Lesson 15

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.

Assalamu'alaikum and greetings to all.


LESSON 15 INNA AND HER SISTERS

1. The particle إِنَّ ( inna ) is known as an accusative particle , حُرُوفُ الْنَصَبٌ ( huruful nasab ) because of its effect on the case ending of its subject.
2. Like the verb كَانَ ( kaana ), an accusative particle will take a subject and a predicate. Due to this similarity, these particles are considered to be verblike بِالْفِعْلُ اَلْحُرُوفُ الْمُشَبِهُ ( alhuruful mushabihu bilfi’lu ).
3. When إِنَّ ( inna ) and her sisters are added to a nominal sentence, the meaning of the sentence changes. For example, تَاجِرٌ أَحْمَدٌ ( Ahmadun tajirun ) means ‘Ahmad is a merchant’. Whereas تَاجِرٌ أَحْمَدً إِنَّ ( inna Ahmadan tajirun ) means ‘Indeed Ahmad is a merchant’.
4. The above nominal sentence is analysed thus :
1. إِنَّ ( inna ) , indeed, is the particle which resembles the verb, اَلْحُرُوفُ الْمُشَبِهُ بِالْفِعْلُ ( alhuruful mushabihu bilfi’lu ).
2. أَحْمَدً ( Ahmadan ) Ahmad, is the subject of inna, إِنَّ إِسْمٌ ( isim inna ).
3. تَاجِرٌ ( tajirun ) a merchant, is the predicate of inna, إِنَّ خَبَرٌ ( khabar inna ).
5. These particles bring about a vowel change in their subject and predicate, exactly in the opposite fashion as kaana i.e.
1. the subject of inna will be in the accusative case
2. the predicate of inna remains in the nominative case
6. Kindly see Table 37 below which lists some of these particles.

TABLE 37 INNA AND HER SISTERS


No	PARTICLES	TRANSLITERATION	ENGLISH
1)	إِنَّ	inna	indeed
2)	أَنَّ	anna	that
3)	كَأَنَّ	ka-anna	as if
4)	لَكِنَّ	lakinna	but
5)	لَعَلَّ	la’alla	so that
6)	لَيْتَ	laita	wish



7. Kindly see Table 38 below for some examples of the nominal sentences which are written without or with inna and her sisters. Please note the vowel changes that occur.

TABLE 38 SENTENCES WITHOUT OR WITH INNA AND HER SISTERS

No	WITHOUT INNA AND HER SISTERS	WITH INNA AND HER SISTERS	ENGLISH
1)	اَلْهَرَمُ قَدِيمٌ alharamu qadimun	إِنَّ اَلْهَرَمَ قَدِيمٌ inna alharama qadimun	Indeed the pyramid is old.
2)	اَلْقَمَرُ مِصْبَاحٌ فِي اَلْصَّحْرآء alqamaru misbahun fi assahra’	كَأَنَّ اَلْقَمَرَ مِصْبَاحٌ فِي اَلْصَّحْرآء ka-anna alqamara misbahun fi assahra’	As if the moon was a lamp in the desert.

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