Alif Layyinah

[Abu Hamza]

As-salaamu-alaykum,

Can anyone please explain what is 'alif layyinah'? Thanks.

Wa-alaykum salaam

Abu Hamza

[irf2k]

Wa'alaykum 'Asallam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Is this a term that has been introduced by Dr Abdur Rahim in the Madinah books?

There is a verb lana:yalinu meaning "to be soft or become soft, tender, gentle" and the ismo fail is layyinun.

I anyone knows where and when the alif can be classified as layyinah, please help.

Wassalaam

[Abu Hamza]

As-salaam-u-alaykum,

I'm sorry. I was in a hurry and I didn't see anywhere else more appropriate to ask this question on this forum. This is not related to what I've learnt in the Madina books. My daughter used to attend a school, class 3 of primary and she did some arabic. In an exam paper, the teacher gave them a short text and asked them to point out things like, word with tanween kasra, tanween dhamma, etc. One question which stumped me was about 'alif layyinah'. My daughter left this school so it's not easy for me to ask her old teacher. Thanks.

Wa-alaykum salaam

[irf2k]

Wa'alaykum 'Asallam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Brother Abu Hamza,

Don't feel sorry! It is always OK to ask. It could have been something that I missed.

This is an extract from a posting http://www.lisanularab.org/forums/showthread.php?p=5301

Sibawayh and the majority of scholars view the Alif and Hamzah as one and the same letter referred to by the generic name of Alif (rather than Hamzah). The Alif as a harf madd often called al-Alif al-Layyinah (the succulent or soft)and the Alif as a hamzah called al-Alif al-Yabisah or al-Alif al-Salbah (the dry or hard halif). Here the two can be compared to a branch of a tree at two different stages - when it is just broken off from a tree it is succulent, malleable and soft, and when it is left in the sun for a while it dries out and hardens and is less malleable but it is still the same branch. One can also compare it to water in solid and liquid forms but it is still the same substance. In modern phonetical terms one can say that based on this view the Alif and Hamzah are two different sounds (allophones) belonging to one and the same letter (phoneme).


Wassalaam.