I'rab of Surah Al-Inshiqaq Ayah 2: word by word Arabic grammar

Surah Al-Inshiqaq (الانشقاق) · Meccan · Ayah 2

وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ

TransliterationWa adhinat li-rabbiha wa huqqat

Meaningand gives ear to its Lord, as it is rightly bound to do,

Grammar in brief

This verse continues the 'when' clause: the sky listens obediently to its Lord and is right to do so. Adhinat (it gave ear/obeyed) is a past-tense verb whose hidden subject refers back to the sky. Li-rabbiha (to its Lord) is a prepositional phrase attached to that verb. Huqqat (and it was made bound) is a passive verb whose understood subject also refers to the sky.

Word by word i'rab

وَأَذِنَتْ

conjoined past-tense verb (fi'l madi)

Joined by the connector wa to the previous verb; means 'and it listened/obeyed,' with a hidden subject referring to the sky.

indeclinable
لِرَبِّهَا

prepositional phrase (jar wa majrur)

The preposition li (to/for) puts rabb in the genitive; the phrase attaches to the verb adhinat, and the suffix -ha refers to the sky.

genitive
وَحُقَّتْ

conjoined passive past-tense verb

A passive verb 'and it was made right/bound to do so,' with its understood subject (na'ib al-fa'il) referring back to the sky.

indeclinable

Detailed i'rab

This verse extends the conditional scene begun in verse 1. The verb adhinat ('it listened, gave ear, obeyed') is connected by the conjunction wa to the preceding action; its subject is a concealed pronoun referring to the sky. The phrase li-rabbiha consists of the preposition li placing rabb in the genitive, with the attached pronoun -ha ('its') pointing to the sky; this phrase relates to the verb adhinat. The final word huqqat is a passive past-tense verb meaning the sky was made right and obligated to obey. Its hidden deputy-subject (na'ib al-fa'il) likewise refers to the sky, and classical commentary explains an implied possessor, as if to say its hearing and obedience were made due.

Frequently asked

What does 'huqqat' add to the meaning?

Huqqat is a passive verb conveying that the sky was made obligated and it was only right for it to obey; it underscores total submission to the Creator's command.

Where is the subject of adhinat?

The subject is a hidden pronoun inside the verb that refers back to as-sama (the sky) from the previous verse.

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