I'rab of Surah Al-Infitar Ayah 8: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Infitar (الانفطار) · Meccan · Ayah 8
فِىٓ أَىِّ صُورَةٍۢ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ TransliterationFī ayyi ṣūratin mā shāʾa rakkabak(a)
MeaningIn whatever form He willed, He assembled you.
"In whatever form He willed, He assembled you." The prepositional phrase "in whatever form" is fronted and connects to the verb "assembled." The particle مَا here is extra (emphatic), شَآءَ is the past-tense verb of choosing, and رَكَّبَكَ ("He assembled/composed you") is the main verb with its object pronoun, completing the description of the Creator's act.
Word by word i'rab
preposition
A preposition meaning "in," forming a phrase that grammatically attaches to the later verb "He assembled."
indeclinableobject of preposition
A noun in the genitive case as the object of the preposition fi, and it governs the following word as its possessive complement.
genitivepossessive complement (mudaf ilayh)
A noun in the genitive case as the possessive complement of ayy, meaning "of form," so the phrase reads "in whatever form."
genitiveextra particle (emphasis)
Here ma is an extra particle adding emphasis without a grammatical position, not negating or relating.
indeclinableverb (He willed)
A past-tense verb "He willed/chose" with a hidden subject referring to the Lord, fixed in its ending.
indeclinablemain verb + object
The main past-tense verb "He assembled/composed you," carrying a hidden subject and the object pronoun ka.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the fronted prepositional phrase فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ. The preposition فِي governs أَيِّ, which stands in the genitive as its object; أَيِّ in turn governs صُورَةٍ as its possessive complement, also genitive, yielding "in whatever form." This whole phrase is attached in meaning to the verb رَكَّبَ. The particle مَّا is extra and serves only to add emphasis, holding no grammatical position. شَآءَ is a past-tense verb ("He willed") with a concealed subject pronoun for the Lord. رَكَّبَكَ is the principal verb, "He assembled you," again with a hidden subject and the attached كَ as its direct object, completing the description of the Creator's deliberate fashioning.
Frequently asked
Why is صُورَةٍ in the genitive case?
It is the possessive complement of أَيِّ, and the second term of such a construction always takes the genitive ending.
What kind of مَا appears in this ayah?
It is an extra (redundant) particle used for emphasis; it neither negates nor introduces a clause and has no syntactic position.
Which verb does the phrase "in whatever form" connect to?
It connects in meaning to رَكَّبَ ("He assembled"), describing the manner in which the human form was composed.