I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 37: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 37
فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ TransliterationFa-ammā man ṭaghā
MeaningThen as for the one who transgressed,
This short verse opens the first arm of a two-part conditional contrast. The detail particle (fa-ammā) introduces the protasis, and the relative pronoun (man) functions as the subject of a nominal clause. Its predicate is omitted but understood, while the verb (ṭaghā) forms the relative clause describing the one 'who transgressed.' The verse sets up the apodosis that follows in verse 39.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle + conditional detail particle
The prefixed fā connects this passage to the preceding scene, and ammā is a non-jussive conditional particle introducing the first branch of a contrast.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
A relative pronoun in the nominative as the starting subject, whose predicate is omitted and understood from the following verse.
nominativeverb of the relative clause
A past-tense verb forming the relative clause that completes the meaning of man, with its subject a hidden pronoun referring back to it.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with fa-ammā: the connective fā links it to the surrounding passage, and ammā is a non-jussive conditional particle that introduces the first member of a paired contrast (later balanced by wa-ammā in verse 40). The relative pronoun man stands in the nominative as the grammatical subject (mubtada'), and its predicate is deliberately omitted, to be inferred. The past-tense verb ṭaghā constitutes the relative clause that gives man its content; its subject is a concealed pronoun referring back to man itself. Grammatically, this verse is suspended on the answer-clause that arrives only in verse 39 (fa-inna al-jaḥīma hiya al-ma'wā), so the full conditional structure spans verses 37 to 39.
Frequently asked
Why is the predicate of 'man' not stated in this verse?
In the ammā construction the subject's predicate is often understood rather than written; here the sense is completed by the following clause about the destination of the transgressor, so the meaning is fully delivered across verses 37 to 39.
What role does 'ammā' play grammatically?
Ammā is a conditional particle that does not cause jussive endings; it signals a 'detailing' or branching, setting up one of two contrasting cases that the passage then resolves.