I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 37: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 37
رَّبِّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًۭا TransliterationRabbi as-samawati wal-ardi wama baynahuma ar-Rahmani la yamlikuna minhu khitaba
MeaningThe Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful; they will have no power to address Him.
This ayah identifies the Lord as the Sustainer of the heavens, the earth, and all that lies between them, calling Him the Most Merciful. It then states that on that Day no one will have the power to address Him. "Rabb" is in apposition to the earlier "your Lord," "al-Rahman" is an adjective describing Him, and "khitaban" is the object of the negated verb.
Word by word i'rab
appositive (badal)
It stands in apposition to the earlier "your Lord," taking the genitive case in agreement.
genitivepossessive complement (mudaf ilayhi)
It is the second term of a possessive construction, hence genitive, meaning "of the heavens."
genitiveconjoined noun (ma'tuf)
Joined by "and" to "the heavens," so it shares the genitive case.
genitiverelative pronoun conjoined (ma'tuf)
This relative pronoun is in the genitive position, joined by "and" to "the heavens."
genitiveadverb of place (zarf)
An adverb of place meaning "between the two of them," with the attached pronoun referring to heavens and earth.
accusativeadjective (na't)
It describes the Lord and takes the genitive case in agreement with the word it qualifies.
genitivenegative particle (nafiya)
A particle of negation that gives the verb a negated meaning.
indeclinableverb with subject (fi'l wa fa'il)
A present-tense verb whose plural subject is the embedded "they," meaning "they have power."
indeclinableprepositional phrase (jarr wa majrur)
It attaches to the verb "have power," understood here in the sense of "obtaining from Him."
genitivedirect object (maf'ul bihi)
The accusative direct object of the negated verb, meaning "any address" or "any speech."
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with a chain of appositives describing the Lord: "Rabb" is in apposition (badal) to "your Lord" mentioned earlier, so it is genitive. "Al-samawat" follows as the second term of a possessive construction and is therefore genitive, with "al-ard" and the relative "ma" joined to it by the conjunction "and." "Baynahuma" is an adverb of place. "Al-Rahman" is an adjective (na't) qualifying the Lord and matches it in the genitive case. The second sentence begins with "la," a particle of negation, followed by the verb "yamlikuna" with its embedded plural subject. "Minhu" attaches to that verb, carrying the nuance of obtaining from Him, while "khitaban" is the accusative direct object, meaning that on that Day none will have power to address Him.
Frequently asked
Why is "Rabb" in the genitive case here?
It is an appositive (badal) standing in for "your Lord" mentioned in the previous verse, so it inherits that word's genitive case.
What role does "al-Rahman" play grammatically?
It is an adjective (na't) describing the Lord, and it agrees with the qualified noun by also being genitive.
Why is "khitaban" accusative?
It is the direct object (maf'ul bihi) of the negated verb "yamlikuna," so it takes the accusative case, meaning "any address."