I'rab of Surah At-Takwir Ayah 7: word by word Arabic grammar
Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) · Meccan · Ayah 7
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ Transliterationwa-idha n-nufusu zuwwijat
MeaningAnd when the souls are paired up,
This is the seventh in a long chain of conditional clauses introduced by idha ("when"). The verb zuwwijat is a passive past-tense verb meaning "are paired/joined." Grammatically, an-nufus ("the souls") functions as the doer (na'ib al-fa'il) of this passive verb. The whole idha-clause is adverbial, attached to the eventual main answer in verse 14.
Word by word i'rab
conjunction + adverbial time particle (zarf)
The wa is a connector linking this clause to the previous conditions, and idha is a future-time adverb attached to the delayed main answer of the passage.
indeclinablesubject / doer of the upcoming verb (na'ib al-fa'il)
A noun in the nominative that grammarians treat as the doer of the passive verb that follows it within the idha-clause.
nominativepassive past-tense verb
A built (mabni) past-tense passive verb with an-nufus as its grammatical subject; the final ta' marks feminine agreement.
indeclinableDetailed i'rab
Verse 7 is one link in the extended series of idha-clauses that runs from verse 1 to verse 13, all awaiting the answer in verse 14. The wa is a coordinating particle (harf 'atf) tying this condition to those before it. Idha is an adverb of future time (zarf li-l-mustaqbal), built and held in the accusative position, and it is ultimately linked to the main clause that the whole sequence anticipates. The noun an-nufus stands in the nominative as the doer (here the deputy-doer of a passive verb). The verb zuwwijat is a past-tense passive: it is built (mabni) on its ending, the doubled middle radical signals the intensive pattern, and the trailing ta' as-sakinah indicates feminine agreement with an-nufus. The verbal clause as a whole carries no case position because it explains the time-frame.
Frequently asked
Why is زُوِّجَتْ called a passive verb?
Its internal vowel pattern (with a damma on the first letter and kasra before the last) is the standard sign of the passive (al-mabni li-l-majhul); the original active doer is unnamed, so the object an-nufus is promoted to grammatical subject.
What does the idha-clause connect to grammatically?
It is adverbial and attached to the eventual main answer of the passage, which arrives in verse 14 ('a soul will know what it has brought forward'); all the idha-clauses from verses 1 to 13 share that single answer.