I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 14: word by word Arabic grammar

Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 14

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمُعْصِرَٰتِ مَآءًۭ ثَجَّاجًۭا

TransliterationWa anzalnā mina l-mu'ṣirāti mā'an thajjājā

MeaningAnd We sent down from the rain clouds water pouring abundantly.

Grammar in brief

Allah states that He sends down from the rain-laden clouds water pouring abundantly. The prepositional phrase 'from the clouds' attaches to the verb 'We sent down.' 'Water' is the accusative object, and 'pouring' is its adjective, agreeing in case and indefiniteness and stressing the heavy, gushing flow of the rain.

Word by word i'rab

وَأَنزَلْنَا

conjunction + past verb with attached subject

The wāw connects to the previous verse, and 'anzalnā' is a past verb meaning 'We sent down,' with the attached pronoun 'nā' as its subject.

indeclinable
مِنَ

preposition

A preposition meaning 'from,' governing the following noun in the genitive case.

indeclinable
ٱلْمُعْصِرَٰتِ

object of preposition (majrur)

Genitive after the preposition 'min'; the phrase attaches to 'anzalnā' and refers to rain-bearing clouds.

genitive
مَآءً

direct object (maf'ul bihi)

The direct object of 'anzalnā,' in the accusative and indefinite, meaning 'water.'

accusative
ثَجَّاجًا

adjective (na't)

An intensive adjective describing 'water,' meaning pouring forth abundantly, agreeing with it in case and indefiniteness.

accusative

Detailed i'rab

The verse begins with the connective wāw and the past verb anzalnā ('We sent down'), whose subject is the attached pronoun nā. The prepositional phrase mina l-mu'ṣirāti ('from the rain clouds') is grammatically linked to the verb, with al-mu'ṣirāt in the genitive because it follows the preposition min. The direct object is mā'an ('water'), accusative as objects are, and indefinite. The closing word thajjājan is an intensive adjective of the fa''āl pattern qualifying mā'an; it is accusative and indefinite to agree with its noun, and it emphasizes the copious, gushing manner in which the rain falls. The whole conveys the sending down of heavily pouring rain from the clouds.

Frequently asked

Why is ٱلْمُعْصِرَٰتِ in the genitive case?

Because it is governed by the preposition مِنَ ('from'). Nouns following a preposition take the genitive case, and the phrase as a whole connects to the verb أَنزَلْنَا.

What is the function of ثَجَّاجًا?

It is an intensive adjective (fa''āl pattern) describing مَآءً ('water'), meaning abundantly pouring. It is accusative and indefinite to agree with the noun it modifies.

Related verses