I'rab of Surah Al-Masad Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Masad (المسد) · Meccan · Ayah 4
وَٱمْرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلْحَطَبِ Transliterationwa-mra’atuhu ḥammālata l-ḥaṭab(i)
MeaningAnd his wife: the carrier of firewood.
The verse opens with a connective wāw joining "his wife" to the implied subject of the preceding verb "yaṣlā" (he will burn), so she too will enter the fire. "Ḥammālata l-ḥaṭab" (carrier of firewood) is read in the accusative as the object of an understood verb of disparagement, and "al-ḥaṭab" follows as its genitive possessive complement.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction (wāw) + noun joined to the hidden subject of the previous verb
The wāw links "his wife" to the concealed subject of the earlier verb "yaṣlā," so she shares in the burning, and the attached pronoun -hu is a genitive possessive.
nominativeobject (maf'ūl bihi) of an implied verb of dispraise
It is accusative because it functions as the object of an understood disparaging verb such as "I revile," and it is the first term of a genitive construction.
accusativegenitive noun (muḍāf ilayh)
This noun completes the possessive construction with "ḥammālata" and is therefore in the genitive, marked by the kasra.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the connective particle wāw, after which "imra’atuhu" (his wife) is joined to the hidden subject of the verb "yaṣlā" in the previous verse; on this reading she, like Abū Lahab, is destined for the fire, and the suffixed pronoun -hu stands in the genitive as a possessive. The phrase "ḥammālata l-ḥaṭab" is taken here in the accusative, not as a mere description but as the object of a suppressed verb of disparagement, roughly "I denounce [the] carrier of firewood." "Ḥammālata" is thus the first member of an iḍāfa (possessive construction), and "al-ḥaṭab" follows as its second member in the genitive, its case shown by the kasra. The accusative reading heightens the tone of condemnation, though the word may also be read in the nominative as an attribute of "imra’ah."
Frequently asked
Why is "ḥammālata" in the accusative rather than agreeing with "his wife"?
On this analysis it is the object of an unstated verb of dispraise (something like "I revile"), which gives it the accusative case and adds a tone of condemnation. Some readers instead take it in the nominative as a simple adjective describing the wife.
What does the wāw at the start of the verse connect to?
It joins "his wife" to the concealed subject ("he") of the verb "yaṣlā" (he will burn) in the previous verse, indicating that she too will enter the fire alongside Abū Lahab.
What is the grammatical relationship between "ḥammālata" and "al-ḥaṭab"?
They form an iḍāfa, a genitive (possessive) construction. "Ḥammālata" is the governing first term and "al-ḥaṭab" is the dependent second term, which is therefore genitive, marked by the kasra.