammad.”

The meaning “belongs to” is understood from the structure.

2. The Arabic Word for “Whose?”

In English, we ask:

“Whose book is this?”

In Arabic, we use:

لِمَنْ (li-man)

This literally means:

• لِ = for

• مَنْ = who

So together:
“For whom?” → “Whose?”

Example Questions

لِمَنْ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ؟
Whose book is this?

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ.
This book belongs to Muhammad.

Another example:

لِمَنْ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْتُ؟
Whose house is that?

ذَلِكَ الْبَيْتُ لِلطَّبِيبِ.
That house belongs to the doctor.

3. What Happens After لِ ? (The Majrur Rule)

Here’s the grammar rule you must remember:

When لِ (li-) comes before a noun, that noun becomes majrur (genitive case).

For beginners, that usually means:

• The noun ends with a kasrah (ـِ) sound.

Example with a Proper Name

مُحَمَّدٌ (Muhammad – nominative)

Becomes:

لِمُحَمَّدٍ
Belonging to Muhammad

Notice the ending changes.

Example with a Definite Noun (Al-)

التَّاجِرُ (the merchant)

Becomes:

لِلتَّاجِرِ
Belonging to the merchant

Important detail:

When لِ attaches to a word with ال, the alif drops in writing:

• ال + لِ → لِلْ

This is why we write:

لِلتَّاجِرِ
(not لِالْتَّاجِرِ)

This is a core rule behind the lam of possession Arabic structure.

4. Demonstratives + Definite Nouns (A Subtle but Important Point)

Compare these two sentences:

Basic Sentence

هَذَا كِتَابٌ
This is a book.

Here:

• هَذَا = Mubtada (subject)

• كِتَابٌ = Khabar (predicate, indefinite noun)

More Advanced Structure

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ
This book belongs to Muhammad.

Now something different happens:

• هَذَا + الْكِتَابُ
  → They function together as one complete subject phrase.

It means:

“This book…”

And now it waits for a predicate.

That predicate is:

لِمُحَمَّدٍ

This is where Lesson 8 becomes more advanced.

5. Mubtada and Khabar as a Prepositional Phrase (Shibhul Jumla)

Previously, you learned simple nominal sentences:

هَذَا كِتَابٌ
Mubtada + single-word Khabar

But now we move to:

mubtada and khabar prepositional phrase

In:

هَذَا الْكِتَابُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ

• Mubtada’: هَذَا الْكِتَابُ

• Khabar: لِمُحَمَّدٍ

But the khabar is no longer just one word.

It is:

Jar + Majrur (Preposition + Noun)
This is called: Shibhul Jumla (semi-sentence)

So this lesson introduces:

jumla ismiyyah with shibhul jumla

Structure:

Mubtada’ + (Jar + Majrur)

Which in English sounds like:

“This book — for Muhammad.”

And that equals:

“This book belongs to Muhammad.”

6. Full Example Set (From Durusul Lughah Vol 1 Lesson 8)

Let’s review the main examples together.

Statements

هَذَا الْبَيْتُ لِلتَّاجِرِ
This house belongs to the merchant.

ذَلِكَ الْبَيْتُ لِلطَّبِيبِ
That house belongs to the doctor.

هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ لِلطَّبِيبِ وَتِلْكَ لِلتَّاجِرِ
This car belongs to the doctor, and that one belongs to the merchant.

Questions

لِمَنْ هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةُ؟
Whose car is this?

لِمَنْ تِلْكَ؟
Whose is that?

Notice how Arabic can even drop the noun if it’s understood — just like English.

7. What You Should Master from Lesson 8

By the end of this lesson, you should clearly understand:

✅ The Arabic word for “whose” → لِمَنْ
✅ How to say “belongs to” in Arabic → using لِ
✅ The rule that nouns after لِ become majrur
✅ How to build a jumla ismiyyah with shibhul jumla
✅ The more advanced structure:
Mubtada’ + Demonstrative + Definite Noun + Jar wa Majrur

This is a major grammar upgrade from earlier lessons.

Lesson 8 Grammar Cheat Sheet: Possession & Sentence Structure

Why This Lesson Matters

This structure appears everywhere in Arabic:

• In conversation

• In textbooks

• In the Qur’an

• In classical texts

If you don’t understand the lam of possession Arabic structure, you’ll constantly feel confused when reading.

But once you understand it?

Arabic suddenly becomes much more logical.

Final Thoughts

Lesson 8 of Durusul Lughah Vol. 1 quietly introduces one of the most powerful sentence patterns in Arabic.

It teaches you that:

• Arabic does not always need a verb.

• Possession can be expressed with a simple preposition.

• The khabar of a nominal sentence can be a prepositional phrase.

• Grammar builds step by step — from simple mubtada + khabar to more complex structures.

Take your time with this lesson. Read the examples slowly. Say them out loud.

And most importantly:

Don’t just memorize the rule — understand the pattern.

If you master this, you’re no longer just translating Arabic.

You’re starting to think in Arabic.