Lesson 80
Vocative Nidāʾ (Comprehensive)
النداء شامل
All five types of vocative nouns with their case markings. Special attention to how يَا is elided in Quranic supplication and the use of أَيُّهَا for definite nouns.
Five Types of Vocative Noun
TypeCase markingQuranic exampleNotes
Singular proper nounMabni on ḍamma (no tanwīn)يَا آدَمُMost frequent in Quran
Indefinite nounAccusative (tanwīn fatḥ)يَا رَجُلاًCalls an unspecified person
Definite with الـيَا أَيُّهَا + nominativeيَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُأَيُّهَا is mabni; noun stays nominative
In iḍāfaAccusative (no tanwīn)يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِCommon Quranic address
Similar to iḍāfaAccusativeيَا طَالِعاً جَبَلاًActive participle governing a noun
Vocative Particles
ParticleUseExample
يَاStandard (any distance)يَا زَيْدُ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
أَيَا / هَيَاDistant addresseeأَيَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ (12:39)
أَيْNear addresseeأَيْ زَيْدُ
Elided (no particle)In prayer/urgency يَا omittedرَبَّنَا رَبِّ
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً يَا رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Rabbanā ātinā fī d-dunyā ḥasanatan Yā Rabbi ghfir lī
"Our Lord! Give us good in this world…" (2:201) يَا is elided in رَبَّنَا; يَا رَبِّ is the full explicit form.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ
Yā ayyuhā n-nāsu ttaqū rabbakum
"O mankind! Fear your Lord." (4:1) يَا أَيُّهَا with definite noun النَّاسُ in the nominative; أَيُّهَا is mabni.
- يَا رَبِّ: the ـِي (my) suffix on رَبّ causes the vocative to take ـِي (kasra), not the regular ḍamma ending.
- Elision of يَا: common in Quranic supplications رَبَّنَا, رَبِّ the يَا is implied but not written.
- أَيُّهَا is mabni on ḍamma and does not take a case ending itself the following definite noun stays nominative.
- In iḍāfa vocative: يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ عَبْدَ is accusative (vowelled fatḥa), and اللَّهِ is genitive as مُضَاف إِلَيْه.
- يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ is the standard Quranic address to all humanity used 13 times in the Quran.