Asking questions and saying where things are

Question words: • أَيْنَ؟ (ayna): where? • مَا؟ (maa): what? — مَا هٰذَا؟ (maa haadhaa): what is this? • مَنْ؟ (man): who? — مَنْ هٰذَا؟ (man haadhaa): who is this? • هَلْ؟ (hal): is it...? (for a question answered with yes or no) • كَمْ؟ (kam): how many?

Small words of place: • فِي (fii): in • عَلَى ('alaa): on • أَمَامَ (amaama): in front of • خَلْفَ (khalfa): behind • بِجَانِبِ (bi-jaanibi): next to

After these words, the noun often takes a kasra at the end: فِي الْمَسْجِدِ (fi l-masjidi): in the mosque.

Examples: • أَيْنَ الْمُصْحَفُ؟ — الْمُصْحَفُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. (ayna l-muṣḥaf? — al-muṣḥafu 'ala ṭ-ṭaawila): Where is the mushaf? — The mushaf is on the table. • أَيْنَ الْإِمَامُ؟ — الْإِمَامُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ.: Where is the imam? — The imam is in the mosque. • هَلْ أَنْتَ مُسْلِمٌ؟ — نَعَمْ، أَنَا مُسْلِمٌ.: Are you a Muslim? — Yes, I am a Muslim. • مَنْ هٰذَا؟ — هٰذَا الْمُؤَذِّنُ.: Who is this? — This is the muezzin. • كَمْ أَخًا لَكَ؟ (kam akhan laka): how many brothers do you have? — لِي أَخَوَانِ (lii akhawaan): I have two brothers.

The last example is a little harder: remember it as a set phrase.

Exercise: look around you and ask three questions with أَيْنَ, then answer with فِي, عَلَى or أَمَامَ.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Why learn to ask questions? Because it is the fastest way to learn a language… and the religion. Allah says: "Ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know" (meaning of verse 16:43). The hadith of Jibril itself is teaching through questions (Muslim 8).

The Qur'an also uses questions to wake our attention: هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ, "Has the story of the Overwhelming Event reached you?" (88:1). You now recognise هَلْ, the word for a question answered with yes or no.

Why does the noun take a kasra after فِي or عَلَى? Because in Arabic the last vowel of a noun changes with its role in the sentence. After these small words, the noun goes into a case marked by kasra: الْمَسْجِدُ (subject) becomes فِي الْمَسْجِدِ (in the mosque). This is a first contact with that system, called al-i'raab.

Telling مَا and مَنْ apart: مَا for things (مَا هٰذَا؟ what is this?), مَنْ for people (مَنْ هٰذَا؟ who is this?).

Common mistakes: using مَا for a person; forgetting the kasra after فِي or عَلَى; answering a هَلْ question without نَعَمْ or لَا; mixing up أَمَامَ (in front of) and خَلْفَ (behind).

Lessons to draw • Ask someone at the centre one real question in Arabic every day, even a very simple one. • Do not be ashamed to ask: it is the way to knowledge. • Play "أَيْنَ …؟" at home with the objects around you. • Learn set phrases without trying to explain everything first.

Key points • أَيْنَ (where), مَا (what), مَنْ (who), هَلْ (is it…?), كَمْ (how many). • فِي (in), عَلَى (on), أَمَامَ (in front of), خَلْفَ (behind), بِجَانِبِ (next to). • After these words, the noun often takes a kasra: فِي الْمَسْجِدِ.

The main message Knowing how to ask gives you the means to learn: in Arabic as in the religion, a good question opens the door to knowledge.