I'rab of Surah Al-Ikhlas Ayah 3: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Ikhlas (الإخلاص) · Meccan · Ayah 3
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ Transliterationlam yalid wa lam yūlad
MeaningHe does not beget, nor is He begotten.
This ayah joins two parallel negated verbal clauses with the particle wāw. In each, the particle lam negates a present-tense verb and forces it into the jussive (majzūm) mood, shown by a sukūn on the final letter. The first verb is active ("does not beget"), the second passive ("nor is begotten"), each with a hidden subject referring back to Allah.
Word by word i'rab
negative jussive particle (ḥarf nafy wa jazm wa qalb)
This particle negates the verb, pushes its meaning into the past, and governs it in the jussive mood.
indeclinablepresent-tense verb made jussive by lam (fiʿl muḍāriʿ majzūm)
An active present verb put into the jussive by lam, its sukūn ending marking the mood, with a hidden subject ('He') referring to Allah.
jussivecoordinating conjunction (ḥarf ʿaṭf)
The wāw links the second clause to the first, joining the two negations in parallel.
indeclinablenegative jussive particle (ḥarf nafy wa jazm wa qalb)
A second occurrence of lam that likewise negates and governs the following verb in the jussive.
indeclinablepassive present-tense verb made jussive by lam (fiʿl muḍāriʿ mabnī lil-majhūl majzūm)
A passive present verb in the jussive because of lam, ending in sukūn, with a hidden deputy-subject ('He') standing in for the omitted agent.
jussiveDetailed i'rab
The verse is built from two coordinated negative verbal sentences of identical structure. In the first, لَمْ is a particle that does three things at once: it negates, it shifts the verb's sense to the past, and it forces the following imperfect verb into the jussive mood. يَلِدْ is therefore a present-tense verb in the jussive, its mood signalled by the sukūn on the final dāl; its subject is a concealed pronoun meaning "He," pointing back to Allah. The wāw then coordinates a second clause of the same pattern: لَمْ again negates and governs the jussive, while يُولَدْ is the passive counterpart, "is begotten," also jussive with a sukūn ending. Its deputy-subject is a hidden pronoun replacing the unnamed agent, so the meaning is that He is not brought into being by anyone.
Frequently asked
Why do the verbs يَلِدْ and يُولَدْ end in a sukūn instead of a ḍammah?
Because the particle لَمْ is a jussive operator: it puts the present-tense verb into the jussive (majzūm) mood, and the default sign of the jussive on a sound verb is a sukūn on its last letter, replacing the ḍammah of the indicative.
What is the difference between يَلِدْ and يُولَدْ grammatically?
يَلِدْ is active voice ('does not beget'), with a hidden subject ('He') doing the action. يُولَدْ is passive voice ('is not begotten'); the doer is omitted and a hidden deputy-subject takes the subject's place, so the focus is on the action received rather than performed.
What is the role of the wāw between the two clauses?
The wāw is a coordinating conjunction (ḥarf ʿaṭf) that links the second negated sentence to the first, presenting the two denials:begetting and being begotten:as a balanced, parallel pair.