I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 4: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 4
وَإِذَا ٱلْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ TransliterationWa idha al-'isharu 'uttilat
Meaningand when the pregnant she-camels are left untended,
Another link in the conditional chain joined by wa. Idha is a future conditional time adverb, al-'ishar (the pregnant she-camels) is the nominative subject of an implied verb interpreted by the passive verb 'uttilat (were left untended). The shared answer for all these conditions still comes in verse 14.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction (harf 'atf)
The conjunction wa joins this clause to the earlier conditions.
indeclinablefuture time adverb (zarf) of condition
A conditional time adverb in the accusative place, linked to the same delayed answer.
indeclinablesubject (fa'il) of an implied verb
Referring to ten-month pregnant she-camels, it is the doer of an omitted verb made explicit by what follows.
nominativepassive past-tense verb with the tied feminine ta
A passive past verb meaning the prized she-camels were abandoned and left unattended; the ta agrees with the feminine subject.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
The verse opens with the conjunction wa, continuing the chain of conditions. Idha is a future time adverb carrying conditional meaning, fixed in an accusative position connected to the answer that arrives only in verse 14. Al-'ishar, the most valuable of pregnant she-camels, appears in the nominative and is parsed as the subject of an unstated verb because idha is normally followed by a verb; the explicit passive verb then interprets that hidden verb. 'Uttilat is a passive past-tense verb on the fu''ila pattern, conveying that these treasured animals are neglected and left without a herder, an image of total upheaval when even the most prized property is forsaken. The tied feminine ta agrees with the plural noun treated as feminine, and the explanatory clause has no place in i'rab.
Frequently asked
What grammatical role does al-'ishar play?
It is the subject (fa'il) of an omitted verb; the following passive verb 'uttilat explains that hidden verb and shows the camels are the ones left untended.
Does the imagery affect the grammar?
No; regardless of the vivid meaning, the parsing follows the fixed idha pattern: time adverb, nominative subject of a hidden verb, then the interpreting passive verb.