I'rab of Surah Al-Mutaffifin Ayah 12: word by word Arabic grammar

Surah Al-Mutaffifin (المطففين) · Meccan · Ayah 12

وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

TransliterationWa maa yukadhdhibu bihee illaa kullu mu'tadin atheem

MeaningAnd none denies it except every sinful transgressor.

Grammar in brief

'And none denies it except every sinful transgressor.' The wa- may be circumstantial or resumptive, maa is negating, the verb is yukadhdhib, illa is a restriction particle, and kull is the delayed subject qualified by mu'tad and athim.

Word by word i'rab

وَ

circumstantial or resumptive particle (waw)

It may begin a circumstantial clause or be resumptive, opening this statement about who denies.

indeclinable
مَا

particle of negation (maa nafiya)

It is the negating particle, denying the act of denial except for the restricted party.

indeclinable
يُكَذِّبُ

verb (in the indicative)

It is a present-tense verb in the indicative (marfu'), with its agent coming after the exception.

nominative
بِ

preposition (harf jarr)

It is a preposition governing the pronoun and connected to the verb yukadhdhib.

indeclinable
هِۦٓ

object of preposition (majrur)

The attached pronoun is genitive after bi, referring back to the Day of Recompense.

genitive
إِلَّا

particle of restriction (hasr)

It restricts the act of denying to the one party named after it.

indeclinable
كُلُّ

subject of the verb (fa'il)

It is the agent of yukadhdhib, nominative, and the first term of a construct with what follows.

nominative
مُعْتَدٍ

possessive complement (mudaf ilayh)

It is genitive as the second term of the construct, describing a transgressor.

genitive
أَثِيمٍ

adjective (na't) of mu'tad

It is an adjective qualifying mu'tad, agreeing with it as genitive and indefinite.

genitive

Detailed i'rab

The waw at the start may be circumstantial (haliyya), tying this to the previous scene, or resumptive, beginning a new statement. Maa is a particle of negation, and yukadhdhib is a present-tense verb in the indicative mood (marfu'). The prepositional phrase bihi, with bi governing the genitive pronoun -hi (referring to the Day of Recompense), is attached to the verb. Illa is a particle of restriction (hasr) that limits the denial to a single category. Kull is the subject (fa'il) of the verb, nominative, and the first term of a genitive construct with mu'tad, which is genitive as the possessive complement. Athim is an adjective (na't) qualifying mu'tad, agreeing with it as genitive and indefinite. The verse thus confines denial of the Judgment to every brazen, sinful transgressor.

Frequently asked

Why is kull in the nominative case?

Kull is the subject (fa'il) of the verb yukadhdhib, which requires its agent to be nominative.

What is the function of illa here?

Illa is a particle of restriction (hasr) that limits the act of denial exclusively to the sinful transgressor named after it.

Related verses