I'rab of Surah Abasa Ayah 35: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Abasa (عبس) · Meccan · Ayah 35
وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ Transliterationwa-ummihi wa-abīh
Meaningand his mother and his father,
"And his mother and his father" continues the list of those a person flees. Each noun is joined by the conjunction wāw and stays in the genitive, conjoined to akhīhi ("his brother") in the previous verse, since all remain objects of the preposition min governing what one flees from.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction + conjoined noun (ma'tuf) in the genitive
The wāw joins ummihi to akhīhi from the prior verse, so it remains genitive under the same preposition min, with -hi as the possessive "his."
genitiveconjunction + conjoined noun (ma'tuf) in the genitive
Abīhi is likewise conjoined by wāw and genitive; as one of the five nouns it shows genitive with yā, and -hi means "his."
genitiveDetailed i'rab
Verse 35 extends the catalogue of relations a person flees on the Day of the Blast. Both words are conjoined (ma'ṭūf) by the conjunction wāw to أَخِيهِ in verse 34, so they inherit the genitive case governed by the preposition مِنْ ("from"). وَأُمِّهِ is genitive marked by kasrah, with the attached pronoun -hi ("his"). وَأَبِيهِ is also conjoined and genitive, but because ab ("father") is one of the five special nouns, its genitive is signaled by the long yā rather than a plain kasrah, again with -hi as the possessive. The grammatical chaining of brother, mother, and father under a single preposition tightly binds these dearest kin into one fleeing motion, dramatizing how the terror of that Day severs even the closest familial bonds.
Frequently asked
Why are أُمّ and أَب in the genitive case?
They are conjoined by wāw to akhīhi ("his brother") in the previous verse, so they share its genitive case under the preposition min, "from."
Why is أَبِيهِ written with a yā?
Ab is one of the five nouns, which take the genitive with a long yā when followed by a pronoun; here -hi ("his") is attached, giving abīhi.