I'rab of Surah Al-Inshiqaq Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Inshiqaq (الانشقاق) · Meccan · Ayah 4
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ TransliterationWa alqat ma fiha wa takhallat
Meaningand casts out what is within it and becomes empty,
Still within the 'when the earth' clause, this verse says the earth throws out its contents and empties itself. Alqat (it cast out) is a past-tense verb with a hidden subject referring to the earth. Ma fiha (what is in it) is its object. Takhallat (and it emptied itself) is joined by wa, again with a subject referring to the earth, completing the picture of the earth giving up its dead.
Word by word i'rab
conjoined past-tense verb (fi'l madi)
Joined by wa to the previous verbs; means 'and it cast out,' with a hidden subject referring to the earth.
indeclinablerelative pronoun, object of the verb (maf'ul bih)
Means 'what/that which' and serves as the thing thrown out by the earth, hence the object of alqat.
indeclinableprepositional phrase forming the relative clause (sila)
The preposition fi with the attached pronoun -ha ('in it') completes the meaning of ma, i.e. what is inside the earth.
genitiveconjoined past-tense verb (fi'l madi)
Means 'and it emptied itself,' joined by wa, with a hidden subject again referring to the earth.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
This verse continues the description of the earth on the Day of Resurrection. Alqat is a past-tense verb 'it cast out,' connected by wa to the earlier verbs and carrying a hidden subject that refers to the earth. The relative pronoun ma ('what') functions as its object (maf'ul bih), denoting whatever the earth holds. The prepositional phrase fiha (fi 'in' plus the pronoun -ha 'it') forms the relative clause that defines ma, so the sense is 'what is inside it.' Finally takhallat ('and it emptied itself, became void') is another past-tense verb joined by wa, with its subject likewise a concealed pronoun referring to the earth. Together the two verbs depict the earth disgorging its contents and being left bare.
Frequently asked
What does the earth 'cast out'?
Grammatically the object is ma fiha, 'what is within it': understood to mean the dead and the treasures the earth contains, which it surrenders on Judgment Day.
What role does 'ma' play here?
Ma is a relative pronoun acting as the direct object of alqat, and the following fiha is the relative clause that completes its meaning.