Mubtada and Khabar: Types, Rulings, and Examples Explained
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Mubtada and khabar are the two pillars of the nominal sentence (jumlah ismiyyah) in Arabic. The mubtada is the noun that serves as the subject placed at the start, while the khabar is the part that completes its meaning. Both carry the nominative case (marfu') in the default state, and they agree in number and gender.
What are mubtada and khabar?
Mubtada and khabar are the two supporting pillars of the jumlah ismiyyah, the complete sentence that begins with a noun. The mubtada (المُبْتَدَأُ) means the thing that is begun, that is, the noun you set as the topic and place at the start of the sentence. The khabar (الخَبَرُ) means the report, the part you attach to the mubtada to complete its meaning so the sentence becomes whole and beneficial.
Grammarians define the mubtada as a nominative noun free of a verbal governing factor (amil lafzhi), while the khabar is the nominative noun attached to the mubtada. Consider the example زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ (Zaid is standing). The word زَيْدٌ is the mubtada because it is the topic, and قَائِمٌ is the khabar because it reports the state of Zaid.
Understanding mubtada and khabar is the first gate to mastering Arabic sentence structure. By mastering both, you become able to read classical texts, grasp Quranic verses, and form correct sentences. That is why the discussion of mubtada and khabar always appears early in classical grammar works such as Al-Ajurrumiyyah and the Alfiyah of Ibn Malik.
The goal of the jumlah ismiyyah is to deliver a complete benefit to the listener. A mubtada standing alone gives no benefit yet; it requires a khabar for the meaning to be complete. For instance, the word الكِتَابُ alone leaves the listener waiting, and once you add مُفِيدٌ to form الكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ (the book is useful), the benefit is achieved.
I'rab rulings of mubtada and khabar
The default ruling of mubtada and khabar is marfu' (مَرْفُوعٌ), the nominative case. Its most common marker is the dhammah on a singular noun and a broken plural, for example الكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ (the book is useful). On a dual noun the marker is alif, for example الطَّالِبَانِ مُجْتَهِدَانِ (the two students are diligent). On a sound masculine plural the marker is waw, for example المُسْلِمُونَ صَادِقُونَ (the Muslims are truthful).
Some instances of mubtada and khabar are nominative by position (mahalli) without a literal marker, namely indeclinable nouns (mabni) such as personal pronouns and demonstratives. Consider هُوَ مُجْتَهِدٌ (he is diligent), where هُوَ is the mubtada in the position of rafa', and هَذَا كِتَابٌ (this is a book), where هَذَا is an indeclinable mubtada in the position of rafa'.
Between mubtada and khabar there must be agreement (muthabaqah) in number and gender when the khabar is a single descriptive noun. A singular mubtada calls for a singular khabar, a masculine mubtada calls for a masculine khabar, and so on. For example الطَّالِبَةُ نَاجِحَةٌ (the female student passed) agrees in the feminine, while الطُّلَّابُ نَاجِحُونَ (the students passed) agrees in the masculine plural.
The nominative marker on a noun has further detail. An apparent dhammah appears on a declinable noun ending in a sound letter such as نُورٌ. An estimated dhammah appears on a shortened noun ending in alif such as الفَتَى and on a defective noun ending in ya such as القَاضِي. On such nouns the marker is not visible because of an obstacle on the final letter, although the position remains nominative.
Types of mubtada and its conditions
The mubtada falls into two main types. First, a mubtada that is an explicit noun (isim sharih), namely an apparent noun or a pronoun that appears directly. An apparent noun example: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولٌ (Muhammad is a messenger). A pronoun example: أَنْتَ كَرِيمٌ (you are generous). This is the type you encounter most often in everyday Arabic text.
Second, a mubtada that is an interpreted verbal noun (mashdar muawwal), a structure of أَنْ plus a verb reinterpreted as a noun. Consider وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ, whose interpretation is صِيَامُكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ (your fasting is better for you). Here أَنْ تَصُومُوا occupies the position of a nominative mubtada.
Grammarians establish that the mubtada is originally a definite noun (ma'rifah), a noun pointing to something specific. A sound mubtada is definite so the listener recognizes the topic, while the khabar is originally indefinite (nakirah). This rule explains why a sentence like المُعَلِّمُ حَاضِرٌ (the teacher is present) feels natural with a definite mubtada in front.
An indefinite mubtada is permitted when there is a justifier (mussawwigh). Among the well-known justifiers: being preceded by negation, being preceded by an interrogative, being described, or being in a construct. An example with a description: رَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ عِنْدَنَا (a generous man is with us). An example preceded by an adverb of place: عِنْدَنَا ضَيْفٌ (with us is a guest). Without a justifier, an indefinite mubtada at the head of the sentence is regarded as weak by grammarians.
Types of khabar: the single (mufrad)
The khabar falls into two large groups: the single khabar (mufrad) and the non-single khabar (ghairu mufrad). The mufrad khabar is one that is neither a full clause (jumlah) nor a quasi-clause (syibhul jumlah). In grammatical terms mufrad here means a single word not built from a clause, though its meaning may be singular, dual, or plural.
A singular mufrad example: العِلْمُ نُورٌ (knowledge is light), where نُورٌ is a nominative mufrad khabar with dhammah. A dual mufrad example: الوَالِدَانِ كَرِيمَانِ (both parents are generous). A plural mufrad example: المُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ (the believers are brothers).
A mufrad khabar must follow the mubtada in number and gender as long as it is a descriptive word that applies. When the mubtada is feminine the khabar is feminine, for example الشَّمْسُ مُشْرِقَةٌ (the sun is shining). When the mubtada is singular the khabar is singular. This agreement preserves the harmony of meaning and grammar in the sentence.
The mufrad khabar is further divided into jamid (rigid, carrying no descriptive meaning) and musytaq (derived, carrying descriptive meaning). A jamid khabar, as in هَذَا حَجَرٌ (this is a stone), bears no hidden pronoun. A musytaq khabar, as in زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ, bears a hidden pronoun estimated as هُوَ referring back to the mubtada, because a derived noun acts like a verb.
Types of khabar: the clause (jumlah)
A clausal khabar is one that is a complete sentence, divided into a nominal clause and a verbal clause. A nominal clausal khabar is a structure of another mubtada and khabar. Consider الحَدِيقَةُ أَزْهَارُهَا جَمِيلَةٌ (the garden, its flowers are beautiful). Here أَزْهَارُهَا جَمِيلَةٌ is a nominal clause occupying the position of the khabar of الحَدِيقَةُ.
A verbal clausal khabar is a structure of a verb and its doer (fa'il). Consider الطَّالِبُ يَدْرُسُ (the student is studying), where يَدْرُسُ is a verbal clause in the position of rafa' as the khabar. A clausal khabar requires a linker (rabith) that refers back to the mubtada, whether an apparent or a hidden pronoun.
The linker in الطَّالِبُ يَدْرُسُ is a hidden pronoun (dhamir mustatir) estimated as هُوَ, referring back to الطَّالِبُ. Without a linker the clause cannot serve as a khabar because there is no semantic bond between the report and the topic. This is one of the key rules for distinguishing a correct clausal khabar.
The linker may appear in several forms. First, an apparent pronoun, as in الكِتَابُ قَرَأْتُهُ (the book, I have read it), where هُ refers to الكِتَابُ. Second, a hidden pronoun as in the example above. Third, the repetition of the mubtada itself, as in some verses. Fourth, a general noun that includes the mubtada. Grasping these forms of linker keeps you away from errors in identifying a clausal khabar.
اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ
Allahu yastahzi'u bihim
Allah mocks them in return.
Types of khabar: the quasi-clause (syibhul jumlah)
A quasi-clausal khabar is one made of a prepositional phrase (jar majrur) or an adverbial of place or time (zharaf). It is called syibhul jumlah because it resembles a clause in conveying benefit, although its form is not a complete clause. Grammarians explain that the real khabar here relates to a hidden word such as كَائِنٌ (existing) or مَوْجُودٌ (present).
A prepositional khabar example: الكِتَابُ فِي الحَقِيبَةِ (the book is in the bag), where فِي الحَقِيبَةِ occupies the position of the khabar. An adverbial khabar example: المَوْعِدُ صَبَاحًا (the appointment is in the morning), where صَبَاحًا is an adverbial of time occupying the position of the khabar.
In the Quran many verses present a khabar made of a prepositional phrase. You meet this structure very often when describing ownership, place, or state. Grasping the quasi-clausal khabar helps you read verses correctly and identify the role of each word precisely.
You should distinguish a quasi-clausal khabar from a clausal khabar. In a quasi-clausal khabar, only the prepositional phrase or adverbial appears, while the governing word that links it to the mubtada is hidden. In a clausal khabar, a full clause with a linker appears. Both belong to the non-single khabar that occupies the position of rafa'.
وَلَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
Wa lahu ma fis-samawati wal-ard
And to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.
Fronting and delaying the khabar
The default order is mubtada first and khabar after. In certain cases, however, the khabar must come first. First, when the khabar is a quasi-clause while the mubtada is an indefinite noun with no justifier. Consider فِي البَيْتِ رَجُلٌ (in the house is a man). Fronting the khabar here avoids placing an indefinite mubtada at the head of the sentence.
Second, the khabar must come first when the mubtada contains a pronoun referring back to part of the khabar. Consider فِي الدَّارِ صَاحِبُهَا (in the house is its owner). The pronoun هَا in صَاحِبُهَا refers to الدَّارِ, which is part of the khabar, so the khabar must precede to keep the pronoun from coming before its referent (marji').
The khabar may also come first permissibly (jawaz) for emphasis or stylistic beauty, as long as it causes no ambiguity. Famous verses present a fronted khabar for the purpose of restriction and emphasis, as scholars of rhetoric (balaghah) explain at length.
Conversely, there are cases where the mubtada must come first and the khabar must come after. Among them: when both are definite with no indicator to tell them apart, when the mubtada is a word that deserves to be at the head such as an interrogative noun, and when the khabar is restricted by إِنَّمَا or by إِلَّا. An example of restriction: إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ نَذِيرٌ, where أَنْتَ remains in front as the mubtada.
وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ
Wa fis-sama'i rizqukum wa ma tu'adun
And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised.
Omitting the mubtada or the khabar
The mubtada or the khabar may be omitted when a contextual indicator (qarinah) points to the deleted word. The khabar is omitted, for instance, in an answer: when asked مَنْ عِنْدَكَ (who is with you), you answer مُحَمَّدٌ, with the estimation مُحَمَّدٌ عِنْدِي. The khabar عِنْدِي is dropped because it is understood from the question.
The mubtada may also be omitted. For example when someone sees the crescent and says الهِلَالُ وَاللَّهِ, or responds to a situation with صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ, whose estimation is صَبْرِي صَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ (my patience is a beautiful patience). This omission preserves the conciseness of Arabic while the meaning stays intact.
There are also cases where the mubtada and khabar must be omitted according to fixed rules. The khabar must be omitted, among others, after the word لَوْلَا, as in لَوْلَا اللَّهُ لَهَلَكْنَا with an estimated khabar مَوْجُودٌ. The khabar must also be omitted in an explicit oath structure. Grammarians detail these obligatory cases in advanced works so the student of knowledge precisely identifies the hidden word.
The mubtada must be omitted, among others, after a verbal noun replacing a verb, and in fixed expressions such as نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ زَيْدٌ in one analysis, where زَيْدٌ is the khabar of an omitted mubtada estimated as هُوَ زَيْدٌ. Knowledge of these omissions trains you to correctly estimate the missing word when reading a text.
Abrogating factors that change mubtada and khabar
The mubtada and khabar may change their ruling when entered by an abrogating factor (amil nawasikh). The first group is كَانَ and its sisters (كَانَ، أَصْبَحَ، أَمْسَى، صَارَ، لَيْسَ, and others). This factor keeps the mubtada nominative, now called the noun of كَانَ, and puts the khabar in the accusative, now called the khabar of كَانَ. Consider كَانَ الجَوُّ بَارِدًا (the weather became cold), where الجَوُّ is the nominative noun of كَانَ and بَارِدًا the accusative khabar.
The second group is إِنَّ and its sisters (إِنَّ، أَنَّ، كَأَنَّ، لَكِنَّ، لَيْتَ، لَعَلَّ). This factor instead puts the mubtada in the accusative, now called the noun of إِنَّ, and keeps the khabar nominative, now called the khabar of إِنَّ. Consider إِنَّ العِلْمَ نُورٌ (indeed knowledge is light), where العِلْمَ is the accusative noun of إِنَّ and نُورٌ the nominative khabar.
The third group is ظَنَّ and its sisters (ظَنَّ، حَسِبَ، خَالَ، رَأَى, and others), counted among the verbs of the heart (af'al qulub). This factor turns the mubtada and khabar into two direct objects (maf'ul bih), both accusative. Consider ظَنَنْتُ الجَوَّ بَارِدًا (I thought the weather was cold), where الجَوَّ is the first object and بَارِدًا the second, both accusative.
Understanding the abrogating factors decides the accuracy of your i'rab. The biggest error arises when someone treats كَانَ and إِنَّ alike, although the two work in opposite directions. كَانَ keeps the noun nominative then makes the khabar accusative, while إِنَّ makes the noun accusative then keeps the khabar nominative. Keep this rule in mind whenever you meet one of these factors at the head of a sentence.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Innallaha ghafurun rahim
Indeed Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
A mubtada with multiple khabars and special patterns
One mubtada may have more than one khabar, and this is allowed as long as the meaning is sound. Consider الحَدِيثُ صَحِيحٌ مَشْهُورٌ (the hadith is authentic and well known). Both khabars صَحِيحٌ and مَشْهُورٌ are nominative and describe a single mubtada. This structure often appears when you want to mention several attributes at once.
In contrast, sometimes one khabar is reported for several mubtadas. Consider الكِتَابُ وَالقَلَمُ مُفِيدَانِ (the book and the pen are useful). Two mubtadas are conjoined (athaf), then the khabar follows the dual meaning and becomes مُفِيدَانِ. Understanding this pattern helps you build concise sentences with complete meaning.
Grammarians also discuss a mubtada that is satisfied by a doer or a deputy doer in place of the khabar. Consider أَقَائِمٌ الزَّيْدَانِ (are the two Zaids standing), where قَائِمٌ is a descriptive word that raises الزَّيْدَانِ as a substitute for the khabar. This case is an advanced topic that enriches your understanding.
Another special pattern is ضَمِيرُ الشَّأْنِ (the pronoun of the matter), which serves as a mubtada and is given a clausal khabar that explains it. A famous example in the Quran is the opening of the verse on the oneness of Allah, قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ. A number of commentators and grammarians explain هُوَ here as the pronoun of the matter, and اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ as a nominal clause serving as its khabar. This pattern lends emphasis and grandeur to the report conveyed.
Common mistakes in mubtada and khabar
The first mistake is putting the khabar in the accusative in the default state, although the ruling of mubtada and khabar is nominative. Beginning students often write الكِتَابُ مُفِيدًا with fathah, when the correct form is الكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ with dhammah. The khabar becomes accusative only when entered by كَانَ and its sisters.
The second mistake is neglecting agreement in gender and number between the mubtada and the mufrad khabar. Some write الطَّالِبَةُ نَاجِحٌ (masculine) for a feminine mubtada, when the correct form is الطَّالِبَةُ نَاجِحَةٌ. Likewise الطُّلَّابُ نَاجِحٌ is wrong, and the correct form is الطُّلَّابُ نَاجِحُونَ. Always match gender and number.
The third mistake is making a clause a khabar without a linker (rabith). A sentence such as المَدِينَةُ النَّاسُ كَثِيرُونَ is invalid because no pronoun refers back to المَدِينَةُ. The correct form adds a linker, for example المَدِينَةُ نَاسُهَا كَثِيرُونَ (the city, its people are many).
The fourth mistake is reversing the work of the noun of كَانَ and إِنَّ; remember كَانَ raises the noun and lowers the khabar, while إِنَّ does the opposite. The fifth mistake is starting with an indefinite mubtada without a justifier, such as رَجُلٌ قَائِمٌ as a standalone sentence, which is regarded as weak. The correct form adds a justifier such as a description or an adverb of place, for example عِنْدَنَا رَجُلٌ.
Glossary of mubtada and khabar terms
Jumlah ismiyyah: a complete sentence beginning with a noun, composed of a mubtada and a khabar. Mubtada: the nominative noun that is the topic at the start of the sentence. Khabar: the part that reports the mubtada so the meaning becomes complete. Marfu': the nominative case whose default marker is dhammah.
Isim sharih: an explicit noun, covering the apparent noun and the pronoun. Mashdar muawwal: a structure of أَنْ plus a verb reinterpreted as a noun. Syibhul jumlah: a prepositional phrase or adverbial that resembles a clause and can serve as a khabar. Rabith: a linker, usually a pronoun, that connects a clausal khabar to the mubtada.
Nawasikh: abrogating factors that change the default ruling of mubtada and khabar, including كَانَ and its sisters, إِنَّ and its sisters, and ظَنَّ and its sisters. Muthabaqah: the agreement of mubtada and khabar in gender and number. Mussawwigh: the justifier that permits an indefinite mubtada. Marji': the referent to which a pronoun returns.
Ma'rifah: a definite noun pointing to something specific, such as a noun with al, a proper name, and a pronoun. Nakirah: an indefinite noun pointing to something general. Jamid: a rigid noun carrying no descriptive meaning. Musytaq: a derived noun carrying descriptive meaning and bearing a pronoun. Knowing these terms eases your reading of any grammar book with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between mubtada and khabar?
What is the i'rab ruling of mubtada and khabar?
What are the types of khabar in Arabic grammar?
When must the khabar come before the mubtada?
Can the mubtada be an indefinite noun?
What is the linker (rabith) in a clausal khabar?
How do كَانَ and إِنَّ affect mubtada and khabar?
What is an example of mubtada and khabar in the Quran?
Sources and references
- Matn Al-Ajurrumiyyah — Ibn Ajurrum (Muhammad ibn Muhammad as-Sanhaji)
- Alfiyyah of Ibn Malik on Grammar and Morphology — Ibn Malik al-Andalusi
- Jami' ad-Durus al-'Arabiyyah — Mustafa al-Ghalayini
- Sharh Qatr an-Nada wa Ball as-Sada — Ibn Hisham al-Ansari
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