I'rab of Surah Al-Kafirun Ayah 3: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Kafirun (الكافرون) · Meccan · Ayah 3
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ Transliterationwa laa antum 'aabiduuna maa a'bud
MeaningAnd you are not worshippers of what I worship.
This verse is a nominal sentence joined by the conjunction wa. The negative laa here is non-governing (muhmalah), so it has no grammatical effect. Antum is the subject (mubtada'), and the active participle 'aabiduuna is its predicate (khabar). The relative noun maa functions as the object of 'aabiduuna, with its own verbal clause following.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction (harf 'atf)
This is the connecting particle wa, linking this sentence to the previous verse.
indeclinablenegating particle (laa naafiyah muhmalah)
A negating particle that here exerts no grammatical effect on what follows, simply negating the nominal sentence.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
A detached pronoun built on the sukun, occupying the place of nominative as the subject of the nominal sentence.
nominativepredicate (khabar)
An active participle serving as the predicate, marked nominative by the letter waaw because it is a sound masculine plural.
nominativedirect object (maf'ul bihi)
A relative noun built on the sukun, in the place of accusative as the object of the participle 'aabiduuna.
accusativepresent-tense verb in the relative clause (silah)
An imperfect verb marked nominative, with a concealed subject (I); the relative clause has no place in i'rab.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the conjunction wa, joining it to the preceding statement, followed by the negating particle laa. This laa is non-governing (muhmalah): it negates the sentence but does not alter the endings of the words after it. The sentence is therefore nominal. The detached pronoun antum is the subject (mubtada'), built on the sukun and standing in the place of nominative. The active participle 'aabiduuna is its predicate (khabar), taking nominative form through the letter waaw since it is a sound masculine plural. The relative noun maa, built on the sukun and in the place of accusative, is the direct object governed by the participle. The imperfect verb a'bud (nominative, with an implied I as subject) forms the relative clause that completes the meaning of maa and has no grammatical place of its own.
Frequently asked
Why does laa in this verse not change the case of the words after it?
The laa here is laa naafiyah muhmalah, a non-governing negating particle. Unlike laa of absolute negation (laa naafiyah lil-jins) or a verb-negating laa, this one simply negates the nominal sentence and leaves the subject and predicate in their normal nominative state.
What is the predicate (khabar) of this nominal sentence?
The predicate is the active participle 'aabiduuna (worshippers). Because it is a sound masculine plural, it shows the nominative case through the letter waaw rather than a dammah, agreeing with the subject antum.
What role does maa play and how is it parsed?
Maa is a relative noun (ism mawsul) functioning as the direct object of the participle 'aabiduuna. It is built on the sukun and stands in the place of accusative; the verb a'bud after it forms its relative clause (silah).