I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 26: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 26
فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ TransliterationFa-ayna tadhhabūn
MeaningSo where are you going?
A short rhetorical question: 'So where are you going?' The 'fa' links it as the response to an implied condition. 'Ayna' is an interrogative noun fixed in place as an adverb of place, and 'tadhhabuna' is the present-tense verb with its attached subject pronoun. The phrasing rebukes those who turn away from the clear message.
Word by word i'rab
connective fa + interrogative adverb of place
The 'fa' links the clause as the answer to an unstated condition, and 'ayna' is an interrogative noun fixed in the accusative position as an adverb of place.
accusativepresent-tense verb with subject pronoun
'Tadhhabuna' is a present-tense (marfu') verb; the attached 'waw' is its subject, and 'ayna' relates to it as the place toward which they go.
nominativeDetailed i'rab
This concise verse is a rhetorical rebuke. The 'fa' at the start is connective, treated as binding the sentence to an implied conditional sense ('If this is so, then where...'). 'Ayna' is an interrogative noun built (mabni) on the fatha and holding the grammatical position of an accusative adverb of place. It relates to the verb 'tadhhabuna' with an implied preposition 'ila' ('to where'), since one 'goes to' a place. 'Tadhhabuna' is a present-tense verb kept in the indicative (marfu') with the preserved nun; the attached 'waw al-jama'ah' is its subject pronoun standing for the addressees. The whole question challenges those who stray from the plain reminder just described.
Frequently asked
Why is 'ayna' described as accusative when it has no visible case ending?
'Ayna' is a built-in (indeclinable) word, so it does not change endings. It occupies the grammatical slot of an accusative adverb of place, which is why we call its position accusative.
What is the function of the 'fa' here?
It is a connective particle understood as tying this question to an implied condition: roughly 'given all this, then where are you heading?': giving the rebuke its logical force.