Lesson 74
Exclusion Part 3 (Ghayr and Siwaa)
الاستثناء الجزء الثالث
غَيْر and سِوَى are alternative exclusion particles that function as nouns they go into iḍāfa with the excluded element, which becomes genitive after them.
Ghayr and Siwā as Exclusion Nouns
ParticleTakes the case ofFollowing nounExample
غَيْرَWhat إِلَّا would give (acc. in complete positive)Genitive (iḍāfa)حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ غَيْرَ زَيْدٍ
غَيْرِGenitive (after prep. or as adj.)Genitive (iḍāfa)أَتَيْتُ بِغَيْرِ كِتَابٍ
غَيْرُNominative (adjective / incomplete sent.)Genitive (iḍāfa)رَجُلٌ غَيْرُ كَرِيمٍ
سِوَىSame rules as غَيْر (always ends in alif)Genitive (iḍāfa)مَا جَاءَ سِوَى زَيْدٍ
Ghayr as Negating Adjective
ContextFunctionExample
Indefinite noun phraseAdjective four-way agreementرَجُلٌ غَيْرُ كَرِيمٍ
Definite noun phraseAdjective in definite contextالرَّجُلُ غَيْرُ الْكَرِيمِ
Exclusion (complete positive)Substitutes for إِلَّاحَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ غَيْرَ زَيْدٍ
حَضَرَ الطُّلَّابُ غَيْرَ زَيْدٍ أَتَيْتُ بِغَيْرِ كِتَابٍ
Ḥaḍara ṭ-ṭullābu ghayra Zaydin Ataytū bighayri kitābin
The students attended other than Zayd. I came without a book. (غَيْرَ = accusative like إِلَّا; زَيْدٍ = genitive after it)
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
Ṣirāṭa lladhīna anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri l-maghḍūbi ʿalayhim wa-lā ḍ-ḍāllīn
"The path of those You have blessed other than those incurring anger, and not of those gone astray." (1:7) غَيْرِ is genitive as a naʿt of الَّذِين / صِرَاط.
- غَيْر takes the case that إِلَّا would give the مُسْتَثْنَى the noun after غَيْر is then genitive (iḍāfa).
- غَيْر as adjective: رَجُلٌ غَيْرُ كَرِيمٍ follows four-way agreement with the head noun (here indefinite, so no article on غَيْر).
- In 1:7, غَيْرِ is genitive as a naʿt (or badal) of الَّذِين this is the most famous Quranic use of غَيْر.
- سِوَى follows the same rules as غَيْر but is defective it never takes nunation and always ends in alif maqsūra.
- Archaic particles حَاشَا / خَلَا / عَدَا also express exclusion the noun after them can be accusative (verb analysis) or genitive (preposition analysis).