I'rab of Surah Al-Masad Ayah 1: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Masad (المسد) · Meccan · Ayah 1
تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍۢ وَتَبَّ TransliterationTabbat yadā abī lahabin wa tabb(a)
MeaningMay the two hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish.
The verse is built on two coordinated past-tense verbal sentences. The first, تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ, has the verb تَبَّتْ followed by its subject يَدَا (a dual in the nominative), which heads a two-link genitive chain (أَبِي then لَهَبٍ). The conjunction وَ then links the second clause وَتَبَّ, whose subject is hidden.
Word by word i'rab
past-tense verb (fi'l madi)
A past-tense verb expressing a curse or imprecation, fixed on a vowelless ending, with the attached ت being the feminine marker that agrees with its feminine dual subject.
indeclinablesubject (fa'il)
The doer of the verb, a dual noun in the nominative shown by the final alif (in place of the usual ḍammah), and it loses its final nūn because it is the first term of a genitive construction.
nominativegenitive noun (mudaf ilayh)
Possessor of the hands; one of the "five nouns," so its genitive case is marked by the yāʾ rather than a kasrah, and it is itself prefixed to the following noun.
genitivesecond genitive noun (mudaf ilayh)
Completes the chain as the noun governed by أَبِي, in the genitive marked by the kasrah (here tanwīn) on its end.
genitivecoordinating conjunction ('atf)
A connective particle, fixed in form, joining the second verbal clause to the first.
indeclinablepast-tense verb with hidden subject
A second past-tense verb of imprecation, fixed on the fatḥah, whose subject is an implied pronoun ("he") referring back to Abu Lahab.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
This ayah consists of two past-tense clauses linked by the conjunction وَ. The opening word تَبَّتْ is a perfect verb carrying the sense of a curse, and the ت suffixed to it is the feminine sign required because the subject is grammatically feminine. That subject is يَدَا (the two hands), a dual noun standing in the nominative; its case appears as a final alif rather than a ḍammah, and the dual nūn drops because the word is the head of an iḍāfah (possessive construction). The chain continues with أَبِي, a member of the five nouns whose genitive is shown by the yāʾ, and it in turn governs لَهَبٍ in the genitive. After the connective وَ, the verb تَبَّ repeats the same imprecatory meaning, this time with a concealed subject pronoun referring to the man himself, so the curse falls on both his hands and his person.
Frequently asked
Why does تَبَّتْ carry a feminine ending when the curse is aimed at a man?
The verb agrees with its grammatical subject, which is يَدَا (the two hands), and يَد is a feminine noun. The feminine ت attaches to the verb because of that subject, not because of Abu Lahab; the second verb تَبَّ has no such ت since its hidden subject is the masculine "he."
Why is يَدَا written without a final nūn, and how is its case shown?
يَدَا is a dual noun functioning as the subject, so it is nominative: but instead of a ḍammah, duals take a final alif. The expected dual nūn is dropped because يَدَا is the first term of a genitive construction (iḍāfah) with أَبِي, and the head noun of such a construction never keeps its nūn.
Why does أَبِي end in yāʾ instead of a kasrah for the genitive?
أَبِي belongs to the "five nouns" (al-asmāʾ al-khamsah), a special class whose case endings are shown by long vowels rather than short ones. In the genitive these nouns take a yāʾ, which is why "father of" appears as أَبِي here rather than with a plain kasrah.