I'rab of Surah An-Nas Ayah 1: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nas (الناس) · Meccan · Ayah 1
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ TransliterationQul aʿūdhu bi-rabbi an-nās
MeaningSay: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.
The verse opens with the command verb قُلْ, whose subject is a hidden "you." The reported speech is the verbal sentence أَعُوذُ: a present-tense verb with a hidden "I" subject. The prepositional phrase بِرَبِّ attaches to that verb, and ٱلنَّاسِ is its genitive possessive complement, the whole forming an iḍāfah construction.
Word by word i'rab
command verb (fiʿl amr)
An imperative verb fixed on a silent ending, with its subject being an implied "you" addressed to the Prophet.
indeclinable (jussive form)present-tense verb (fiʿl muḍāriʿ)
An indicative present verb in the nominative because nothing governs it otherwise, with a concealed obligatory subject pronoun "I"; the clause is the object of "say."
nominativeprepositional phrase attached to the verb (jārr wa majrūr)
The preposition بِ puts رَبِّ in the genitive, and this phrase links to the verb أَعُوذُ to convey "I take refuge in."
genitivepossessive complement (muḍāf ilayh)
Genitive as the second term of the iḍāfah after رَبِّ, marked by the kasrah, giving the meaning "Lord of mankind."
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The ayah begins with قُلْ, an imperative verb built on a sukūn; its doer is an understood "you" directed at the Prophet. What follows is the quoted speech functioning as the object of "say." Within that quote, أَعُوذُ is an indicative present verb, kept in the nominative as its default state, and its subject is a necessarily hidden pronoun meaning "I." The preposition بِ governs رَبِّ in the genitive, and together بِرَبِّ attaches grammatically to the verb أَعُوذُ, expressing the place of refuge sought. The word ٱلنَّاسِ is the second element of a possessive (iḍāfah) construction with رَبِّ, so it stands in the genitive, its case shown by the kasrah, and yields the meaning "the Lord of mankind."
Frequently asked
Why is قُلْ considered to have no visible subject?
قُلْ is an imperative, and Arabic imperatives carry a built-in, unexpressed subject pronoun meaning "you." Here it refers to the person being addressed, the Prophet, so no separate subject word appears.
What does بِرَبِّ connect to grammatically?
The prepositional phrase بِرَبِّ attaches to the verb أَعُوذُ. The preposition بِ places رَبِّ in the genitive and completes the verb's meaning of seeking refuge "in" or "with" the Lord.
Why is ٱلنَّاسِ in the genitive case?
ٱلنَّاسِ is the muḍāf ilayh: the second noun in a possessive construction with رَبِّ. The second term of such a construction is always genitive, here marked by the kasrah, producing "Lord of mankind."