I'rab of Surah An-Nas Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nas (الناس) · Meccan · Ayah 4
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ Transliterationmin sharri l-waswasi l-khannas(i)
MeaningFrom the evil of the sneaking whisperer.
This verse is a prepositional phrase: min ("from") governs the genitive noun sharri ("evil"), which is the first term of an idafa (possessive) construction. Al-waswasi ("the whisperer") is the second term in the genitive, and al-khannasi ("the one who retreats") is an adjective describing it, also genitive. The whole phrase attaches back to the verb a'udhu ("I seek refuge") in verse 1.
Word by word i'rab
preposition (harf jarr)
A preposition meaning "from" that puts the following noun into the genitive case and connects this phrase to the verb a'udhu ("I seek refuge") in verse 1.
indeclinablegenitive noun governed by the preposition (majrur), first term of idafa (mudaf)
Governed in the genitive by min, and it is also the first term of a possessive construction, so the noun after it is its mudaf ilayh.
genitivesecond term of idafa (mudaf ilayh)
The possessed noun completing the construction with sharri, marked genitive by the kasra and meaning "the whisperer."
genitiveadjective (na't) of al-waswas
An adjective describing al-waswas ("the one who withdraws/retreats"), so it follows it in the genitive case.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The ayah opens with the preposition مِن ("from"), which is indeclinable and casts the next word into the genitive. شَرِّ ("evil") is therefore genitive, governed by the preposition; at the same time it heads a possessive (idafa) construction, making it the first term. The whole phrase مِن شَرِّ links back grammatically to the verb أَعُوذُ ("I seek refuge") at the start of the surah, completing the sense of what refuge is sought from. ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ("the whisperer") is the second term of the idafa, genitive by a visible kasra, and tells us whose evil is meant. Finally, ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ("the one who slinks back") is an adjective qualifying ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ, and as a describing word it matches its noun in case, so it too is genitive.
Frequently asked
Why is شَرِّ (sharr) in the genitive case?
It is genitive for two compatible reasons: it directly follows the preposition مِن, which always governs the genitive, and it is also the first term of an idafa (possessive) construction. Both factors call for the genitive, shown by the kasra ending.
What is the relationship between ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ and ٱلْخَنَّاسِ?
ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ("the whisperer") is the second term of the possessive construction with شَرِّ, while ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ("the one who retreats") is an adjective (na't) describing it. As an adjective, it agrees with its noun in case, so both are genitive.
What does the phrase مِن شَرِّ connect to grammatically?
It attaches to the verb أَعُوذُ ("I seek refuge") found in the first ayah of the surah. The preposition phrase specifies the thing from which refuge is sought, so this verse grammatically depends on that earlier verb rather than standing as an independent sentence.