I'rab of Surah Al-Kafirun Ayah 2: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Kafirun (الكافرون) · Meccan · Ayah 2
لَآ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ Transliterationlā aʿbudu mā taʿbudūn
MeaningI do not worship what you worship.
A short verbal sentence negated by laa: the imperfect verb a'budu carries a hidden "I" subject, and the relative noun maa serves as its fronted object. Maa heads a relative clause whose verb ta'buduna ("you worship") contains the omitted returning pronoun, completing the meaning "what you worship."
Word by word i'rab
negation particle (harf nafy)
A particle of negation that has no grammatical case and simply negates the verb that follows it.
indeclinablepresent-tense verb with hidden subject
An imperfect verb in the indicative (marfu') because nothing governs it otherwise, with its subject a concealed pronoun meaning "I".
nominativerelative noun as object (maf'ul bih)
An indeclinable relative noun fixed in the accusative place as the direct object of a'budu, with its returning pronoun omitted.
accusativeverb of the relative clause
An imperfect verb kept in the indicative by the retained nun, with the attached waw as its subject, forming the relative clause of maa.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The verse is a verbal sentence opened by laa, a particle of pure negation that takes no case. The verb a'budu is imperfect and indicative (marfu'), since no nasb- or jazm-particle acts on it; its subject is a hidden pronoun understood as "I." The relative noun maa is indeclinable but occupies the accusative position as the direct object of a'budu. The clause attached to maa is ta'buduna, an imperfect verb in the indicative marked by the surviving nun of the five verbs (al-af'al al-khamsa); the attached waw is its subject ("you all"). This clause is the relative clause (silat al-mawsul) and has no independent place in i'rab. The pronoun that should refer back to maa is suppressed, the meaning being "what you worship."
Frequently asked
Why is مَا treated as accusative when its ending never changes?
مَا is a relative noun and is mabni (indeclinable), so its form is fixed. Grammarians describe it as being "in the place of" the accusative because it functions as the direct object of أَعْبُدُ, even though no visible case ending appears on it.
What keeps أَعْبُدُ and تَعْبُدُونَ in the indicative (marfu')?
An imperfect verb stays indicative unless a nasb particle (like أَنْ) or a jazm particle (like لَمْ) governs it. Here لا is only negation and has no such effect on أَعْبُدُ, while تَعْبُدُونَ shows its indicative through the retained final nun of the five verbs.
What is the role of the clause مَا تَعْبُدُونَ together?
تَعْبُدُونَ forms the relative clause (silat al-mawsul) that completes the meaning of مَا. The returning pronoun (the 'a'id) linking the clause back to مَا is omitted, so the phrase means "what you worship" and serves as one object of أَعْبُدُ.