I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 39: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 39
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ مَـَٔابًا TransliterationDhalika al-yawmu al-haqqu faman sha'a ittakhadha ila rabbihi ma'aba
MeaningThat is the True Day; so whoever wills may take a way back to his Lord.
This ayah declares that Day to be the True Day, and whoever wills may take a path back to his Lord. "Al-yawm" is a nominative substitute for the demonstrative, "man" is a conditional pronoun functioning as subject, "sha'a" is the condition verb, and "ila rabbihi" relates to the omitted object of "takes."
Word by word i'rab
subject (mubtada')
A demonstrative pronoun in the nominative position serving as the subject, meaning "that."
indeclinableappositive substitute (badal)
A nominative substitute for the demonstrative, or an explanatory apposition to it.
nominativepredicate (khabar)
The nominative predicate completing the sentence, meaning "the True (Day)."
nominativeconditional subject (mubtada')
"Fa" links to an implied conditional answer, and "man" is a conditional pronoun in the nominative position as subject.
nominativecondition verb (fi'l ash-shart)
A past-tense verb in the jussive position as the verb of the condition, its subject referring back to "man."
jussiveanswer of condition (jawab ash-shart)
A past-tense verb in the jussive position serving as the answer of the condition, meaning "takes/took."
jussivepreposition (harf jarr)
A preposition meaning "to/toward," governing the following noun in the genitive.
indeclinableobject of preposition (majrur)
It is governed by "to" in the genitive; the phrase relates to a circumstantial state (hal) of "ma'aba," the second object of "takes."
genitivesecond object (maf'ul thani)
The accusative second object of "takes," meaning "a return/refuge," the first object being omitted (i.e., faith).
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the demonstrative "dhalika" as the subject (mubtada'). "Al-yawm" follows as a nominative substitute (badal) for the demonstrative, or as an explanatory apposition, and "al-haqq" is the nominative predicate. The second sentence opens with "fa," which links to an implied conditional structure, and "man" is a conditional pronoun in the nominative position serving as subject. "Sha'a" is a past-tense verb in the jussive position as the condition's verb, its subject referring to "man." "Ittakhadha" is likewise in the jussive position as the answer of the condition. "Ila rabbihi" is genitive and relates to a circumstantial state of "ma'aba," which is the accusative second object of "takes"; its first object is omitted, the implied sense being "takes faith as a way back to his Lord."
Frequently asked
Why is "al-yawm" in the nominative case?
It is a substitute (badal) for the nominative demonstrative "dhalika," or an explanatory apposition to it, so it shares the nominative case.
What is the function of "man" after "fa"?
It is a conditional pronoun in the nominative position acting as the subject (mubtada'), with "sha'a" as its condition and "ittakhadha" as the answer.
Why is "ma'aba" accusative?
It is the second object (maf'ul thani) of "ittakhadha," while the first object is omitted, giving the sense "took [faith] as a return to his Lord."