I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 29: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 29
وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَىٰهَا TransliterationWa-aghtasha laylaha wa-akhraja duhaha
MeaningAnd He darkened its night and brought out its morning brightness.
This verse states that God darkened the heaven's night and brought forth its morning brightness. Aghtasha and akhraja are coordinated past verbs with an implied subject referring to God; laylaha and duhaha are their accusative objects, each carrying a possessive pronoun referring to the heaven, joined by the connective wa-.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle + past verb with implied subject
The wa- conjoins this clause to the prior verses, and aghtasha is a past-tense verb built on fatha with an implied subject he referring to God.
indeclinabledirect object (maf'ul bih) + possessive pronoun
Layla is the direct object of aghtasha in the accusative, with the attached -ha a possessive pronoun referring to the heaven.
accusativeconnective particle + coordinated past verb
The wa- conjoins this verb to aghtasha, and akhraja is a past-tense verb fixed on fatha with an implied subject he referring to God.
indeclinabledirect object (maf'ul bih) + possessive pronoun
Duha is the direct object of akhraja in the accusative with an estimated fatha on the final alif, and -ha is a possessive pronoun referring to the heaven.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse is connected by the opening wa- to the preceding account of God's shaping of the heaven. Aghtasha is a past-tense verb built on fatha with an implied subject he referring to God. Its direct object is layla, in the accusative as maf'ul bih, carrying the possessive pronoun -ha that refers to the heaven, hence its night. The second clause is joined by wa-, and akhraja is a coordinated past-tense verb fixed on fatha with the same implied subject. Its object is duha, in the accusative with an estimated fatha on the final alif, again bearing the possessive -ha referring to the heaven, hence its morning brightness. The parallel structure pairs darkening the night with bringing out the daylight, both attributed to God's creative power over the heaven.
Frequently asked
Why is ضُحَىٰهَا treated as accusative when no case ending is visible?
It is the direct object of akhraja and so is accusative, but the fatha is estimated on the final alif because that vowel cannot be pronounced on it.
What do the two verbs in this verse have in common grammatically?
Both aghtasha and akhraja are past-tense verbs with the same implied subject he referring to God, each taking an accusative object that carries the pronoun -ha referring to the heaven.