I'rab of Surah Al-Asr Ayah 1: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Asr (العصر) · Meccan · Ayah 1
وَٱلْعَصْرِ Transliterationwal-ʿaṣr
MeaningBy time (the passing age).
This single-word verse is an oath (qasam). The opening wāw is the particle of swearing (wāw al-qasam), which functions like a preposition and puts the following noun in the genitive. Al-ʿaṣr is the object sworn by, governed in the genitive. The whole phrase attaches to an implied verb "I swear," and the verse it introduces forms the answer of the oath.
Word by word i'rab
oath particle (wāw al-qasam)
This wāw is the particle of swearing; it behaves like a preposition and governs the noun after it in the genitive.
indeclinableobject of the oath / genitive noun (majrūr by wāw al-qasam)
Placed in the genitive by the oath-wāw, this is the thing sworn by, and the oath phrase relates to an understood verb meaning "I swear."
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The verse consists of an oath built from two elements. The initial وَ is wāw al-qasam, the particle used for swearing; grammatically it operates like a preposition (ḥarf jarr) and so requires the noun following it to take the genitive case. ٱلْعَصْرِ is therefore majrūr (genitive), its genitive marked by the kasra on the final letter, and it serves as the muqsam bihi: the thing by which the oath is taken. The combined prepositional-style phrase (wāw plus its genitive noun) is linked to a deleted oath-verb whose understood meaning is "I swear" (uqsimu). This suppressed verb is omitted because the oath construction itself makes it clear. The clause that follows in the next verse functions as the jawāb al-qasam, the response or content of the oath being affirmed.
Frequently asked
Why is ٱلْعَصْرِ in the genitive case?
Because the opening wāw is the oath-particle (wāw al-qasam), which acts grammatically like a preposition. Just as a preposition puts its noun in the genitive, the oath-wāw does the same, so ٱلْعَصْرِ ends in a kasra.
Where is the verb in this verse?
It is omitted. Oath constructions of this kind suppress the verb "I swear" (uqsimu); the wāw and its genitive noun attach to that understood verb. Arabic regularly deletes the oath-verb when the wāw makes the meaning obvious.
What is the relationship between this verse and the next one?
This verse is the oath (qasam), and the statement that follows it is the jawāb al-qasam: the answer or content the oath is affirming, namely that humankind is in loss.