LessonsAl-Taqdim wa al-Ta’khir: Word Order and Rhetorical PurposesQuiz

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ
You alone we worship. (Al-Fatihah 1:5)

Iyyaka is a separate accusative pronoun functioning as the direct object, placed before the verb na‘budu. Na‘budu is present tense, with the understood subject nahnu (“we”).

The point is not only that worship is directed to God, but that worship is restricted to Him. The English “alone” and Urdu “ہی” express this exclusivity.

The example shows how placing an object before the verb can restrict the attribution to that object and exclude alternatives.

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Exclusivity in iyyaka na‘budu

Al-Taqdim wa al-Ta’khir: Word Order and Rhetorical Purposes

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ
You alone we worship. (Al-Fatihah 1:5)

Iyyaka is a separate accusative pronoun functioning as the direct object, placed before the verb na‘budu. Na‘budu is present tense, with the understood subject nahnu (“we”).

The point is not only that worship is directed to God, but that worship is restricted to Him. The English “alone” and Urdu “ہی” express this exclusivity.

The example shows how placing an object before the verb can restrict the attribution to that object and exclude alternatives.