I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 10: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 10
وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ Transliterationwa-idha s-suhufu nushirat
MeaningAnd when the scrolls are laid open,
Back to the idha-chain. The noun as-suhuf ("the scrolls/records") is the grammatical subject (deputy-doer) of the passive verb nushirat ("are spread open"). The clause remains adverbial, still awaiting the single main answer that closes the sequence in verse 14.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction + adverbial time particle (zarf)
The wa coordinates this condition with the others, and idha is a future-time adverb linked to the delayed main answer of the passage.
indeclinablesubject / deputy-doer (na'ib al-fa'il)
A nominative plural noun ('the scrolls/records') functioning as the grammatical subject of the passive verb that follows.
nominativepassive past-tense verb
A built past-tense passive verb meaning 'are spread/laid open,' with as-suhuf as its subject and the final ta' marking feminine agreement with the plural.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
This verse continues the long sequence of idha-clauses. The wa is a coordinating particle tying this condition to those before it. Idha is a future-time adverb (zarf li-l-mustaqbal), built and held in the accusative position, linked to the delayed main answer of the whole passage. As-suhuf is a noun in the nominative serving as the deputy-doer (na'ib al-fa'il) of the passive verb that follows it; it is a broken plural of sahifah, 'a page or record.' The verb nushirat is a past-tense passive ('are unrolled / spread open'), built on its ending, with the damma on the first letter and kasra before the last marking the passive, and the trailing quiescent ta' showing feminine agreement, which Arabic regularly applies to non-human plurals. The verbal clause carries no case position; it completes the adverbial condition.
Frequently asked
Why does نُشِرَتْ take a feminine ending for a plural subject?
Arabic treats non-human (broken) plurals like as-suhuf as grammatically feminine singular, so the verb takes the feminine ta' rather than a masculine-plural form.
What is as-suhuf the subject of?
It is the deputy-doer (na'ib al-fa'il) of the passive verb nushirat, standing in the nominative as the thing that is spread open.