I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 28: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 28
رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا TransliterationRafa'a samkaha fa-sawwaha
MeaningHe raised its canopy and proportioned it.
This verse describes how God raised the heaven's canopy and perfected it. Rafa'a is a past verb with an implied subject referring to God, samkaha is its accusative object with an attached pronoun, the fa- is connective, and sawwaha is a coordinated past verb whose pronoun also refers to the heaven.
Word by word i'rab
past verb with implied subject
Rafa'a is a past-tense verb built on fatha, its subject an implied pronoun he referring to God.
indeclinabledirect object (maf'ul bih) + possessive pronoun
Samka is the direct object of rafa'a in the accusative, and the attached -ha is a possessive pronoun referring to the heaven.
accusativeconnective particle + past verb + object pronoun
The fa- coordinates this clause, sawwa is a past verb fixed on an estimated fatha with implied subject he, and -ha is its object pronoun referring to the heaven.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
This verse continues the description of the heaven mentioned in the previous verse. Rafa'a is a past-tense verb built on fatha, with an implied subject he referring to God. Its direct object is samka, in the accusative as maf'ul bih, to which the possessive pronoun -ha is attached, referring back to the heaven; thus the phrase means its canopy or height. The following word is introduced by the connective fa-, which here conveys sequence, and sawwa is a coordinated past-tense verb fixed on an estimated fatha, again with an implied subject he referring to God. The attached -ha serves as its direct object referring to the heaven. The two verbs together depict God first raising the heaven's expanse and then perfecting and proportioning it.
Frequently asked
What does the pronoun -ها refer to in this verse?
In both سَمْكَهَا and فَسَوَّىٰهَا the attached pronoun -ha refers to the heaven (al-sama') mentioned in the preceding verse.
What is the function of the fa- in فَسَوَّىٰهَا?
It is a connective particle linking sawwa to rafa'a and conveying that the proportioning followed the raising in sequence.