I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 3: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 3
ٱلَّذِى هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ Transliterationalladhī hum fīhi mukhtalifūn(a)
MeaningConcerning which they are in disagreement.
This verse describes the great tiding: "about which they are in disagreement." Al-ladhi is a relative pronoun functioning as a second adjective of al-naba', occupying a genitive position. Its relative clause is a nominal sentence: hum (subject), the predicate being mukhtalifun, with fihi linked to it. The verse pinpoints that people differ over this news.
Word by word i'rab
relative pronoun, second adjective (na't thani)
A relative pronoun standing in the genitive position as a second description of al-naba'; it introduces the clause that follows.
genitivesubject (mubtada')
A detached pronoun "they" serving as the subject of the nominal sentence inside the relative clause.
nominativeprepositional phrase (jar wa majrur)
The preposition fi with the attached pronoun hi ("about it"); it is connected to the predicate mukhtalifun.
genitivepredicate (khabar)
The predicate of hum, an active participle in the sound masculine plural marked by waw and nun, meaning "differing."
nominativeDetailed i'rab
The relative pronoun al-ladhi functions as a second adjective describing al-naba' from the previous verse; since the described noun is genitive, al-ladhi is treated as occupying a genitive position, though it is itself indeclinable in form. The relative clause that gives it meaning is a complete nominal sentence: hum is the subject (mubtada'), a detached pronoun referring to the disputants, and mukhtalifun is the predicate (khabar), an active participle in the sound masculine plural, marked nominative by the waw. The prepositional phrase fihi ("about it") attaches to that predicate, indicating the matter of their disagreement. Together the verse identifies the great tiding precisely as the thing over which people are divided.
Frequently asked
What grammatical role does al-ladhi play here?
It is a relative pronoun acting as a second adjective (na't) of al-naba', so it shares its genitive position.
What is the structure inside the relative clause?
It is a nominal sentence: hum is the subject, mukhtalifun is the predicate, and fihi attaches to that predicate.