This is a Chapter on the rāʔ [r]

11.00 In the previous chapter (Chapter 10 (480)), Sībawayh discussed the effect that ʔal-ḥuruwf ʔal-mustaʕliyah ‘the raised letters’ – the sʕād [sʕ], the dʕād [dʕ], the tʕāʔ [tʕ], the ðʕāʔ [ðʕ], the γayn [γ], the Gāf [G] and the xāʔ [x] – have on the ʔalifāt [A]s. They prevent ʔimālah ‘inclination’. In this chapter he takes up the case of rāʔ [r] and its effect on the ʔimālah of the ʔalif [A]. rāʔ [r] is a unique sound in that it is mukarrar ‘repeated’, which gives it greater solidity than a single letter. Every rāʔ [r], when it is set in motion, is like having two letters with two fatḥahs [a]s, two dʕ ammahs [u]s or two kasrahs [i]s. In this it vies with the raised letters for dominance of the environment of the ʔalif [A].

11.1 ‘The rāʔ [r] comes out doubled as though spoken with two [a]s or two [u]s, and it has the status of Ԍāf [Ԍ]. It prevents inclination when it comes before the ʔalif [A]’ (II, P. 289, L. 20). For example:

hāðā rāšidun ‘This (is) Rāshid’ (II, P. 289, L. 20)

hāðā firāšun ‘This (is) a bed’ (II, P. 289, L. 20)

11.2 There is no inclination of the ʔalif [A] if the rāʔ [r] follows the ʔalif [A] and the following rāʔ [r] is with a dʕammah [u] or with a fatḥah [a]. For example:

hāðā ḥimārun ‘this (is) an ass’ (II, P. 290, L. 1)