I'rab of Surah An-Nazi'at Ayah 6: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah An-Nazi'at (النازعات) · Meccan · Ayah 6
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ TransliterationYawma tarjufur-rajifah
MeaningOn the Day the quaking one convulses.
This verse begins the answer to the oaths, describing the Day. Yawma is an adverb of time in the accusative linked to an understood verb. Tarjufu is a present-tense verb in the indicative mood, and ar-rajifah is its subject (fa'il) in the nominative, naming the violent quake that shakes everything.
Word by word i'rab
adverb of time (zarf zaman)
An accusative adverb of time attached to an implied verb (such as 'you will surely be raised'); it is in construct with the verbal clause that follows.
accusativepresent-tense verb (fi'l mudari')
An imperfect verb in the indicative mood (marfu'); verbs do not take case. Its verbal clause stands in the position of the noun to which yawma is annexed.
indeclinablesubject of the verb (fa'il)
The doer of the verb tarjufu, in the nominative, referring to the violent convulsion or quaking that marks the onset of the Day.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
After the cluster of oaths, this verse opens their answer by specifying the time of the awaited event. Yawma is an adverb of time (zarf zaman) in the accusative, connected to an implied verb that the context supplies, such as 'you will surely be resurrected.' This adverb is in construct (idafah) with the verbal sentence that follows it, so the whole clause tarjufu ar-rajifah occupies the place of the noun to which yawma is annexed. Within that clause, tarjufu is an imperfect (present-tense) verb in the indicative mood (marfu'); being a verb, it carries mood rather than case. Ar-rajifah is its subject (fa'il) in the nominative, naming the great shaking or convulsion, the first blast that throws the universe into upheaval. The construction thus pins the dread event to a definite, if unstated, moment, heightening the surah's warning about the Resurrection.
Frequently asked
Why is yawma in the accusative case?
It is an adverb of time (zarf zaman) attached to an implied verb; adverbs of time take the accusative and here govern the following verbal clause as their construct.
What is the subject of the verb tarjufu?
The subject (fa'il) is ar-rajifah, in the nominative, referring to the violent quaking that convulses creation at the onset of the Day.