I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 24: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 24
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍۢ TransliterationWa ma huwa 'ala al-ghaybi bi-danin
MeaningAnd he is not withholding concerning the unseen.
This verse defends the Prophet's reliability with revelation. The waw may connect or introduce a circumstantial clause, ma negates like laysa with the pronoun huwa as its subject, the phrase 'ala al-ghayb links to danin, and danin is genitive in form but holds the accusative place as predicate of ma.
Word by word i'rab
connective or circumstantial waw
The waw may join this clause to the preceding statement or introduce a circumstantial (hal) clause about the messenger.
indeclinable particlenegating particle (acting like laysa)
Ma is the Hijazi negating particle that works like laysa, raising a subject and assigning a predicate.
indeclinable particlenoun of ma / subject
Huwa is the detached pronoun serving as the subject of ma, referring to the Prophet.
nominative (in place; indeclinable pronoun)prepositional phrase linked to danin
The preposition 'ala governs al-ghayb in the genitive, and the phrase is connected to the predicate danin.
genitive (object of preposition)predicate (khabar) of ma
The ba is a redundant emphatic preposition; danin is genitive in wording but occupies the accusative position as the predicate of ma.
genitive in form, accusative in placeDetailed i'rab
The verse begins with the waw, which may be a simple connective or may introduce a circumstantial clause describing the messenger. Ma is the negating particle that operates like laysa, so it raises a subject and assigns a predicate. The subject is the detached pronoun huwa, referring to the Prophet. The prepositional phrase 'ala al-ghayb has 'ala governing al-ghayb in the genitive, and it is linked to the predicate danin, indicating the matter about which he is not withholding. The predicate is danin, preceded by the redundant emphatic ba; because of that ba it is genitive in outward form, while its real grammatical position is accusative as the predicate of ma. The verse affirms that the Prophet conveys the unseen revelation faithfully.
Frequently asked
What does huwa refer to in this verse?
It refers to the Prophet, who is the subject of the negating ma, affirming his trustworthiness with the revelation.
Why is danin genitive when it is the predicate?
The redundant emphatic ba precedes it, giving a genitive ending in form, but danin truly occupies the accusative position as the predicate of ma.
What are the two possible roles of the opening waw?
It can be a connective waw joining this to the previous statement, or a circumstantial waw introducing a clause describing the messenger's state.