I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 20: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 20
وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ فَكَانَتْ سَرَابًا TransliterationWa suyyirati l-jibaalu fa kaanat saraaba
MeaningAnd the mountains are moved and become a mirage.
Parallel to the previous verse, this one says the mountains are set in motion and become a mirage. The verb is again past passive with 'the mountains' as deputy-subject in the nominative, and the faa-joined clause uses 'became' with 'a mirage' as its accusative predicate, depicting their dissolution.
Word by word i'rab
connecting particle (harf 'atf)
This waw joins the verse to the previous cosmic upheaval, continuing the list of Day-of-Judgment events.
indeclinablepast passive verb (fi'l madi mabni lil-majhul)
A passive past verb meaning 'were set moving,' built on the fath, with the feminine taa agreeing with its deputy-subject.
indeclinabledeputy-subject (na'ib al-fa'il)
As deputy-subject of the passive verb, 'the mountains' takes the nominative with a visible damma.
nominativeresult/sequence particle (faa)
This faa links the following clause and marks the mountains' transformation as a direct consequence.
indeclinabledefective past verb (kana naqisa)
The verb 'became' takes an implied subject (the mountains) and an accusative predicate to follow.
indeclinablepredicate of kana (khabar kana)
As the predicate of 'became,' 'a mirage' is accusative with tanwin, portraying the mountains as illusory, dissolved shapes.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
Mirroring the previous verse, the waw connects this scene to the unfolding events of the Day. 'Suyyirat' is a past passive verb, so its agent is omitted and 'al-jibaal' becomes the deputy-subject in the nominative with a clear damma; the feminine taa agrees with this plural-as-feminine noun. The faa then introduces the consequence: 'fa kaanat saraaban.' 'Kana' is the defective verb 'became,' whose subject is the implied pronoun standing for the mountains, while 'saraaban' is its accusative predicate marked by tanwin. The structure exactly parallels the foregoing verse, reinforcing the picture of solid mountains rendered into a shimmering, insubstantial mirage on that Day.
Frequently asked
Why does the feminine taa appear on 'suyyirat' for 'mountains'?
Broken plurals such as 'al-jibaal' are treated grammatically as feminine singular, so the verb takes the feminine marker taa in agreement.
What case is 'saraaban' and why?
It is accusative, shown by the ending with tanwin, because it is the predicate (khabar) of the defective verb 'kana' ('became').
How is this verse parallel to verse 19?
Both use a past passive verb with a nominative deputy-subject, followed by a faa-clause with 'kana' and an accusative predicate, listing successive transformations on the Day.