I'rab of Surah Al-Falaq Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Falaq (الفلق) · Meccan · Ayah 4
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ Transliterationwa min sharri an-naffathati fi al-'uqad
MeaningAnd from the evil of those who blow on knots.
This verse continues the chain of things sought refuge from. The conjunction wa links it to the earlier "from the evil of." The prepositional phrase min sharri attaches to the verb a'udhu (I seek refuge) in verse 1. Sharr is a noun in the genitive governing the following genitive construct, and fi al-'uqad is a prepositional phrase modifying al-naffathat.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction (harf 'atf)
An indeclinable connective particle that joins this clause to the preceding object of seeking refuge.
indeclinablepreposition (harf jarr)
An indeclinable preposition meaning 'from' that puts the following noun into the genitive and links to the verb a'udhu in verse 1.
indeclinablegenitive noun governed by min (majrur), and first term of an idafa
It is genitive because of the preposition min, and it is itself the possessed term of a construct phrase governing the next word.
genitivegenitive noun (mudaf ilayh)
This noun completes the construct after sharr and is genitive, its kasrah marking the genitive on a sound feminine plural.
genitivepreposition (harf jarr)
An indeclinable preposition 'in/on' whose phrase attaches to al-naffathat, specifying where the blowing occurs.
indeclinablegenitive noun governed by fi (majrur)
It is genitive because of the preposition fi, with the kasrah as its case marker.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with wa, an indeclinable conjunction connecting it to the previous appeals for refuge. The preposition min ('from') is likewise indeclinable and renders the following noun genitive; together min sharr forms a prepositional phrase that relates back to the verb a'udhu ('I seek refuge') in the opening verse. Sharr ('evil') is genitive after min and simultaneously functions as the head of a possessive construct (idafa), so the noun that follows, al-naffathat ('the women who blow'), stands as the second term of the construct (mudaf ilayh) and is genitive, marked by a kasrah on this sound feminine plural. The phrase fi al-'uqad ('on the knots') consists of the indeclinable preposition fi plus al-'uqad in the genitive; this phrase modifies al-naffathat, telling us what the blowing is directed at.
Frequently asked
Why is the word شَرِّ in the genitive case?
Two factors converge: it directly follows the preposition مِن, which always makes its noun genitive, and it is also the head term of a construct phrase (idafa) with النفّاثات. Either reason alone accounts for the kasrah on its ending.
What does the prepositional phrase فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ connect to grammatically?
It attaches to النفّاثات, the active participle describing those who blow. The phrase specifies the location or object of the blowing: 'on the knots': functioning as an adverbial complement of that participle rather than relating to the main verb.
How is the opening وَ in this verse parsed?
It is a coordinating conjunction (harf 'atf), an indeclinable particle. It joins this whole 'from the evil of...' phrase to the parallel phrases in the surrounding verses, all of which ultimately depend on the verb أَعُوذُ in verse 1.