Clarification of the Word "دَسَّاهَا" — Its Root and Grammatical ExplanationAnswered by: Shaykh Saʿīd Mujtabā Saʿīdī ḥafiẓahullāh & Shaykh Ḥāfiẓ Khiḍr Ḥayāt ḥafiẓahullāh
Source: ʿIlm al-Ṣīghah – Advanced Morphological Principles
❖ Question:
In the Qur’ānic verse:
"وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا"
"And he has failed who corrupts it."
(Sūrah al-Shams: 10)
What is the original (root) form of the verb "دَسَّاهَا"?
Has any grammatical transformation (taʿlīl) occurred in it? If so, what rule governs this change?
❖ Answer:
Yes, this word has undergone taʿlīl (grammatical transformation) based on the rules of ṣarf (morphology).
① Original Form of the Word
The original word is:
"دَسَّسَهَا"
(from the root د-س-س)
◈ This verb structure includes a repetition of the letter "س" (sīn):
دَسَّسَ = to push down, to hide, to corrupt
② What Changed and Why?
In classical Arabic, when two identical letters occur in sequence in certain verb forms, phonetic easing (takhfīf) is applied to avoid heaviness in pronunciation.
So in "دَسَّسَ", the middle "س" was transformed into an alif (ا) for ease.
◈ Hence:
دَسَّسَهَا → دَسَّاهَا
This transformation is similar to what occurs in:
- قَصَصْتُ → قَصِيتُ
- لَبَّبْتُ → لَبِيتُ
These are examples of assimilative morphological changes due to difficulty in articulation.
③ Support from the Scholars
Imām al-Dhahabī (RA) mentions this in Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, when explaining the verse:"قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا"
He comments:
"دَسَّاهَا" means:
"He corrupted it with sin and disobedience — and in this word, the letter س was changed to an alif.”
Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, Vol. 18, p. 193 (Dār al-Risālah edition)❖ Summary
✔ "دَسَّاهَا" is originally "دَسَّسَهَا" — the middle "س" was changed to an "ا"
✔ This is a case of phonetic transformation (taʿlīl) to ease pronunciation
✔ The rule is based on established ṣarfī principles similar to قَصِيتُ and لَبِيتُ
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
