I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 14: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 14
فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ TransliterationFa-idha hum bis-sahirah
MeaningAnd at once they will be on the awakened surface of the earth.
This verse describes the dead suddenly being on the open surface of the earth. The fa links to an implied condition, idha is the particle of surprise, hum is the subject pronoun, and bis-sahirah is a prepositional phrase functioning as the predicate. It captures the instant transition from one blast to standing alive.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle linking to an implied conditional answer
This fa joins to a tacitly understood condition, marking the result that follows the single cry.
indeclinableparticle of surprise (idha al-fuja'iyyah)
This idha conveys 'all of a sudden' and introduces an unexpected new situation.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
This pronoun 'they' is the subject of the nominal sentence, built on sukun in the nominative position.
nominativeprepositional phrase as predicate (khabar)
The preposition bi governs as-sahirah in the genitive, and the whole phrase relates to an omitted predicate meaning 'they are upon the surface.'
genitiveDetailed i'rab
This is a nominal sentence expressing sudden occurrence. The prefixed fa connects this clause to a condition left unstated but understood from the previous verse, so the sense is 'then, the moment that cry comes, suddenly they appear.' The particle idha here is the idha of surprise (al-fuja'iyyah), which signals an abrupt, unexpected event rather than time. The detached pronoun hum ('they') is the subject (mubtada') of the sentence in the nominative position. The prepositional phrase bis-sahirah is composed of the preposition bi and the noun as-sahirah ('the open, awakened surface of the earth') in the genitive; this phrase attaches to an omitted predicate, so the meaning is that they are at once standing alive upon the earth's surface. The brevity dramatizes the instant resurrection.
Frequently asked
What kind of idha appears here?
It is the idha of surprise (al-fuja'iyyah), meaning 'all of a sudden,' not the conditional or time idha.
Where is the predicate of hum?
The predicate is an implied word that the prepositional phrase bis-sahirah attaches to, so the sense is 'they are upon the surface of the earth.'