I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 5: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 5
فَٱلْمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمْرًۭا TransliterationFal-mudabbirati amra(n)
MeaningAnd by those who arrange the affair.
The oath chain closes with the sequencing fa joining al-mudabbirat, an active participle in the genitive. Amran is the direct object (maf'ul bihi) of this participle, since active participles can govern objects, here meaning those who arrange and manage the affair by command.
Word by word i'rab
connective particle of sequence (fa al-'atf)
This fa connects the phrase to the preceding oaths, continuing the genitive governance and signaling sequence.
indeclinableobject of the oath (ma'tuf)
An active participle in the feminine plural, in the genitive by connection to the earlier sworn-by nouns, meaning those who arrange or manage.
genitivedirect object of the participle (maf'ul bihi)
An accusative noun functioning as the object of the active participle al-mudabbirat, since active participles can govern objects like their verbs.
accusativeDetailed i'rab
This verse completes the opening oath series. The fa is again a connective particle of sequence (fa al-'atf), tying al-mudabbirat to the previous sworn-by nouns and keeping it in the genitive. Al-mudabbirat is an active participle in the feminine plural meaning those who arrange or manage matters. Notably, the closing word amran differs in function from the verbal nouns of the previous verses: it is the direct object (maf'ul bihi) of the active participle, in the accusative. Active participles of transitive verbs operate like the verbs from which they derive and can take a direct object, so amran ('affair, command') is what is being arranged. This grammatical variation, an object rather than an absolute object, gives the final oath a distinct shape and rounds off the powerful introductory sequence of the surah.
Frequently asked
Is amran an absolute object like the previous verses?
No. Amran is a direct object (maf'ul bihi) of the active participle al-mudabbirat, not an absolute object, because the participle is transitive and governs an object.
Can an active participle take a direct object?
Yes. An active participle derived from a transitive verb works like the verb itself and can govern a direct object in the accusative, as al-mudabbirat does with amran.