that is, iqāmatahā (“establishing it”). The usual form is iqāma; iqām is not used outside a possessive construction, just as irād is not used in place of irāda, nor iqāl in place of iqāla. This is because the tā’ compensates for either the alif of the pattern if‘āl or its middle radical. The original form of iqāma was iqwām: the vowel of the middle radical was transferred to the first radical, and the middle radical became an alif. Two alifs thus came together, so one was omitted and a compensatory tā’ was added. This ending therefore became obligatory except in a possessive construction, where some authorities permit its omission by analogy, while others allow it only where attested.

Similarly obligatory is the tā’ in ‘ida (“promise”) and zina (“weight”). Their original forms were wa‘d and wazn: the wāw was omitted and a compensatory tā’ added, making it obligatory. Yet it may be omitted in a possessive construction, as in the poet’s words:

The companions resolved to part and went their way;
they failed you in the promise they had made.

That is, “they failed you in the promise concerning the matter”—‘idat al-amr—with the tā’ omitted.

Following this usage, some reciters read:

“Had they intended to go forth, they would have made preparations for it,”

with hā’, meaning ‘uddatahu (“its preparation”), but with the tā’ omitted.

Third, fa‘īl in the expression qatī‘ al-qiyām (“languid when rising”) may have the meaning of maf‘ūl, the passive participle. The author of al-Muhkam records that qata‘ahu and aqta‘ahu mean “he rebuked him.” The corresponding verb is also used of the person himself, who is then described as qatī‘ al-qawl (“silenced in speech”). On this interpretation, qatī‘ means maqtū‘, that is, “rebuked,” so omitting the tā’ does not contravene the grammatical rule.

If, however, qatī‘ is derived from its verb just as sarī‘ (“swift”) is derived from saru‘a (“to be swift”), it should take the tā’ when qualifying a feminine noun. Its treatment is explained by its resemblance to fa‘īl in the sense of maf‘ūl, whose grammatical behavior it follows.

This completes the twelve approaches to this verse. The soundest is the approach combining the sixth and seventh. The others range from weak and untenable to possible. The beginner and the uncritical follower cannot grasp these subtleties, whereas the learned, fair-minded reader will readily distinguish the strong explanations from the weak. Let this conclude the discussion of the verse. Allah knows best.