The Three Parts of Every Categorical Proposition

Three parts, no exceptions: Every Qadiyya Hamliyya — without exception — has three parts. Understanding which part is which is the first step in analysing any argument, fatwa, or theological claim.

The complete structure: The complete structure is: Mawdu' + Nisbah + Mahmul — Subject + Copula + Predicate. Example: "Salah" + "is" + "Wajib".

• Al-Mawdu' (subject) is the thing about which something is being asserted. It is the topic of the proposition — what you are talking about. To identify it, ask: "What is this proposition about?" Examples: "Salah is Wajib" — Salah is the Mawdu'; "Every human is mortal" — every human is the Mawdu'; "Some scholars are Mujtahidun" — some scholars is the Mawdu'. In Fiqh, the Mawdu' of a ruling identifies what the ruling applies to — for example, "Khamr (Mawdu') is Haram".
• Al-Mahmul (predicate) is what is being said about the subject — the quality, reality, or nature attributed to the Mawdu'. To identify it, ask: "What is being said about the subject?" Examples: "Salah is Wajib" — Wajib is the Mahmul; "Every human is mortal" — mortal is the Mahmul; "Allah is One" — One (Wahid) is the Mahmul. In Kalam, when we say "Allah is Qadim (eternal)" — Qadim is the Mahmul — and the entire science of divine attributes is built on correctly identifying what can be predicated of Allah.
• Al-Nisbah (copula/relation) is the assertion that connects the Mawdu' to the Mahmul — the claim that the predicate does or does not belong to the subject. It is the logical glue of the proposition, and it is what makes the proposition true or false. There are two types: Nisbah Ijabiyya (affirmative) — "Salah is Wajib", asserting the connection exists; and Nisbah Salbiyya (negative) — "Riba is not Halal", asserting the connection does not exist. In Arabic the Nisbah is often implicit in the sentence structure — "Zaydun 'alimun" (Zayd is a scholar) — the "is" is implied but logically present. The truth or falsity of a proposition depends entirely on whether the Nisbah correctly reflects reality.

Example

Example — every believer: "Kullu Mumin muttaqin" (Every believer is God-fearing). Mawdu': Kullu Mumin (every believer) — who we are talking about.

Mahmul and Nisbah: Mahmul: Muttaqin (God-fearing) — what we are asserting. Nisbah: IS — the affirmative connection.

Is this true? Is this true? That is the question of Tasdiq.

Key Terms

• Qadiyya (القضیة) — proposition
• Hamliyya (الحملیة) — categorical
• Mawdu' (الموضوع) — subject
• Mahmul (المحمول) — predicate
• Nisbah (النسبة) — copula/relation
• Nisbah Ijabiyya (ایجابیة) — affirmative
• Nisbah Salbiyya (سلبیة) — negative

Quran or Hadith

None on this slide.

Fresh diagram to be drawn: A labelled sentence diagram: "Salah (Mawdu') — is (Nisbah) — Wajib (Mahmul)", in three coloured blocks. To be drawn in Project Desk colours.