I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 46: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 46
كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا۟ إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَىٰهَا TransliterationKa'annahum yawma yarawnaha lam yalbathu illa 'ashiyyatan aw duhaha
MeaningOn the Day they see it, it will be as if they had lingered no longer than an evening or its morning.
The closing verse depicts the brevity of worldly life as the deniers perceive it on Resurrection: "As if, the Day they see it, they had not lingered but an evening or its morning." "Ka'anna" likens their state, "yawma" is an adverb of time, the verb "yalbathu" is negated, and "illa" restricts their stay to a brief span.
Word by word i'rab
particle of likening (ka'anna) + attached pronoun as its noun
Ka'anna is a sister of inna expressing resemblance, and the suffixed hum is its noun in the accusative position.
indeclinableadverb of time (zarf zaman)
Yawm is an accusative time-adverb governed by the following verbal clause and related to the state being described.
accusativeverb + subject + object forming the adverb's clause
Yarawna is a present-tense verb with the waw as its subject and ha as its object referring to the Hour, and the clause is in the genitive position by the adverb yawm.
nominativenegative jussive particle (harf nafy wa jazm wa qalb)
Lam negates the following verb, puts it in the jussive, and shifts its meaning to the past.
indeclinableverb (negated): predicate of ka'anna
Yalbathu is jussive after lam, marked by the dropping of the nun, with the waw as its subject; the clause serves as the predicate of ka'anna.
jussiveparticle of restriction (adat hasr)
Illa restricts the duration of their staying to what follows it.
indeclinableadverb of time (zarf zaman)
'Ashiyyah is an accusative time-adverb related to the verb yalbathu, denoting the span of an evening.
accusativeconjunction (harf 'atf)
Aw is a coordinating particle joining what follows to the preceding adverb.
indeclinableconjoined noun (ma'tuf) with attached pronoun
Duha is conjoined to 'ashiyyah and shares its accusative status, with the estimated marker on the alif, while ha refers to the day.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with ka'anna, a sister of inna conveying resemblance; its attached pronoun hum is its noun in the accusative position. The adverb yawm is accusative as a time-adverb (zarf zaman) governed by the verbal clause yarawnaha, in which yarawna is a present-tense verb with the waw as subject and ha as object referring to the Hour; this clause occupies the genitive position by annexation to yawm. The particle lam negates the verb yalbathu, renders it jussive (marked by the elision of the nun), and turns its sense to the past; the waw is its subject, and the whole clause is the predicate of ka'anna. The restrictive illa limits the duration, and 'ashiyyatan is an accusative time-adverb tied to yalbathu. The conjunction aw links duhaha, which is conjoined to 'ashiyyah in the accusative, its marker estimated on the alif, with ha referring to the day.
Frequently asked
What case effect does "lam" have on "yalbathu"?
"Lam" is a particle of negation, jussive, and tense-inversion; it makes the verb jussive (here shown by dropping the final nun) and gives it past meaning, so the sense is "they had not lingered."
Why are "'ashiyyatan" and "duhaha" accusative?
"'Ashiyyatan" is an accusative adverb of time linked to the verb "yalbathu," and "duhaha" is conjoined to it with the conjunction "aw," so it takes the same accusative status.