The normal Arabic passive removes the agent from the clause. كُتِبَ التقريرُ means “the report was written,” and the writer is deliberately absent. Contemporary formal Arabic can add an agent with مِنْ قِبَلِ or عَلَى يَدِ, but neither expression is a neutral equivalent of English by in every passive. Very often, an active sentence is shorter, more idiomatic, and more honest about responsibility.
The central verb on this page is Form I كَتَبَ — يَكْتُبُ — كِتَابَةً “write,” root ك-ت-ب. Its finite internal passive is كُتِبَ in the perfect and يُكْتَبُ in the imperfect. The affected participant becomes the nominative نَائِبُ الْفَاعِلِ, introduced more fully on the passive-subject page; an optional agent phrase does not become the grammatical subject and does not control the verb.
The default: leave the agent unexpressed
Use the passive when the event or affected participant matters more than who acted, when the agent is unknown, or when the discourse has already made the agent obvious. This is not an incomplete sentence. The absence of an agent is the point of the construction.
نشر التقرير صباح اليوم بعد مراجعة الأرقام.
nushira t-taqrīru ṣabāḥa l-yawmi baʿda murājaʿati l-ʾarqām.
The report was published this morning after the figures were reviewed. (formal journalism)
ستراجع الطلبات خلال خمسة أيام عمل.
saturājaʿu ṭ-ṭalabātu khilāla khamsati ʾayyāmi ʿamal.
The applications will be reviewed within five working days. (formal administration)
In the second example, nonhuman plural الطلبات triggers feminine-singular ستراجع. The agent's number is irrelevant because no agent occupies the subject position.
من قبل: an explicit institutional agent
مِنْ قِبَلِ followed by a genitive noun identifies the party responsible for an action: من قبل اللجنة “by the committee.” It is established in contemporary administrative and journalistic MSA (formal), especially when a document must distinguish the acting institution from the affected one. It is also heavier than an active clause and becomes repetitive when copied mechanically from English.
أعدت الدراسة من قبل فريق مستقل بتكليف من المحكمة.
ʾuʿiddati d-dirāsatu min qibali farīqin mustaqillin bitaklīfin mina l-maḥkama.
The study was prepared by an independent team commissioned by the court. (formal)
لن يعتمد القرار من قبل المجلس قبل نشر الموازنة.
lan yuʿtamada l-qarāru min qibali l-majlisi qabla nashri l-muwāzana.
The decision will not be approved by the council before the budget is published. (formal; subjunctive after lan)
لم تعتمد النسخة النهائية من قبل الإدارتين.
lam tuʿtamadi n-nuskhatu n-nihāʾiyyatu min qibali l-ʾidāratayn.
The final version was not approved by the two departments. (formal; jussive after lam)
The Form VIII verb is اِعْتَمَدَ — يَعْتَمِدُ — اِعْتِمَادًا “approve; rely,” root ع-م-د. Its passive imperfect is يُعْتَمَدُ; لن changes the final vowel to يُعْتَمَدَ, while لم gives يُعْتَمَدْ. The prepositional agent never changes that mood.
When the agent is brief and informative, the active is normally clearer:
أعد فريق مستقل الدراسة بتكليف من المحكمة.
ʾaʿadda farīqun mustaqillun d-dirāsata bitaklīfin mina l-maḥkama.
An independent team prepared the study at the court's request. (clear formal active alternative)
The active version is not less formal. It simply makes the responsible party the grammatical subject. Use the passive plus من قبل when the affected item must remain the discourse topic or a prescribed document structure requires it—not because English used was.
على يد: agency as intervention or achievement
عَلَى يَدِ literally invokes an action occurring “at the hand of” someone. In contemporary MSA it is natural for a notable human intervention, accomplishment, discovery, founding, rescue, defeat, or destruction (formal/elevated). It is not a bland label for routine processing. With several agents, عَلَى أَيْدِي is available.
أنقذ الطفل على يد طبيبتين كانتا في المكان.
ʾunqidha ṭ-ṭiflu ʿalā yadi ṭabībatayni kānatā fī l-makān.
The child was saved through the intervention of two female doctors who were there. (formal/elevated)
اكتشف العلاج على أيدي باحثات من ثلاث جامعات.
uktushifa l-ʿilāju ʿalā ʾaydī bāḥithātin min thalāthi jāmiʿāt.
The treatment was discovered by female researchers from three universities. (formal/elevated)
By contrast, تمت مراجعة الطلب على يد الموظف sounds inflated for “the employee reviewed the application.” Prefer the direct active راجع الموظف الطلب or, if the employee is irrelevant, رُوجِعَ الطلب.
Agreement stays with the passive subject
The phrase naming the agent is an adjunct. Agreement remains between the passive verb and the promoted affected participant. In neutral verb-first order, an overt dual or plural human passive subject follows a singular verb; subject-first order has full agreement.
كرمت الباحثتان من قبل الجامعة في الحفل السنوي.
kurrimati l-bāḥithatāni min qibali l-jāmiʿati fī l-ḥafli s-sanawiyy.
The two female researchers were honored by the university at the annual ceremony. (neutral VSO: singular feminine verb)
الباحثتان كرمتا من قبل الجامعة في الحفل السنوي.
al-bāḥithatāni kurrimatā min qibali l-jāmiʿati fī l-ḥafli s-sanawiyy.
The two female researchers were honored by the university at the annual ceremony. (subject-first: full dual agreement)
Common Mistakes
Translating every English “by” as من قبل
❌ فتحت النافذة من قبل الريح.
Incorrect calque—the wind is a cause, not the kind of institutional agent normally introduced by من قبل.
✅ فتحت الريح النافذة بقوة.
fataḥati r-rīḥu n-nāfidhata biquwwa.
The wind blew the window open.
Using على يد for routine paperwork
❌ أدخلت البيانات على يد الموظفة.
Stylistically inflated—على يد suggests a noteworthy intervention, not ordinary data entry.
✅ أدخلت الموظفة البيانات في النظام.
ʾadkhalati l-muwaẓẓafatu l-bayānāti fī n-niẓām.
The employee entered the data into the system.
Letting the agent phrase control agreement
❌ أعد التقرير من قبل الخبيرتين.
uʿiddati t-taqrīru min qibali l-khabīratayn
Incorrect reading—the passive subject التقرير is masculine; the two female experts inside a prepositional phrase do not control the verb.
✅ أعد التقرير أمس من قبل الخبيرتين.
ʾuʿidda t-taqrīru ʾamsi min qibali l-khabīratayn.
The report was prepared yesterday by the two female experts.
Giving a verb-first passive full dual agreement
❌ كرمتا الباحثتان من قبل الجامعة.
Incorrect in neutral VSO—the preceding verb is singular feminine: كرمت.
✅ كرمت الباحثتان من قبل الجامعة.
kurrimati l-bāḥithatāni min qibali l-jāmiʿa.
The two female researchers were honored by the university.
Ignoring mood after لن
❌ لن يعتمد القرار من قبل المجلس.
lan yuʿtamadu l-qarāru min qibali l-majlis
Incorrect reading—لن governs subjunctive يعتمدَ, not indicative يعتمدُ.
✅ لن يعتمد القرار غدا من قبل المجلس.
lan yuʿtamada l-qarāru ghadan min qibali l-majlis.
The decision will not be approved tomorrow by the council.
Key Takeaways
- The Arabic passive normally suppresses the agent; no “by” phrase is required.
- من قبل is an established but heavy formal way to identify an institutional or responsible agent.
- على يد/على أيدي highlights noteworthy human intervention or achievement.
- Agent phrases do not control agreement or mood; the passive subject and governor do.
- If the agent matters enough to name plainly, an active clause is often the best Arabic.
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