I'rab of Surah Al-Mutaffifin Ayah 31: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (المطففين) · Meccan · Ayah 31
وَإِذَا ٱنقَلَبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمُ ٱنقَلَبُوا۟ فَكِهِينَ TransliterationWa idhā inqalabū ilā ahlihimu inqalabū fakihīn
MeaningAnd when they returned to their families, they returned jesting and delighted.
This verse continues the description of the sinners who mocked believers: when they returned to their own families, they returned amused and gloating. Grammatically it opens with a conditional clause introduced by 'idhaa, whose verb is the past 'inqalaboo', and the main clause repeats 'inqalaboo' followed by the circumstantial accusative 'fakihiina', describing the state in which they returned.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle plus adverb of condition
The waaw joins this to the previous verses, and 'idhaa is an adverbial particle of future time carrying conditional meaning.
indeclinableverb of the conditional clause with its subject
A past-tense verb built on the silent end-vowel, with the attached waaw acting as its subject (they) referring to the sinners.
indeclinablepreposition
This preposition governs the following noun and links the returning to its destination.
indeclinableobject of the preposition (with possessive)
Made genitive by 'ilaa, and the attached pronoun 'him' is a possessive completing the construct 'their families'.
genitiveverb of the main clause (answer to the condition)
The same past-tense form is repeated as the response to 'idhaa, again with the waaw as its subject.
indeclinablecircumstantial accusative (haal)
An accusative state-word describing the subject of 'inqalaboo' as amused and self-satisfied while returning.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the connective waaw and the conditional adverb 'idhaa, which sets up a time-clause whose verb is 'inqalaboo' (they turned back), a past-tense verb with the attached waaw as its subject. The phrase 'ilaa ahlihim' is a prepositional phrase:'ilaa' governing 'ahli' in the genitive, with the pronoun 'him' as a possessive:indicating the destination of their return. The second 'inqalaboo' serves as the answer to the condition, repeating the verb for emphasis on the act of returning. The final word fakihiina is an accusative haal (circumstantial qualifier) describing the subject of the second verb: they returned in a state of jesting, delight, and gloating. The doubled verb heightens the contrast between their public mockery and their private merriment.
Frequently asked
Why is 'fakihiina' in the accusative case?
It is a haal, a circumstantial accusative that describes the condition of the subject of 'inqalaboo':they returned while being amused and delighted:so it takes the accusative ending.
Why is the verb 'inqalaboo' repeated?
The first occurrence is the verb of the 'idhaa conditional clause, and the second is its answer (jawaab). Repeating it emphasizes and completes the conditional structure.