السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ (as-salāmu ʿalaykum): Welcome to the beginning of the end.
What You'll Learn
- The difference between Spoken, Standard (MSA), and Classical Arabic, and why Classical is the language of the Quran.
- The three kinds of words every Arabic word belongs to: IsmIsmاِسْمA noun: a word naming a person, place, thing, or idea (and also adjectives and adverbs). It has meaning but is unattached to time, so it is not a verb (Fiʿl) or a particle (Harf). One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 (noun), FiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 (verb), and HarfHarfحَرْفA particle: a word that has no meaning on its own until another word follows it (like in, on, to, of, and, but); it is not an Ism or a Fiʿl. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 (particle).
- The first and most important property of the noun, StatusIʿrābإِعْرَابStatus: the first and most important property of a noun. It is the grammatical case (Rafaʿ, Nasb, or Jar) shown by the word’s ending, telling you the word’s role in the sentence.Introduced on Day 1 (إِعْرَاب): RafaʿRafaʿرَفْعThe "doer" status (subject). The word that performs the action, answering "who or what did it?" Its singular ending is the u/un sound. The state-word for it is Marfūʿ.Introduced on Day 1, NasbNasbنَصْبThe "done-to" status (object / detail). The word receiving the action or giving its detail (to whom, what, where, when, how), answered by the a/an sound. The state-word for it is Mansūb.Introduced on Day 1, and JarJarجَرّThe status of the word after "of" or after a preposition. Shown by the i/in sound. A word is Jar for one of two reasons: it is a Muḍāf Ilayhi, or it follows a Harf of Jar. The state-word for it is Majrūr.Introduced on Day 1.
- How a word's ending sound (u / a / i), not its position, tells you whether it is the DoerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7, the Done-to, or the word after "of."
- How to read the singularMufradمُفْرَدSingular: a noun referring to just one item. Its status is shown by the ending sound (un / an / in or u / a / i).Introduced on Day 1, dualMuthannāمُثَنَّىDual: a noun referring to exactly two items. Rafaʿ ends in -āni; Nasb and Jar both end in -ayni.Introduced on Day 1, and pluralJamʿجَمْعPlural: a noun referring to three or more items. Arabic has five kinds of plural, including the sound masculine, sound feminine, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 1 endings using the Muslimūn chart.
- How to spot Status in real Qur'anic āyāt.
Lesson 1: The Goal: Understanding Classical Arabic
A. The Three Types of Arabic
- Spoken Arabic: Dialectal Arabic that varies significantly by region (e.g., Egyptian, Moroccan, Yemeni). This is NOT what we are learning.
- Standard Arabic (MSA): The formal Arabic used in news, media (AlAlالْThe definite article "the" (الْ). Adding it makes a word proper and drops the tanwin off singulars (Al and tanwin cannot share one word). A Muḍāf can never carry Al.Introduced on Day 2 Jazeera), and modern books. It is the commonNakiraنَكِرَةCommon (indefinite). The default type of any noun: a word is common unless it falls into one of the seven categories that make it proper.Introduced on Day 3 language understood across the Arab world. This is NOT what we are learning.
- Classical Arabic: The rich, dense, and poetic Arabic of the Quran and pre-Islamic/early Islamic Arabia. It is the language before it was simplified and altered by interaction with other cultures.
- This IS what we are learning. The goal is to connect directly with the language of the Quran.
B. The Hardest Parts of Classical Arabic
The two most challenging (and foundational) sciences of Classical Arabic are:
- NahwNaḥwنَحْوSentence grammar: the science of how words function in a sentence and the rules of sentence structure (like using "I" vs "me" vs "my" correctly).Introduced on Day 1 (نَحْو): SentenceJumlaجُمْلَةA sentence: a complete thought. Arabic sentences are either nominal (Jumla Ismiyya, starting with a noun) or verbal (Jumla Fiʿliyya, starting with a verb).Introduced on Day 1 Grammar: Deals with how words function in a sentence and the rules of sentence structure (e.g., using "I" vs. "me" vs. "my" correctly). Incorrect Nahw: "Me was teaching Arabic."
- SarfṢarfصَرْفWord morphology: the science of how words are formed and built from a root (knowing the word is "teacher," not "teach-inator").Introduced on Day 1 (صَرْف): Word Morphology: Deals with the system of creating new words from a rootRootجَذْرThe core set of letters a word is built from. New words are created from one root (the science of this is Ṣarf), so a little vocabulary generates many words.Introduced on Day 1 and how words are formed (e.g., knowing the word is "teacher," not "teach-inator").
C. The Four Language Skills & Our Focus
- Input Skills:
- Listening Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Output Skills:
- Speaking Properly
- Writing Properly
Course Focus: This program prioritizes the input skills, as the primary dream is to understand the Quran when it is heard or read. Of the two, the initial focus is on Reading Comprehension, because the learner controls the pace. Strong reading skills naturally build strong listening skills over time.
The fastest path to understanding the Quran is Reading Comprehension first, you control the pace, and strong reading naturally builds strong listening over time.
Lesson 2: The Three Types of Words in Arabic
There are 3 kinds of words in Arabic: Ism (اِسْم) / Fiʿl (فِعْل) / Harf (حَرْف).
Every single word in the Quran is one of three types: Ism (noun), Fiʿl (verb), or Harf (particle). There is no fourth.
Every single word in the Quran is one of these three types:
- Harf (حَرْف): A word that has no meaning on its own, unless another word comes after it.
- Examples: in, on, to, of, and, but, at, with, a, the.
- Fi'l (فِعْل): A word that is tied to a time, past, present, or future. This is what we call a verb in English.
- Examples: ate (past), slept (past), will work (future), is drinking (present), understands (present).
- Non-Example: "yesterday" or "tomorrow." These are names of a time, not actions stuck in time, so they are not Fi'l.
- Ism (اِسْم): Any word that is not a Harf or a Fi'l. This is a very broad category covering a person, place, thing, idea, adjectiveṢifahصِفَةThe adjective in a noun-adjective fragment. By the Golden Rule it must match its Mawṣūf in all four properties: Status, Number, Gender, and Type. In Arabic the adjective comes after the noun. It is never a proper name, pronoun, or pointer word.Introduced on Day 5, adverb, and more.
- An Ism can be a:
- Person: Muhammad, Ustadz.
- Place: Makkah, Masjid, Houston, China.
- Thing: yoyo, book, chair, car.
- Idea: Islam, education, Christianity, science, love, freedom.
- Adjective: big, blue, large hall, old house.
- Adverb: words ending in "-ly" (e.g., nicely, happily, slowly), except for "Bruce Lee" (a person) and "lovely" (an adjective).
- ...and more.
The "-ly = adverb" shortcut has two famous troublemakers: think of Bruce Lee (a person, so an Ism) and lovely (a description, so an adjective). They wear the "-ly" costume but they are not adverbs.
Every word in the Quran belongs to one of how many kinds of words, and what are they?
Show answer
Three. Ism (noun: person, place, thing, idea, adjective, adverb), Fiʿl (verb: an action tied to a time), and Harf (particle: a word with no meaning until another word follows it). There is no fourth.
The "Ice Cream Test"
To tell whether an "-ing" word is an Ism (idea) or a Fiʿl (action), replace it with "ice cream." If the sentence still works, it's an Ism; if it doesn't, it's a Fiʿl.
Words ending in "-ing" are the tricky ones, because the very same form can be an action (Fiʿl) in one sentence and the name of an idea (Ism) in another. Here is why the test works: "ice cream" is itself a name (an Ism), so swapping the "-ing" word for "ice cream" shows whether that word is being used as a name too.
- "I am eating." → "I am ice cream." (Doesn't work → Fi'l)
- "I love eating." → "I love ice cream." (Works → Ism)
Use the ice cream test on the word "running" in "I enjoy running." Is it an Ism or a Fiʿl?
Show answer
An Ism. "I enjoy ice cream" still works, so "running" here is an idea (Ism), not an action stuck in time (Fiʿl).
How to recognise an Ism (the classical signs)
Beyond the broad "is it a person, place, thing, or idea" test, the classical grammarians give a precise checklist. An Ism can be spotted by any one of these 13 signs:
- It begins with ال (الكِتَاب، البَاب).
- It ends in tanwīnTanwīnتَنْوِينThe extra "-n" sound at the end of a noun (the un / an / in of "a"), which makes the word "heavy." Tanwin and the article Al cannot sit on the same word.Introduced on Day 1 ـٌ ـً ـٍ (كِتَابٌ). Note: ال and tanwīn never sit on the same word together, when one is present the other drops.
- It can be dual (tathniyah): كِتَابَانِ.
- It can be plural: مُسْلِمُون.
- It is masculineMudhakkarمُذَكَّرMasculine. The default gender of any noun: a word is masculine until it shows a sign of being feminine.Introduced on Day 3 (mudhakkar): ضَارِب.
- It is feminineMuʾannathمُؤَنَّثFeminine. A noun is feminine either really (biologically female) or grammatically, for four reasons: certain endings (ة، اء، ى), the conventional-feminine words, paired body parts, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 3 (mu'annath): ضَارِبَة.
- It has a vocative particleḤarf an-Nidāʾحَرْف النِّدَاءThe calling particle (yā, "O"). When it comes before a word, that word is a noun being addressed, so the calling particle is a sign of an Ism.Introduced on Day 1 (ḥarf nidāʾ) before it: يَا يُوسُفُ.
- It has a prepositionḤarf al-Jarrحَرْف الجَرّA preposition (such as fī, min, bi, ʿalā). The noun right after it is put into Jar status, so the presence of a preposition is a sign that the next word is an Ism.Introduced on Day 1 (ḥarf jarrHarf Jarrحَرْف جَرّA preposition: a particle whose one job is to force the noun right after it into Jar status. There are 17 in all, of which 11 occur in the Qur’an (bi, ka, li, wa, ta, rubba, mundhu, ḥattā, khalā, min, fī, ʿan, ʿalā).Introduced on Day 4) before it: فِي القَافِلَةِ.
- It is described, mawṣūfMawṣūfمَوْصُوفThe described noun in a noun-adjective fragment. It comes first (before its adjective) and can carry several adjectives. It is never a pronoun, pointer word, or Ism Mawṣūl.Introduced on Day 5: عَبْدٌ مُؤْمِنٌ.
- It is a relational adjective, mansūbMansūbمَنْصُوبThe state-word describing a noun that is in Nasb status (the done-to / object / detail).Introduced on Day 1 / nisbah: مَكِّيٌّ، رَضَوِيٌّ.
- It is a muḍāfMuḍāfمُضَافThe first word of an Iḍāfah, the thing being possessed (the word before "of"). It must be light and carry no Al, and it takes its type (proper/common) from the Muḍāf Ilayhi.Introduced on Day 3 in a possession phrase: طِفْلُ زَيْدٍ.
- It is the subject of a nominal sentence, musnad ilayhiMusnad ilayhiمُسْنَد إِلَيْهِThe subject of a nominal sentence, the word the sentence is "about" (the Mubtadaʾ). It is in Rafaʿ, and being the subject is a sign of an Ism.Introduced on Day 1: زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ.
- It is a diminutiveMuṣaghgharمُصَغَّرA diminutive noun, a "smaller/dearer" form on the pattern fuʿayl (e.g. Ḥusayn from Ḥasan). The diminutive pattern marks the word as an Ism.Introduced on Day 1, muṣaghghar: حُسَيْنٌ.
You do not need all 13. Finding even one of these signs on a word is enough to confirm it is an Ism.
The four kinds of Harf
The Harf (particle) is the needy, dependent word: it leans on nouns and verbs and has no meaning standing alone. Classically it is divided into four kinds:
- Harf Mabnā: the alphabet letters themselves (ا، ب، ت، ث، ج، ح ...), the raw building blocks from which words are constructed. They are called mabnā because we build words out of them.
- Harf Maʿnā: meaning particles, words that carry a meaning (مِن = from, إِلَى = to, كَ = like, لِ = for).
- Harf Mukhtaṣṣ: a particle that attaches to only one kind of word, either an ism or a fiʿl (فِي + ism: فِي البَيْت; لَم + fiʿl: لَم أَذْهَب).
- Harf Ghayr Mukhtaṣṣ: a particle that attaches to both an ism and a fiʿl (هَل مُحَمَّدٌ هُنَا؟ with an ism; هَل جَاءَ مُحَمَّدٌ؟ with a fiʿl).
When a word shows none of the signs of an Ism and none of the signs of a Fiʿl, that absence is itself the sign that it is a Harf.
Lesson 3: The First Property of the Ism: Status (إِعْرَاب)
Every Ism has 4 properties: Status, Number, Gender, Type. We begin with the most important: Status. There are three statuses.
| Status | Function | How to Identify (in English) |
|---|---|---|
| Rafa' (رَفْع) / (مرفوع) (SUBJECT) | The Doer of the action. | Answers the question "Who/What did the action?" |
| Nasb (نَصْب) / (منصوب) (OBJECT) | The Detail of the action. | Answers questions like to whom, what, where, when, how the action was done. |
| Jar (جَرّ) / (مجرور) (POSSESSIVE) | The word After 'of'. | Identifies possession or relation (e.g., Messenger of Allah). |
In English the order of words tells you who the doer is ("Bob punched Joe"). In Arabic the ending of the word tells you its status, regardless of where the word sits in the sentence.
In English, "Bob punched Joe" means Bob did the hitting only because Bob comes first, swap the order and you swap the meaning. Arabic ignores the seating order and reads the ending of each word instead, so the doer stays the doer no matter where it sits.
Key Difference from English: In English, the order of words tells you who the doer is ("Bob punched Joe"). In Arabic, the ending of the word tells you its status, regardless of its position in the sentence.
- The ū sound (like in ustādhu) = Rafa' = The Doer: the one performing the action.
- The a sound (like in ustādha) = Nasb = The "Done-to": the one receiving the action (the detail/objectMafʿūl bihiمَفْعُول بِهThe object of the verb: the one the action is done to, which is in Nasb. A pronoun attached to a verb as its object is always Nasb (it answers "whom?").Introduced on Day 7).
- The i sound (like in ustādhi) = Jar = The word after "of."
In Arabic, does a word's position or its ending tell you its status?
Show answer
Its ending. u / -un = Rafaʿ (doer), a / -an = Nasb (done-to), i / -in = Jar (after "of").
Examples: Status Determines Meaning
- عَلَّمَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الدَّرْسَ (ʿallama al-ustādhu ad-darsa)
- ʿallama (عَلَّمَ) = taught (Fi'l)
- al-ustādhu (الْأُسْتَاذُ) = the teacher (ends in u): The Doer
- ad-darsa (الدَّرْسَ) = the lesson (ends in a): The Done-to
- Meaning: The teacher (u sound) taught the lesson (a sound).
- عَلَّمَ الْأُسْتَاذَ الدَّرْسُ (ʿallama al-ustādha ad-darsu)
- al-ustādha (الْأُسْتَاذَ) = the teacher (ends in a): The Done-to
- ad-darsu (الدَّرْسُ) = the lesson (ends in u): The Doer
- Meaning: The lesson (u sound) taught the teacher (a sound).
Drill: word order does NOT change the doer (the ending sound does)
Take the same two words rearranged four ways. In every case the ū-ending word (al-ustādhu) is the Doer and the a-ending word (ad-darsa) is the Done-to, regardless of position, the opposite of English ("Bob punched Joe," where order alone decides):
- عَلَّمَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الدَّرْسَ: the teacher (Doer) taught the lesson.
- الْأُسْتَاذُ عَلَّمَ الدَّرْسَ: the teacher (Doer) taught the lesson.
- عَلَّمَ الدَّرْسَ الْأُسْتَاذُ: the teacher (Doer) taught the lesson.
- الدَّرْسُ عَلَّمَ الْأُسْتَاذَ: the lesson (now the Doer, u-sound) taught the teacher (now the Done-to, a-sound).
Qur'anic Examples
In each of these three āyāt, identify the Doer (u-ending) and the Done-to (a-ending):
- إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ (innamā yakhsha Allāha min ʿibādihi-l-ʿulamāʾu): Only those of His servants who have knowledge (the scholars) fear Allah., Sūrah Fāṭir 35:28
- Allāha (اللَّهَ) (ends in a) = the one being feared, The Done-to.
- al-ʿulamāʾu (الْعُلَمَاءُ) (ends in u) = the scholars, the ones doing the fearing, The Doer.
- وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ (wa qatala Dāwūdu Jālūta): And Dāwūd killed Jālūt., Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:251
- Dāwūdu (دَاوُودُ) (u sound) = Dāwūd, the killer, The Doer.
- Jālūta (جَالُوتَ) (a sound) = Jālūt, the one killed, The Done-to.
- وَإِذِ ابْتَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ (wa idhi-btalā Ibrāhīma rabbuhu bi-kalimātin): And when his Lord tested Abraham with [certain] words., Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:124
- Ibrāhīma (إِبْرَاهِيمَ) (a sound) = Abraham, the one being tested, The Done-to.
- rabbuhu (رَبُّهُ) (u sound) = his Lord, the one doing the testing, The Doer.
Lesson 4: How to Identify Status: Ending Sounds & Combinations
This is the central mechanism for understanding sentence meaning.
A. Ending SOUNDS (Singulars)
- Rafa': Ends in u (ـُ) or un (ـٌ)
- Nasb: Ends in a (ـَ) or an (ـً)
- Jar: Ends in i (ـِ) or in (ـٍ)
B. Ending COMBINATIONS (Duals & Plurals)
- Dual (for 2 items):
- Rafa': Ends in āni (ـَانِ)
- Nasb / Jar: Ends in ayni (ـَيْنِ)
- Plural (for 3+ items):
- Rafa': Ends in ūna (ـُوْنَ)
- Nasb / Jar: Ends in īna (ـِيْنَ)
Always check for an ending combination (dual/plural) first. Only if you don't find one should you rely on the ending sound (singular).
C. Summary of the Mechanism
The whole rule summarizes as:
- un / an / in: u / a / i = sound (the singular ending sounds: u→Rafaʿ, a→Nasb, i→Jar)
- āni / ayni / ūna / īna = combination (the dual & plural ending combinations)
A quick review of how to tell status:
- i) ending sounds: U / UN → R (Rafaʿ), A / AN → N (Nasb), I / IN → J (Jar)
- ii) ending combos: AANI / AYNI, OONA → 3R (plural Rafaʿ), EENA → 3NJ (plural Nasb/Jar)
Memorize the core noun chart (the Muslimūn chart) below. Some things in grammar simply have to be memorized, this is one of them.
Lesson 5: The "Muslimun" Chart (The Key to Memorization)
This chart must be memorized to instantly recognize the number and status of an Ism. It is organized into 3 groups by Number (Singular, Dual, Plural) and 3 rows by Status (Rafa', Nasb, Jar).
| Status | Singular (1) | Dual (2) | Plural (3+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafa' | muslimun (مُسْلِمٌ) | muslimāni (مُسْلِمَانِ) | muslimūna (مُسْلِمُوْنَ) |
| Nasb | musliman (مُسْلِمًا) | muslimayni (مُسْلِمَيْنِ) | muslimīna (مُسْلِمِيْنَ) |
| Jar | muslimin (مُسْلِمٍ) | muslimayni (مُسْلِمَيْنِ) | muslimīna (مُسْلِمِيْنَ) |
The anchor word for this chart is مُسْلِمُوْن (muslimūn). The same status endings apply to any noun, for example قَلَم (qalam, a pen): قَلَمٌ (Rafaʿ), قَلَمًا (Nasb), قَلَمٍ (Jar).
By memorizing this pattern, you can begin to analyze words in the Quran and determine their function in the sentence (Doer, Detail, or After 'of').
Reading the Muslimūn chart: a noun ends in ūna (like muslimūna, مُسْلِمُوْنَ). What is its number and status?
Show answer
Plural (3+) and Rafaʿ (the Doer). The ūna combination is the plural Rafaʿ ending; its Nasb/Jar counterpart would be īna (مُسْلِمِيْنَ).
Drills: Spotting Status in English & Arabic
To train the eye, label English sentences with R (Rafaʿ / Doer), N (Nasb / Detail), and J (Jar / after "of" or possessive), then map them onto Arabic.
English sentences labeled R / N / J
- ... the classroom [N].
- A student [R] of his [J] was sleeping soundly [N].
- The teacher [R] threw a pencil [N].
- The teacher's [J] student [R] woke up suddenly [N].
- ... woke up suddenly [N].
Possessive / "of" (Jar) example
Take the house of Allah's messenger: the word after "of" is Jar.
A worked sentence
The Messenger of Allah taught his companions patiently. Use it to locate the Doer, the "of"-word (Jar, of Allah), and the adverb detail (Nasb, patiently).
The "2 masjids" drill (using مَسْجِد)
Use masjid three times in different statuses, with the Arabic forms beside each (مَسْجِدٌ ، مَسْجِدًا ، مَسْجِدٍ):
2 masjids announced the start of ramadan. A saw 2 masjids on the road. The imams of 2 masjids are well respected.
- "2 masjids announced" → the Doer → Rafaʿ → مَسْجِدٌ (masjidun)
- "saw 2 masjids" → the Done-to → Nasb → مَسْجِدًا (masjidan)
- "imams of 2 masjids" → after "of" → Jar → مَسْجِدٍ (masjidin)
Don't decide a word's status from its position in the sentence, that English habit will mislead you. Read the ending every time: the same word changes status (Rafaʿ → Nasb → Jar) only when its ending changes.
Example Drills
Using "Masjid" (مَسْجِد: Mosque)
- One Masjid (Rafa'): masjidun (مَسْجِدٌ)
- One Masjid (Nasb): masjidan (مَسْجِدًا)
- One Masjid (Jar): masjidin (مَسْجِدٍ)
- Two Masjids (Rafa'): masjidāni (مَسْجِدَانِ)
- Two Masjids (Nasb/Jar): masjidayni (مَسْجِدَيْنِ)
Using "Kitāb" (كِتَاب: Book)
- One Book (Jar): kitābin (كِتَابٍ)
- Two Books (Rafa'): kitābāni (كِتَابَانِ)
Using "Qalam" (قَلَم: Pen)
- One Pen (Rafa'): qalamun (قَلَمٌ)
- One Pen (Nasb): qalaman (قَلَمًا)
- One Pen (Jar): qalamin (قَلَمٍ)
- Two Pens (Rafa'): qalamāni (قَلَمَانِ)
- Two Pens (Nasb/Jar): qalamayni (قَلَمَيْنِ)
Using "Bayt" (بَيْت: House)
- One House (Rafa'): baytun (بَيْتٌ)
- One House (Nasb): baytan (بَيْتًا)
- One House (Jar): baytin (بَيْتٍ)
- Two Houses (Rafa'): baytāni (بَيْتَانِ)
- Two Houses (Nasb/Jar): baytayni (بَيْتَيْنِ)
Using "Rajul" (رَجُل: Man)
- One Man (Rafa'): rajulun (رَجُلٌ)
- One Man (Nasb): rajulan (رَجُلًا)
- One Man (Jar): rajulin (رَجُلٍ)
- Two Men (Rafa'): rajulāni (رَجُلَانِ)
- Two Men (Nasb/Jar): rajulayni (رَجُلَيْنِ)
Recap
- Classical Arabic: the dense, poetic language of the Quran, is our target, not Spoken dialects or Standard Arabic (MSA).
- Every word in Arabic is one of three kinds: Ism (noun), Fiʿl (verb), or Harf (particle).
- The noun's first and most important property is Status (إِعْرَاب): Rafaʿ (Doer), Nasb (Done-to / detail), and Jar (after "of").
- Unlike English, Arabic shows status through the word's ending, not its position: u = Rafaʿ, a = Nasb, i = Jar.
- Always check for a dual/plural ending combination (āni, ayni, ūna, īna) first; fall back to the singular ending sound only if there is none.
- Memorize the Muslimūn chart to instantly read any noun's number and status, and confirm it against real āyāt.