listener knows what is being referred to. For example, the word al-kitāb (the book) may actually refer to the classical book of Arabic grammar written by Sibawayh. Whenever grammarians talk about "the book", this is what they mean and it is always understood without explanation. Class nouns One of the functions of al- is to render the noun onto which it is prefixed a class noun (). For example, the word “al-asad” can mean ‘the lion’, referring to a specific lion, or ‘the lion’ in the sense ‘the lion is a dangerous animal’. Notice that the meaning connoted by this function of al- is indefinite, which is in stark contrast with the primary function of the definite article. Because of this meaning, the noun following al- can be grammatically indefinite and one may, for example, modify the noun without the use of a relative pronoun. An example of this is seen in the following couplet of poetry: Encompassing a genus Al- may be used to encompass all the individuals of a genus (). For example, “al-asad” can be used to mean ‘all lions’. This function is called . One is encouraged to use caution when employing this form of al- as it may be confused with its other meanings. In order for al- to be in this capacity, it is necessary that it be interchangeable with the word kull 'all, every'. Some classical grammarians assert that this kull may be figurative, in which case al-, in this capacity, would be a form of exaggeration. The most well known use of al- in this meaning occurs twice in the Qur'anic verse 1:1, (all praise is due to Allah, lord of all the worlds). Indicating presence Al- is often used in words to indicate the presence of something. For example, “al-yawm” means ‘this day’ i.e. ‘today’. In modern Arabic, this function is largely idiomatic and does not carry over to new words. At the beginning of names Al- may be prefixed to names that are derived from Arabic nouns. This function is known as . The purpose of doing this is to point toward the meaning of the one named. For example, the name ‘Adīl (meaning 'just') may be read "al-‘Adīl" to allude to the fact that ‘Adīl is a just person. In modern Arabic, however, this type of al- is largely idiomatic. That is to say, names traditionally prefixed with al-