I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 30: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 30
وَٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ TransliterationWa-al-arda ba'da dhalika dahaha
MeaningAnd the earth, after that, He spread it out.
This verse says that God spread out the earth after that. The wa- is a resumptive particle, al-arda is the accusative object of an implied verb explained by what follows (the construction of ishtighal), ba'da is an accusative adverb of time, dhalika its genitive complement, and dahaha is the explanatory past verb.
Word by word i'rab
resumptive particle + object of an implied verb (ishtighal)
The wa- is resumptive, and al-arda is accusative as the object of an omitted verb explained by the following dahaha, a construction known as ishtighal.
accusativeadverb of time (zarf zaman)
Ba'da is an accusative adverb of time related to the implied verb spreading out, marked by a final fatha.
accusativesecond term of construct (mudaf ilayh)
Dhalika is a fixed demonstrative in the genitive position as the complement of the adverb ba'da.
genitivepast verb + object pronoun explaining the implied verb
Daha is a past verb fixed on an estimated fatha with an implied subject he referring to God, and -ha is its object pronoun referring to the earth, this verb interpreting the omitted one.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with a resumptive wa-, after which al-arda appears in the accusative. Its case is explained by the grammatical construction of ishtighal: it is the object of an omitted verb whose meaning is supplied by the explicit verb dahaha that follows, so the underlying sense is He spread out the earth. The word ba'da is an accusative adverb of time, marked by a final fatha and related to that implied spreading; it heads a construct with the fixed demonstrative dhalika, which stands in the genitive position as its complement. The closing word dahaha is a past-tense verb fixed on an estimated fatha, with an implied subject he referring to God and the attached -ha as its object referring to the earth. This explicit verb is what interprets and licenses the accusative of al-arda.
Frequently asked
Why is ٱلْأَرْضَ in the accusative rather than the nominative?
It is the object of an implied verb that the following dahaha explains, a construction called ishtighal; the explicit verb governs a pronoun object, so the noun before it is read as the object of an understood matching verb, hence accusative.
What is the grammatical role of بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ?
Ba'da is an accusative adverb of time linked to the implied verb of spreading, and dhalika is its genitive complement, together meaning after that.