<![CDATA[Background: Classical Arabic grammar recognizes that certain nouns can govern other constituents as verbs do, and the verbal noun (maṣdar) holds a distinctive place among them because it is nominal in form yet verbal in meaning. Although the naḥw tradition discusses the conditions of its governance (ʿamal) at length, its occurrence in the Qurʾān has rarely been inventoried. Purpose: This study identifies the forms of ism al-maṣdar al-ʿāmil in the Qurʾān, classifies the syntactic patterns they generate, and explains the characteristics of the relationship between the governing element (al-ʿāmil) and the governed element (al-maʿmūl). Method: Using a qualitative, descriptive library research design, the study draws its primary data from Qurʾānic verses containing governing verbal nouns and its supporting data from classical grammatical treatises, works of iʿrāb and tafsīr, and contemporary Arabic linguistic studies. The data were collected through documentation and analyzed through identification, verification, classification, and syntactic interpretation within the framework of al-ʿāmil wa-l-maʿmūl theory. Results: Twenty constructions distributed across fourteen sūras were identified. Fourteen (70%) show the verbal noun assigning the accusative to a direct object (mafʿūl bih), two (10%) show it assigning the nominative to an agent (fāʿil), and four (20%) remain contested among grammarians. In twelve of the fourteen object constructions, the agent is expressed in the genitive through annexation. Conclusion: Qurʾānic verbal nouns tend to preserve the transitivity of their source verbs, suggesting that the verb–object relation is the most resilient trace of verbal syntax under nominalization. The study offers a systematic inventory of a phenomenon long treated mainly in theoretical terms.]]>
