Nomen Agentis between Nunation and Annexation in the Holy Quran A Semantic Study

(Islam Mohamed Abdel Salam)

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Abstract

Nomen agentis is a word which indicates an action, an occurrence, and the agent who has done the action. Action means the act of doing something. Occurrence means that some kind of change has happened to something. The word standing, for example indicates the act of standing up which is the action, the change (since standing is not a quality or permanent state, and the agent (the person who stood). There is clear parallelism in meaning and function between the nomen agentis and verb8217s present tense. According to Sibawaih, If you intend it, the nomen agentis, to have the same meaning as the present tense, then it should be indefinite and nunated as when you say This is beating Zaid tomorrow, which is the same as , This is beating Zaid tomorrow'. If you are talking about an action in process, the case will be the same and you will say 160715841575 , this is striking Abdullah this moment, which is the same as , This is striking Zayed this moment. When you say Zayed was beating your father, you are telling about an action that was continuous and that was connected with zayed, which is the same as He was beating your father. In these cases, the nomen agentis has the same function and meaning as a verb in the present tense and it is nunated. When telling about the past, the nomen agentis should be without nunation should have a word annexed to it, and will not assign case to the word following it, according to most Arab grammarians. Investigating the nomen agentis within the Qur anic context, the inconsistency of the rules of the grammarians becomes clear. There are cases in which the nomen agentis is followed by an annexed noun even though it indicates the future as in the following verse: Who know that they will have to meet their Lord and that unto him they are returning. Our Lord it is thou who gatherest mankind together to a Day of which there is no doubt. Lo! Allah faileth not to keep the tryst, Every soul will taste of death. Sibawihi and others stated that Arabs can do so for the sake of easiness without having the meaning changed. The nomen agentis is nunated though it expresses the past tense as in and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. Reviewing these verses, it becomes clear that the annexation in these verses, and the nunation in the verses in which the nomen agentis is nunated, have semantic functions connected with the context. Annexation occurred in places in which there is an indication of a continuous action, a habitual state of being, a permanent quality, or certainty. Nunation, on the other hand, occurred in places in which there is an indication of a temporary, transitory or accidental action or state of being, as in the following examples: When the Lord said unto to angels: Lo! I am about to create a mortal out of mire, and when I have finished him and breathed into him of my spirit, then fall down before him prostrate, the angels fell down prostrate, except Iblis, he was scornful and became one of the disbelievers.' And (Remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potters clay of black mud altered so, when I have made him and have breathed into him of my spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him. So the angels fell prostrate all of them together, except Iblis, he refused to be among the prostrate. In these verses Allah, how perfect is He, mentioned the beginning of the creation of man, Adam, peace be upon him, out of mire. This is for Adam only. So it is an action which didn8217t continue and which was not repeated after that creation. This is why a nomen agentis which assigns case to the noun following it was used in I am creating a mortal out of potters clay of black mud altered. This makes us feel that the nunation is intended to give the meaning of the discontinuity of creating human beings out of mire and to show that the question is confined to Adam, peace be upon him, alone while the case is different with his progeny. When, however, the Holy Quran speaks about the creation of things in which there is continuity, the nomen agentis is nunated with a following noun annexed as in: Such is Allah, your Lord. There is no God save him the creator of all things so worship Him and He taketh care of all things8221. Say Allah is the creator of all things, and He is the one, the Almighty. My welfare is only in Allah, in Him I trust and unto Him I turn (repentant). Key Words: Annexation, Nomen Agentis, Quran
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