Adjective cut off from its noun - النعت المقطوع

النعت المقطوع

This is an adjective which does not follow the noun it describes in respect to the vowel signs of the noun.


By definition an adjective is to follow the noun it describes in respect to the vowel signs of the noun.

• So, if a noun is in the nominative case, the adjective must be in the nominative case.
• If the noun is in the accusative case, the adjective must be in the accusative case.
• If the noun is in the genitive case, the adjective must be in the genitive case.

But in this case the adjective is in a case different than that of the noun it describes. Thus, it is said to be cut off.

Consider the following example

أقتد بعمرَ العادلُ

اقتد:  فعل أمر مبني على حذف حرف العلة

In this example, the first word is a verb which is the verb of command.

بعمر: اسم مجرور بحرف الجر، علامته الفتحة لانه ممنوع من الصرف

The second word is a noun to which is attached the preposition bi. It is, thus, in the genitive case. The word is of the category nouns which are mamnoo' min Al-Sarf and hence has fatha on it in place of kasrah to indicate its genitive state.

العادل: خبر لمبتدأ محذوف تقديره هو

This is the adjective for the noun before it. The noun is in the genitive case so this adjective should also be in the genitive case but is, instead, in the nominative case. It is cut off from its adjective.



It is actually a predicate for a subject which is omitted and understood to be "he." This "he" refers back to the noun before.

قُطعَ النعتُ (العادلُ) عن وصف الاسم المجرور قبله فلم يتبعه في إعرابه ، ليؤدي

في الجملة معنى أقوى من الوصف، وهو المدحُ

The reason the adjective Al-'aadil has been cut off from the noun in the genitive case before it and has not followed it in respect to the vowel signs is to signify in the sentence a meaning which is stronger than that provided by a simple adjective. It serves to insert praise for Umar in the sentence by means of cutting of the adjective from the noun in respect to vowel signs.


Reference(s):

School Arabia - النعت المقطوع