I'rab of Surah Abasa Ayah 24: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Abasa (عبس) · Meccan · Ayah 24
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِۦٓ Transliterationfal-yanzuri al-insanu ila ta'amih
MeaningSo let the human being look at his food.
The verse calls the human being to reflect: so let him look at his food. The 'fa' is resumptive, the 'lam' is the imperative lam putting the verb in the jussive, and 'al-insan' is the subject of that command, with the prepositional phrase 'at his food' attaching to the verb 'look'.
Word by word i'rab
resumptive 'fa' + imperative lam + jussive verb
The 'fa' resumes the discourse, the imperative 'lam' commands, and the verb 'yanzur' is jussive because of that lam, its ending broken to 'i' to ease pronunciation.
jussivesubject of the verb (fa'il)
It is nominative as the doer of 'yanzur', the one commanded to look and reflect.
nominativepreposition (harf jarr)
A preposition meaning 'at' or 'toward', introducing the object of contemplation.
indeclinableobject of preposition with possessive pronoun
It is genitive after 'ila', with the attached 'hi' as a possessive pronoun; the phrase 'ila ta'amihi' attaches to the verb 'yanzur'.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The 'fa' at the start is resumptive, opening a fresh appeal. The 'lam' is the imperative lam, which gives the present-tense verb the force of a command and renders it jussive. 'Yanzur' is therefore jussive; its final consonant is given the vowel 'i' (fal-yanzuri) to ease linking with the next word and avoid two unvowelled consonants meeting. 'Al-insanu' is the subject (doer) of the verb and stands in the nominative case as the one commanded to look. 'Ila' is a preposition, and 'ta'amihi' is its genitive object, carrying the attached possessive pronoun 'hi'; the prepositional phrase 'ila ta'amihi' is linked to the verb 'yanzur', specifying what the human is invited to contemplate.
Frequently asked
Why does 'yanzur' end with a kasra in 'fal-yanzuri'?
The verb is jussive (its base form would end without a vowel), but a kasra is added to its final letter to ease connection with the following word and avoid two consonants meeting unvowelled.
What kind of 'lam' is in 'falyanzur'?
It is the imperative lam (lam al-amr), which turns the present-tense verb into a command and places it in the jussive case.