I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 27: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 27
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَرْجُونَ حِسَابًۭا Transliterationinnahum kānū lā yarjūna ḥisābā(n)
MeaningIndeed, they used not to expect any reckoning,
This verse gives the reason for the punishment: the wrongdoers used not to expect any reckoning. Inna is an emphatic particle, kanu is an incomplete past verb, and the negated present clause la yarjuna serves as its predicate, with hisaban as the accusative object.
Word by word i'rab
emphatic particle inna with attached pronoun (its noun)
Inna stresses the statement, and its attached pronoun "them" is its noun in the accusative position.
accusativeincomplete past verb (kana) with subject pronoun
This past-tense verb of being takes the pronoun "they" as its subject and needs a predicate to complete the meaning.
indeclinablenegative particle
It negates the following present-tense verb, denying that they expected a reckoning.
indeclinablepresent verb forming the predicate of kana
This present-tense verb keeps its nominative form and, with its subject, makes up the predicate of kanu.
nominativedirect object (maf'ul bihi)
It is the object of "they expect," taking the accusative as the thing they did not anticipate.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with inna, the particle of emphasis, whose attached pronoun "them" takes the accusative as inna's noun. The verb kanu is an incomplete past verb (kana and its sisters): it carries the subject pronoun "they" and requires a predicate. That predicate is the negated present clause la yarjuna ("they do not expect"), where la negates the verb and yarjuna remains nominative in form. The clause as a whole stands in the place of the predicate of kanu. Finally, hisaban ("a reckoning") is the direct object of the verb, in the accusative, naming exactly what they failed to anticipate. The structure explains their guilt: persistent, settled denial of accountability.
Frequently asked
Why is the pronoun in innahum considered accusative?
Inna places its noun in the accusative. The attached pronoun "hum" (them) is that noun, so it occupies the accusative position even though pronouns do not change their visible form.
What completes the verb kanu in this verse?
The negated present clause la yarjuna serves as the predicate of kanu, expressing a habitual past state: they used not to expect any reckoning.