I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 30: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 30
فَذُوقُوا۟ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلَّا عَذَابًا Transliterationfa-dhūqū fa-lan nazīdakum illā ʿadhābā(n)
MeaningSo taste, for We will increase you only in punishment.
A stern command and warning: taste the punishment, for We will only increase you in torment. The fa links to an implied condition, dhuqu is an imperative, fa-lan nazidakum negates and intensifies the future, and illa restricts the increase to nothing but punishment.
Word by word i'rab
connective fa plus imperative verb
The fa links to an understood condition, and "taste" is a command addressed to the wrongdoers with "you" as its subject.
indeclinableconnective fa plus particle of future negation
The particle lan firmly negates the coming verb, denying any future increase except what follows.
indeclinablepresent verb in the subjunctive with object pronoun
Lan puts this present verb in the subjunctive (manṣūb), and "you" is its object; the subject "We" is understood.
accusativeparticle of restriction (hasr)
It limits the increase to one thing only, excluding everything else.
indeclinablesecond direct object (maf'ul bihi thani)
It is the second object of "We will increase you," in the accusative, naming the only thing they will be given more of.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the particle fa connecting to an implied condition, followed by the imperative dhuqu ("taste"), a command directed at the wrongdoers with "you" as its built-in subject. The second fa introduces lan, the particle of emphatic future negation, which both negates and governs the verb nazidakum ("We will increase you"), putting it in the subjunctive; "you" is its object and the divine "We" is the understood subject. The particle illa then functions for restriction, narrowing the outcome to a single result. That result is ʿadhaban ("punishment"), the second direct object of the verb, in the accusative. The combined effect is a crushing finality: their only future portion is increased torment.
Frequently asked
Why is nazidakum in the subjunctive?
The particle lan negates a future action and also governs the following present verb, placing it in the subjunctive mood with a fatha ending.
What is the effect of illa with ʿadhaban?
Illa here restricts the meaning. After the negation by lan, it excludes every outcome except one, so the single thing they receive more of is punishment.