I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 43: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 43
فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكْرَىٰهَآ TransliterationFima anta min dhikraha
MeaningIn what [position] are you to mention its time?
This verse is a rhetorical question reproaching the Prophet's questioners about the Hour: "In what [position] are you concerning the mention of it?" The interrogative phrase "fima" is a fronted predicate, "anta" is the subject (mubtada'), and the prepositional phrase "min dhikraha" attaches to that implied predicate, stressing that fixing the Hour's time is not the Prophet's role.
Word by word i'rab
fronted predicate (khabar muqaddam): preposition + interrogative noun
It combines the preposition fi with the interrogative noun ma, placed in the genitive position and serving as a fronted predicate of the following subject.
genitivesubject (mubtada')
This detached pronoun is built (mabni) and stands in the nominative position as the delayed subject of the sentence.
indeclinablepreposition (harf jarr)
It is a particle of genitive governance that links the following noun to the implied predicate.
indeclinableobject of preposition (majrur) with attached pronoun
The noun dhikra is in the genitive after min, and the attached pronoun ha is a possessive referring to the Hour.
genitiveDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the contracted form fima, where the preposition fi joins the interrogative noun ma; together they occupy the genitive position and function as a fronted predicate (khabar muqaddam). The detached pronoun anta is built upon fatha but holds the nominative position as the delayed subject (mubtada'). The prepositional phrase min dhikraha attaches to the implied or fronted predicate, completing the sense of the question. Within dhikraha, the noun dhikra is governed in the genitive by the preposition min, and the suffixed pronoun ha is a possessive referring back to the Hour. The whole construction is a rhetorical interrogative that diminishes any notion that the Prophet controls or knows the timing the questioners demand.
Frequently asked
Why is "fima" treated as a fronted predicate?
Because the interrogative phrase normally takes the front of the clause, and the actual subject "anta" follows it; an interrogative governed by a preposition naturally heads the sentence as the predicate.
What does the pronoun in "dhikraha" refer to?
It refers to the Hour (al-sa'ah) mentioned earlier in the surah, so the phrase means "the mention or reminder of it."