I'rab of Surah Al-Mutaffifin Ayah 19: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (المطففين) · Meccan · Ayah 19
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ TransliterationWa maa adraaka maa 'illiyyoon
MeaningAnd what can make you know what 'Illiyyun is?
This verse poses a rhetorical question to magnify the matter of 'Illiyyun. The conjunction wa links it to the previous statement, ma functions as an interrogative subject, and adraka is the past verb whose object is the second ma followed by 'Illiyyun, all underscoring how far this register lies beyond human reach to grasp on one's own.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction plus subject (mubtada')
The wa joins this verse to the preceding one, and ma is an interrogative noun in the nominative as the subject of the sentence.
nominativepast verb with attached object pronoun (predicate)
Adra is a past-tense verb meaning 'to make aware,' with the attached kaf as its first object, and the whole verbal clause serves as the predicate of the interrogative ma.
indeclinableinterrogative subject (mubtada') of inner clause
This second ma is an interrogative noun beginning a nested clause that fills the place of the second object of adraka.
nominativepredicate (khabar)
'Illiyyun is the predicate of the inner interrogative ma, taking the sound-masculine-plural nominative ending in waw and nun.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the connective wa, after which ma stands as an interrogative noun in the nominative functioning as the subject (mubtada'). The verbal clause adraka: a past verb carrying the attached pronoun kaf as its direct object: forms the predicate of that subject. Within this construction a second interrogative ma launches a subordinate nominal clause: it is itself a nominative subject, and the proper noun 'Illiyyun, ending in the sound-masculine-plural waw-nun, is its predicate. This nested interrogative clause occupies the syntactic slot of the second object of adraka. The rhetorical force of the doubled ma is to exalt the subject and signal that its true nature exceeds ordinary human knowledge.
Frequently asked
Why does ma appear twice in this verse?
The first ma is the main interrogative subject asking 'what,' while the second ma starts an embedded interrogative clause that completes the meaning of the verb adraka. The repetition heightens the sense of awe.
Why does 'Illiyyun end in waw and nun?
It carries the sound-masculine-plural nominative ending (waw and nun). Here it is the predicate of the inner clause and therefore takes the nominative case marked by that ending.