I'rab of Surah Abasa Ayah 3: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Abasa (عبس) · Meccan · Ayah 3
وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُۥ يَزَّكَّىٰٓ TransliterationWa maa yudreeka la'allahu yazzakkaa
MeaningAnd what would make you realize? Perhaps he might purify himself.
A rhetorical question: "And what would make you realize?" The interrogative ma is a subject whose predicate is the following verb-clause. The clause "perhaps he would purify himself" uses the particle la'alla with an attached pronoun and a present-tense verb expressing hope.
Word by word i'rab
interrogative noun as subject (mubtada')
The wa is connective; ma is an interrogative noun in the nominative position serving as the subject, with the following verb-clause as its predicate.
nominativepresent-tense verb forming the predicate
A present-tense verb in the indicative; the suffixed ka is its object "you," and the clause is the predicate of ma.
nominativeparticle of hope with its noun (ism la'alla)
La'alla expresses expectation and governs the attached pronoun hu as its noun in the accusative position.
accusativepresent-tense verb as predicate of la'alla
A present-tense verb in the indicative whose ending is an implied vowel on the weak final letter; it is the predicate of la'alla.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The connective wa opens a fresh sentence. Ma is an interrogative noun occupying the nominative position as the subject (mubtada'), and its predicate is the verbal clause that follows. Yudri ("makes realize") is a present-tense verb in the indicative; the suffixed pronoun ka is its object, while the implied subject refers to the questioned matter. The whole clause yudrika is the predicate of ma. The second part introduces la'alla, a particle expressing hope or expectation; it functions like the "inna" family, taking the attached pronoun hu as its noun in the accusative position. Its predicate is the present-tense verb yazzakka ("he purifies himself"), which is indicative, with its case-vowel estimated on the final weak letter. The verse poses a question whose force is that the outcome was unknown to the one addressed.
Frequently asked
Is ma here a negation or a question?
It is interrogative, not negating. It functions as the subject (mubtada') in the nominative, with the verb-clause yudrika as its predicate, giving a rhetorical question.
How does la'alla affect the words after it?
Like the inna-family particles, la'alla takes a noun in the accusative (here the pronoun hu) and a predicate; its predicate is the present-tense verb yazzakka.