إِبْنِيmy son

Example sentences

• قَالَتْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَشْهَدُكَ وَأَشْهَدُ رَسُولَكَ أَنِّي قَدْ رَضِيتُ عَنْ إِبْنِي

  She said, "O Allah, I testify to You and to Your Messenger that I am satisfied with my son."

  إِبْنِي — my son. This noun has the 'my' pronoun glued onto its end, so one word means 'my son' with no separate possessive. Arabic marks possession by attaching the owner directly to the back of the noun. Standing after the preposition, it is the person the contentment is directed toward.

  From: A Mother's Forgiveness →

• ثُمَّ مَرَّ بِأَمَةٍ فَقَالَتْ اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلْ إِبْنِي مِثْلَ هَذِهِ فَتَرَكَ ثَدْيَهَا

  Then he passed by a slave-girl, and she said, "O God, do not make my son like this." Then he left her breast.

  إِبْنِي — my son. The one she asks not be made a certain way -- my son -- object of 'make', with the 'my' suffix attached. The two-object verb then needs 'like this' to say what she begs he NOT become.

  From: Those Who Spoke in the Cradle →