I'rab of Surah Al-Mutaffifin Ayah 8: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (المطففين) · Meccan · Ayah 8
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سِجِّينٌۭ TransliterationWa maa adraaka maa sijjeen
MeaningAnd what can make you know what Sijjin is?
A rhetorical question magnifying Sijjin: 'And what can make you know what Sijjin is?' The wa- begins a new sentence, maa is an interrogative noun acting as subject, and the verb adraaka with its object forms the predicate. The inner maa sijjin is itself a subject-predicate clause that is the second object of adraaka.
Word by word i'rab
resumptive particle (waw isti'naf)
It begins a new, independent sentence and is not connected grammatically to the previous clause.
indeclinableinterrogative noun as subject (mubtada')
It is an interrogative noun in the nominative position as the subject, with the following verbal clause as its predicate.
nominativeverb with attached object pronoun forming the predicate
The past-tense verb with the object pronoun -ka makes up the predicate clause of the interrogative subject.
indeclinablesecond interrogative noun as subject of an inner clause
This interrogative noun is the subject of the embedded question that follows.
nominativepredicate (khabar) of the inner clause
It is the predicate of the inner subject maa, and the whole clause stands as the second object of adraaka.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The waw here is resumptive (isti'nafiyya), opening a fresh sentence rather than linking to verse 7. Maa is an interrogative noun placed in the nominative as a subject (mubtada'), and its predicate is the verbal clause adraaka. The verb adraa is past tense whose unstated agent refers back to the divine address, and the attached pronoun -ka (you) is its first object. The clause maa sijjin is an independent interrogative sentence: the second maa is an interrogative subject and sijjin is its nominative predicate. This entire clause occupies the position of the second object of adraaka. The construction is a rhetorical device that magnifies the awe and severity of Sijjin by suggesting its reality lies beyond ordinary comprehension.
Frequently asked
What is the role of the first maa in the verse?
It is an interrogative noun functioning as the subject (mubtada'), and the verbal clause adraaka is its predicate.
How does the clause maa sijjin function?
It is a self-contained subject-predicate question that occupies the place of the second object of the verb adraaka.