I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 11: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 11
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتْ Transliterationwa-idha s-sama'u kushitat
MeaningAnd when the sky is stripped away,
Another idha-conditional. The noun as-sama' ("the sky") is the grammatical subject (deputy-doer) of the passive verb kushitat ("is stripped away"). Like all its companions, the clause is adverbial and points forward to the single answer that finally arrives in verse 14.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction + adverbial time particle (zarf)
The wa joins this condition to the preceding ones, 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 noun ('the sky/heaven') serving as the grammatical subject of the passive verb that follows.
nominativepassive past-tense verb
A built past-tense passive verb meaning 'is stripped/peeled away,' with as-sama' as its subject and the final ta' marking feminine agreement.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
This verse is yet another link in the idha-chain. The wa is a coordinating particle connecting this condition to those before it. Idha is a future-time adverb (zarf li-l-mustaqbal), built and standing in the accusative position, attached to the delayed main answer of the whole passage. As-sama' is a noun in the nominative functioning as the deputy-doer (na'ib al-fa'il) of the passive verb that follows; the word is grammatically feminine. The verb kushitat is a past-tense passive ('is stripped off / peeled away'), built on its ending, with the damma-then-kasra vowelling marking the passive voice and the trailing quiescent ta' showing feminine agreement with as-sama'. The verbal clause has no independent case position; it completes the adverbial condition that the whole sequence shares.
Frequently asked
Why is ٱلسَّمَآءُ in the nominative?
It is the deputy-doer (na'ib al-fa'il) of the passive verb kushitat; in a passive sentence the noun that would have been the object is promoted to the nominative subject position.
Is كُشِطَتْ active or passive?
It is passive (mabni li-l-majhul); its vowel pattern with damma on the first radical and kasra before the last is the standard passive sign, so the meaning is 'is stripped away' rather than 'strips.'