I'rab of Surah Al-Kafirun Ayah 5: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Kafirun (الكافرون) · Meccan · Ayah 5
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ TransliterationWa laa antum 'aabidoona maa a'bud.
MeaningAnd you are not worshippers of what I worship.
This verse is a nominal sentence introduced by a connecting waw. After a non-operative negative laa, "antum" is the subject (mubtada') and the active participle "aabidoona" is its predicate (khabar). The relative noun "maa" sits in the accusative as the object of that participle, and "a'budu" forms its relative clause.
Word by word i'rab
coordinating conjunction (harf 'atf)
This connecting waw links the verse to the preceding statement, joining one negation to another.
indeclinablenegative particle (harf nafy muhmal)
A negating laa that here has no governing effect on the words after it, simply denying the predication.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
A detached pronoun built on 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 waw because it is a sound masculine plural.
nominativeobject of the participle (maf'ul bihi)
A relative noun fixed in form, holding the place of accusative as the object governed by the participle 'aabidoona.
accusativeverb of the relative clause (sila)
An imperfect verb in the indicative with a hidden subject (I), forming the relative clause of maa with an omitted returning pronoun.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the conjunction waw, joining it to the prior negation, followed by the negating laa, which here is non-operative and merely denies what comes next. "Antum" is a detached pronoun fixed on sukun, standing in the nominative position as the subject (mubtada') of a nominal sentence. "Aabidoona," an active participle, is its predicate (khabar) and takes nominative marking through the waw, since it is a sound masculine plural. The relative noun "maa" stands in the accusative position as the object of the participle, which, like a verb, governs an object. "A'budu" is an indicative imperfect verb whose doer is a concealed pronoun (I); this verb and its hidden returning pronoun form the relative clause completing "maa." The wording exactly mirrors ayah three.
Frequently asked
Why does the negative particle laa not change the ending of antum?
Here laa is muhmala, meaning non-operative. Unlike laa of absolute negation, it carries no governing power; it simply negates the nominal sentence while antum stays nominative as the ordinary subject.
How can the participle 'aabidoona take an object like a verb?
An active participle (ism faa'il) shares the action-meaning of its verb, so it can govern an object. Thus 'aabidoona puts the relative noun maa in the accusative as its object, just as the verb 'to worship' would.
What is the grammatical role of maa and a'budu together?
Maa is a relative noun in the accusative as the object of the participle. The verb a'budu, with its hidden subject and an omitted returning pronoun, forms the relative clause (sila) that completes the meaning of maa.