Explanation of the statement of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): What does not decline.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Know that nouns are of three categories: some do not change according to the grammatical factors, and this is the *mabni* (indeclinable); some change completely, and this is the *muruq* (declinable) noun that is *mansuruf* (fully declinable); and some change partially, and this is the *muruq* noun that is not *mansuruf*. So nouns are of three categories: those that do not change at all, those that change at all, and those that change in a state between the two. What is the first one, which does not change at all?
The student: The *mabni*.
The Shaykh : The *mabni*. You say: "I passed by the one who stood," "I saw the one who stood," and "The one who stood came." The word *man* does not change. And there is that which changes in every state, which is the *muruq* noun that is *mansuruf*. And there is that which changes partially, which is the *muruq* noun that is not *mansuruf*. What is *israf* (declension) according to the grammarians? *Israf* in language means change; "I *sarf* the thing" means: I changed it from its state. But in the technical grammatical terminology.
The student: The *mabni*.
The Shaykh : The *mabni*. You say: "I passed by the one who stood," "I saw the one who stood," and "The one who stood came." The word *man* does not change. And there is that which changes in every state, which is the *muruq* noun that is *mansuruf*. And there is that which changes partially, which is the *muruq* noun that is not *mansuruf*. What is *israf* (declension) according to the grammarians? *Israf* in language means change; "I *sarf* the thing" means: I changed it from its state. But in the technical grammatical terminology.