I'rab of Surah Al-Fatihah Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Fatiha (الفاتحة) · Meccan · Ayah 4
مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ TransliterationMaliki yawmi d-din(i)
MeaningMaster of the Day of Judgment.
This short verse is built around one noun phrase. "Maliki" is an adjective (na't) describing the name "Allah" from the previous verses, so it takes the genitive case to agree with it. It then heads a two-step possessive chain (idafa): "Maliki" governs "yawmi," which in turn governs "ad-dini," leaving every word in the genitive.
Word by word i'rab
adjective / qualifier (na't) of the divine name
This noun describes "Allah" mentioned earlier and so carries the genitive case to match the word it qualifies, its ending marked by a kasra.
genitivepossessed noun in genitive construction (mudaf ilayh)
Standing as the second term of the possessive chain after "Malik," it is in the genitive with a kasra, while itself heading a further idafa with the next word.
genitivegenitive noun completing the chain (mudaf ilayh)
As the noun possessed by "yawm," it closes the construction and likewise takes the genitive case shown by a kasra.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The verse is a single nominal unit continuing the description of "Allah" from the opening verses. "Maliki" functions as an adjective (na't) qualifying the divine name; because the qualified word is itself genitive, "Maliki" follows it into the genitive, its ending shown by a kasra. "Maliki" is also the governing term of a possessive construction (idafa): it is annexed to "yawmi," which is therefore the possessed noun (mudaf ilayh) and stands in the genitive with a kasra. "Yawmi" in turn governs "ad-dini" in a second, nested annexation, so "ad-dini" is the possessed noun completing the chain and is likewise genitive with a kasra. The result is a tightly linked phrase in which all three words share the genitive case, layered through agreement and double annexation.
Frequently asked
Why is every word in this verse genitive?
Two forces stack here. "Maliki" is genitive because it is an adjective agreeing with the genitive divine name from the earlier verses. "Yawmi" and "ad-dini" are genitive because they are possessed nouns (mudaf ilayh) in a chained idafa, where each possessed noun takes the genitive case.
What is the grammatical relationship between "yawm" and "ad-din"?
They form an idafa (possessive construction): "yawm" is the possessor (mudaf) and "ad-din" is the possessed noun (mudaf ilayh). This is a nested construction, since "yawm" is itself the possessed term of "Malik."
Is "Maliki" a new sentence or part of the previous verse?
Grammatically it is not a fresh sentence; it continues the description of "Allah" as another adjective (na't), which is why it takes no independent subject or predicate and simply agrees in the genitive.