I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 40: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 40
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ TransliterationWa-ammā man khāfa maqāma rabbihi wa-nahā al-nafsa 'ani al-hawā
MeaningBut as for the one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from desire,
This verse opens the second, contrasting branch with wa-ammā, mirroring verse 37. The relative pronoun (man) is again the subject, described by two coordinated verbs: 'feared the standing before his Lord' and 'restrained the soul from desire.' Each verb takes its object, and a prepositional phrase completes the second. The answer follows in verse 41.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction + conditional detail particle
The wa contrasts this branch with the first, and ammā is the same non-jussive conditional particle introducing the second case.
indeclinablesubject (mubtada')
A relative pronoun in the nominative as the subject, parallel to man in verse 37, with its predicate understood.
nominativeverb of the relative clause
A past-tense verb forming the relative clause, with its subject a hidden pronoun referring to man.
indeclinabledirect object (maf'ul bihi)
The object of khāfa in the accusative, meaning the standing or station, and it is the first term of a genitive construction.
accusativepossessive complement (mudaf ilayhi)
The second term of the construction, in the genitive, with an attached pronoun meaning 'his.'
genitiveconjunction + past verb
The wa joins this verb to khāfa, and nahā is a past-tense verb sharing the same hidden subject.
indeclinabledirect object (maf'ul bihi)
The object of nahā in the accusative, the soul that is restrained.
accusativeprepositional phrase
The preposition 'an with its genitive object al-hawā attaches to nahā, specifying what the soul is held back from.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The opening wa contrasts this verse with verse 37, and ammā is again the non-jussive conditional particle marking the second branch. The relative pronoun man is the nominative subject (mubtada'), its predicate understood as in the parallel structure. Khāfa is a past-tense verb forming the relative clause, with a hidden subject pronoun; its object maqām is accusative and serves as the first term of a possessive construction completed by rabbihi in the genitive, which carries the attached pronoun 'his.' The conjunction wa joins a second verb, nahā, sharing the same subject; its object al-nafs is accusative, and the prepositional phrase 'an al-hawā, whose object al-hawā is genitive, links to nahā to specify what the soul is restrained from. The answer-clause arrives in verse 41.
Frequently asked
How does this verse mirror verse 37?
It uses the same ammā structure with man as subject, but introduced by a contrasting wa, presenting the opposite kind of person whose verdict comes in verse 41 rather than verse 39.
Why is 'rabbihi' in the genitive?
It is the second term of a possessive construction (idāfa) following maqām, and the second term of such a construction always takes the genitive case.