Questions & Answers about رجعوا من دمشق إلى بغداد.
Both من and إلى are prepositions. Why do the cities دمشق and بغداد end with a fatha sound instead of a kasra?
You are right that nouns after prepositions are in the genitive case, which is usually marked by a kasra. However, both دمشق (Damascus) and بغداد (Baghdad) belong to a special group of words called diptotes (الممنوع من الصرف). When a diptote is in the genitive case, it takes a fatha instead of a kasra.
Would I ever put a tanween (double vowel) on the ends of دمشق or بغداد?
No. The second major rule for diptotes is that they completely lack tanween. You will only ever see a single short vowel on the ends of دمشق and بغداد, never the doubled -un, -an, or -in sounds.
What makes city names like دمشق and بغداد diptotes in the first place?
In Arabic grammar, most names of cities, countries, and towns are treated as feminine, and many are considered foreign proper names. Being a feminine proper name or a non-Arabic proper name automatically places a noun into the diptote category.
Why is there an extra alif at the end of the verb رجعوا if it isn't pronounced?
The verb رجعوا (they returned) ends with a waw (و) to show it is a masculine or mixed plural. In Arabic spelling, a silent alif (ا) is added after this plural waw at the end of a verb. It acts as a visual marker to help you recognize the plural ending.