I'rab of Surah Al-Infitar Ayah 16: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Infitar (الانفطار) · Meccan · Ayah 16
وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَآئِبِينَ TransliterationWa-ma hum 'anha bi-gha'ibin
MeaningAnd they will not be absent from it.
A negating nominal sentence joined by the waw. The particle ma works like laysa: "they" is its subject, and "absent from it" is its predicate. Though the predicate-word is genitive in form (after the preposition bi), it holds the accusative position of laysa's predicate, stressing that they cannot escape the Fire.
Word by word i'rab
connective waw + negating particle (ma working like laysa)
The waw connects, and ma is a negating particle that operates like laysa, taking a subject and predicate.
indeclinablesubject of ma (ism ma)
The detached pronoun "they" is the subject of ma, in the nominative position.
nominativeprepositional phrase linked to the predicate
The preposition 'an with its pronoun ha (the Fire) is connected to the predicate gha'ibin.
genitivepredicate of ma (khabar ma)
The extra particle bi makes it genitive in form, but it holds the accusative position as the predicate of ma.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
Joined by the connective waw, this is a negating nominal sentence. The particle ma here functions like laysa ("is/are not"), governing a subject in the nominative and a predicate in the accusative. Hum ("they") is its subject. The prepositional phrase 'anha (with ha referring to the Fire) is attached to the predicate. The predicate is gha'ibin ("absent"): the redundant preposition bi (ba zaida) draws it into the genitive in outward form, yet it occupies the accusative position required for the predicate of ma. The extra bi adds emphasis to the negation, so the sense is forceful: they are by no means absent from the Fire, that is, they will never escape it.
Frequently asked
Why is bi-gha'ibin genitive in form but called the predicate?
The bi here is a redundant emphatic preposition; it makes the word genitive in form while it still holds the accusative position of the predicate of ma.
How does ma function in this verse?
It is a negating particle working like laysa, so it takes a nominative subject (hum) and a predicate (gha'ibin).