I'rab of Surah Abasa Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Abasa (عبس) · Meccan · Ayah 4
أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰٓ TransliterationAw yadhdhakkaru fatanfa'ahu adh-dhikraa
MeaningOr he might be reminded, so the reminder would benefit him.
This verse continues the hope of verse 3 with "or he might take heed," then adds a result: "so the reminder would benefit him." The fa here is a causal particle that puts the following verb in the subjunctive, and the implied verbal noun is linked to the earlier expectation.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle (harf 'atf)
A coordinating particle meaning "or," joining this clause to the preceding verb of verse 3.
indeclinablepresent-tense verb (conjoined)
A present-tense verb in the indicative, joined by aw to yazzakka and sharing its hidden subject.
nominativepresent-tense verb in subjunctive after causal fa
The fa is causal (fa al-sababiyya); it puts the present-tense verb in the subjunctive by means of an implied an, and hu is its object.
accusativesubject of tanfa' (fa'il)
The doer of "would benefit," in the nominative with an estimated vowel on its weak ending.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The particle aw ("or") is coordinating, joining this verse to verse 3 and offering an alternative outcome. Yadhdhakkaru ("he takes heed") is a present-tense verb in the indicative, carrying a hidden subject and conjoined to the earlier yazzakka. The fa in fatanfa'a is the fa of causation (fa al-sababiyya): it places the following present-tense verb in the subjunctive through an implied particle an, yielding an implied verbal noun. That implied noun is conjoined to a verbal noun drawn from the preceding expression of hope, as if to say "there might be heeding, and so benefit from the reminder." Tanfa'a ("would benefit") thus takes the accusative ending; its object is the suffixed pronoun hu. Its subject is al-dhikra ("the reminder"), in the nominative with an estimated case-vowel on its weak final letter.
Frequently asked
Why is the verb tanfa'a in the subjunctive?
Because the fa before it is the fa of causation, which causes the following present-tense verb to be subjunctive through an implied an, forming an implied verbal noun of result.
What does aw connect to?
It is a coordinating "or" joining yadhdhakkaru to the verb yazzakka in verse 3, presenting an alternative hoped-for outcome.