I'rab of Surah Al-Ikhlas Ayah 1: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Ikhlas (الإخلاص) · Meccan · Ayah 1
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ TransliterationQul huwa Allāhu aḥad(un)
MeaningSay: He, Allah, is One.
This verse opens with the imperative verb "qul" (say), whose object is the entire sentence that follows. That reported sentence is nominal: the pronoun "huwa" is the subject, the divine name "Allah" is a second subject, and "ahad" is its predicate. The inner nominal clause as a whole serves as predicate to "huwa".
Word by word i'rab
imperative verb (fi'l amr)
A command verb built on a silent ending (sukun); its doer is a hidden pronoun "you" understood from the form.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
A detached pronoun fixed on the fatha vowel, standing in the nominative position as the topic of the reported sentence.
indeclinablesecond subject (mubtada' thani)
The divine name functions as a further topic, nominative with a damma, and together with its predicate forms the comment on "huwa".
nominativepredicate (khabar)
Nominative with tanwin damma; it reports about "Allah", and this second nominal clause as a whole is the predicate of the first subject "huwa".
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with قُلْ, an imperative verb resting on a silent ending, its agent a concealed pronoun "you" addressed to the Prophet. Everything after it is the speech being commanded, so the following sentence occupies the accusative slot as the verb's object. That object is a nominal sentence: هُوَ is a detached pronoun, fixed on fatha, occupying the nominative position as the first topic (mubtada'). The divine name ٱللَّهُ is nominative and serves as a second topic, while أَحَدٌ is its predicate, nominative with tanwin. The clause "Allāhu aḥad": a complete subject-plus-predicate unit: then functions as the predicate of the opening pronoun هُوَ. This layered structure (a pronoun whose comment is itself a full nominal sentence) gives the verse its emphatic, declarative force.
Frequently asked
Why is the sentence after "qul" considered an object?
The verb "qul" (say) reports speech, and the spoken content takes the place of a direct object. So the whole sentence "He, Allah, is One" stands in the accusative position as what is being said, even though its internal words carry nominative endings.
What is the role of "huwa" here?
"Huwa" is a detached pronoun fixed on fatha, placed in the nominative position as the first topic (mubtada'). Its predicate is not a single word but the entire following clause "Allāhu aḥad", which is itself a complete subject-and-predicate sentence.
Why are both "Allah" and "ahad" nominative?
They form an inner nominal sentence: "Allah" is a second subject (mubtada' thani) and "ahad" is its predicate (khabar). Subjects and their predicates both take the nominative case, marked here by the damma.