I'rab of Surah An-Naba Ayah 9: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Naba (النبأ) · Meccan · Ayah 9
وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًۭا TransliterationWa ja'alna nawmakum subata
MeaningAnd We made your sleep a rest,
This verse states that sleep was made a means of rest. The conjunction waw links it to the surrounding acts of creation. The verb "We made" takes two objects: "your sleep" as the first object and "a rest" as the second, since verbs of making are doubly transitive in Arabic.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction (harf 'atf)
The connecting waw joins this verse onto the previous statement in the chain of God's acts.
indeclinableverb with attached subject pronoun
A past-tense verb of making whose attached "na" is the subject (We); it governs two objects.
indeclinablefirst object (maf'ul bihi awwal)
"Sleep" is the accusative first object, with the attached "kum" as a possessive (your) in the genitive by annexation.
accusativesecond object (maf'ul bihi thani)
It is the accusative second object of the doubly-transitive verb, stating what sleep was made into: a rest.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the conjunction waw, continuing the list of God's creative favors. The verb "We made" (ja'alna) is past tense with the attached pronoun "na" as its subject (We). Because ja'ala in this sense means "to render" or "to make into," it is doubly transitive and takes two objects. The first object is "your sleep" (nawmakum), in the accusative; the attached pronoun "kum" is a genitive possessive joined to "sleep" by annexation (idafa), meaning "your." The second object is "a rest" (subatan), also accusative, expressing what sleep was made to be, a cessation and repose for the body. Together the two objects complete the meaning of the doubly-transitive verb.
Frequently asked
Why does the verb "We made" take two objects?
The verb ja'ala in the sense of "to render" or "to turn into" is doubly transitive. The first object names the thing acted upon (your sleep), and the second names what it becomes (a rest), so both are needed to complete the meaning.
What is the role of the "kum" attached to "sleep"?
The "kum" is a possessive pronoun in the genitive, joined to "sleep" by annexation (idafa). It gives the meaning "your sleep," so the noun and pronoun form a single possessive phrase that serves as the first object.