Surah An-Nazi‘at — Part 3

Ayahs 20–28 · word-by-word grammatical analysis Read the bilingual lesson for Surah An-Nazi‘at — Part 3 and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 20

فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلْـَٔايَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ Ayah summary Musa showed Pharaoh the great miracle of the staff turning into a serpent. Sentence structure فَأَرَىٰهُ is the verb with an understood subject; attached هُ is its first object. ٱلْـَٔايَةَ is the second object, and ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ its adjective. فَأَرَىٰهُ — then he showed him Grammar: فَ is a resumption particle. third-person masculine singular perfect verb. Attached هُ is a third-person masculine singular pronoun functioning as object. ٱلْـَٔايَةَ — the sign Grammar: ٱلْ is the definite article. accusative noun functioning as the object. ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ — the great Grammar: ٱلْ is the definite article. A accusative adjective describing the preceding noun.

2. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 21

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ Ayah summary Pharaoh denied the sign and disobeyed Allah’s command. Sentence structure Two coordinated perfect verbs describe Pharaoh's response: he denied and disobeyed. Both have the same understood subject, he. فَكَذَّبَ — But he denied Grammar: فَ is a resumption particle. form II third-person masculine singular perfect verb. وَعَصَىٰ — and disobeyed Grammar: وَ is a conjunction. third-person masculine singular perfect verb; it is coordinated with the preceding verb.

3. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 22

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ Ayah summary He turned away and began looking for magicians to confront Musa. Sentence structure ثُمَّ advances the sequence. أَدْبَرَ is the main verb, while يَسْعَىٰ describes his state as he turned away. ثُمَّ — Then Grammar: ثُمَّ is a conjunction. أَدْبَرَ — he turned his back Grammar: form IV third-person masculine singular perfect verb. يَسْعَىٰ — striving Grammar: A third-person masculine singular imperfect verb with understood subject هُوَ; its clause functions as a circumstantial expression describing how he turned away.

4. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 23

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ Ayah summary He gathered the people and then made a proclamation. Sentence structure The two coordinated perfect verbs show quick succession: he gathered people, then called out. فَحَشَرَ — And he gathered Grammar: فَ is a conjunction. third-person masculine singular perfect verb; it is coordinated with the preceding verb. فَنَادَىٰ — and called out Grammar: فَ is a conjunction. form III third-person masculine singular perfect verb; it is coordinated with the preceding verb.

5. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 24

فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ Ayah summary In his arrogance, Pharaoh claimed to be their highest lord. Sentence structure فَقَالَ introduces the quoted nominal sentence. أَنَا۠ is its subject, رَبُّكُمُ the predicate, and ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ describes the predicate. فَقَالَ — Then he said Grammar: فَ is a conjunction. third-person masculine singular perfect verb; it is coordinated with the preceding verb. أَنَا۠ — I am Grammar: A first-person singular detached pronoun functioning as the subject of the quoted nominal sentence. رَبُّكُمُ — your Lord Grammar: nominative noun functioning as the predicate. Attached كُمُ is a second-person masculine plural pronoun functioning as genitive complement. ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ — the Most High Grammar: ٱلْ is the definite article. A nominative adjective describing the preceding noun.

6. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 25

فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ Ayah summary Allah punished him by drowning him in this world and by fire in the Hereafter. Sentence structure Allah is the subject of فَأَخَذَهُ, and its attached pronoun is the object. نَكَالَ expresses an exemplary punishment, while ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ are linked to it as a genitive construction. فَأَخَذَهُ — So seized him Grammar: فَ is a causal particle. third-person masculine singular perfect verb. Attached هُ is a third-person masculine singular pronoun functioning as object. ٱللَّهُ — Allah Grammar: nominative proper noun functioning as the subject. نَكَالَ — an exemplary punishment Grammar: An accusative verbal noun used as an emphatic cognate accusative for an understood verb, expressing exemplary punishment. ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ — of the latter Grammar: ٱلْ is the definite article. genitive noun functioning as the genitive complement. وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ — and the former Grammar: وَ is a conjunction. ٱلْ is the definite article. genitive noun functioning as the coordinated element.

7. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 26

إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ Ayah summary There is a great lesson in this account for anyone whose heart contains fear of Allah. Sentence structure إِنَّ gives emphasis. The fronted phrase فِى ذَٰلِكَ is the predicate, لَعِبْرَةً its delayed subject, and لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ identifies the one who benefits. إِنَّ — Indeed Grammar: إِنَّ is an accusative/emphatic particle. فِى — in Grammar: فِى is a preposition; the resulting prepositional phrase is linked to its governing word. ذَٰلِكَ — that Grammar: ذَٰلِكَ is a demonstrative functioning as the genitive complement. لَعِبْرَةًۭ — surely (is) a lesson Grammar: لَ is the emphatic lām. accusative noun functioning as the the subject of inna. لِّمَن — for whoever Grammar: لِّ is a preposition. مَن is a relative pronoun functioning as the genitive complement. يَخْشَىٰٓ — fears Grammar: third-person masculine singular imperfect verb; it functions as the relative clause.

8. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 27

ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا Ayah summary For the One who created the mighty sky, recreating human beings is not difficult. Sentence structure أَأَنتُمْ is the subject, أَشَدُّ its predicate, and خَلْقًا its specification. أَمِ ٱلسَّمَاءُ begins the other side of the comparison; ٱلسَّمَاءُ is a subject whose predicate “more difficult to create” is understood from the preceding clause. بَنَىٰهَا is an explanatory clause. ءَأَنتُمْ — Are you Grammar: ءَ is an interrogative particle. أَنتُمْ is a detached pronoun in the nominative position as subject. أَشَدُّ — harder Grammar: nominative noun functioning as the predicate. خَلْقًا — creation Grammar: accusative noun functioning as the accusative specification. أَمِ — or Grammar: أَمِ is a conjunction. ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ — the heaven Grammar: ٱل is the definite article. nominative noun. بَنَىٰهَا — He constructed it Grammar: third-person masculine singular perfect verb. Attached هَا is a third-person feminine singular pronoun functioning as object.

9. Surah An-Nazi‘at · Ayah 28

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا Ayah summary Allah raised the heaven and made it firm, even, and well ordered. Sentence structure Two coordinated perfect verbs describe the heaven: He raised its structure and then proportioned it. Each attached هَا refers to the heaven. رَفَعَ — He raised Grammar: third-person masculine singular perfect verb. سَمْكَهَا — its ceiling Grammar: accusative noun functioning as the object. Attached هَا is a third-person feminine singular pronoun functioning as genitive complement. فَسَوَّىٰهَا — and proportioned it Grammar: فَ is a conjunction. form II third-person masculine singular perfect verb; it is coordinated with the preceding verb. Attached هَا is a third-person feminine singular pronoun functioning as object.

Practice questions

Question 1

فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلْـَٔايَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ ۝٢٠ فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ ۝٢١ What is the grammatical role of ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ?

  • Object of فَكَذَّبَ
  • Subject of وَعَصَىٰ
  • Preposition
  • Adjective of ٱلْـَٔايَةَ

Question 2

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ ۝٢٢ فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ ۝٢٣ What role does يَسْعَىٰ have in ayah 22?

  • Subject
  • Circumstantial expression
  • Negative particle
  • Adjective

Question 3

فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ ۝٢٤ فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ ۝٢٥ In أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ, which pairing is correct?

  • Both are objects
  • رَبُّكُمُ subject; أَنَا۠ adjective
  • أَنَا۠ subject; رَبُّكُمُ predicate
  • Both are prepositions

Question 4

إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ ۝٢٦ ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا ۝٢٧ What is خَلْقًا after أَشَدُّ?

  • Accusative specification
  • Subject
  • Conjunction
  • Passive subject

Question 5

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا ۝٢٨ To what do the two attached pronouns in ayah 28 refer?

  • Pharaoh
  • Moses
  • The heaven
  • The mountains

Question 6

فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلْـَٔايَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ ۝٢٠ Which analysis correctly identifies the two objects of أَرَىٰ?

  • هُ is the subject and ٱلْـَٔايَةَ the predicate
  • Both are genitive nouns
  • ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ is the first object
  • Attached هُ is the first object and ٱلْـَٔايَةَ the second

Question 7

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ ۝٢١ فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ ۝٢٣ What is shared by the verbs كَذَّبَ, عَصَىٰ, حَشَرَ and نَادَىٰ?

  • Each is a past verb with an understood subject هُوَ referring to Pharaoh
  • Each is an imperative addressed to Moses
  • Each has an explicit plural subject
  • Each is a passive verb

Question 8

فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ ۝٢٥ In فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ, what are the roles of attached هُ and ٱللَّهُ?

  • هُ is the subject and ٱللَّهُ the object
  • هُ is the object and ٱللَّهُ the subject
  • Both are subjects
  • Both are genitive

Question 9

إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ ۝٢٦ Which pairing gives the correct order after إِنَّ?

  • ذَٰلِكَ is the noun of إِنَّ and مَن its predicate
  • عِبْرَةً is a subject
  • فِى makes إِنَّ inoperative
  • فِى ذَٰلِكَ is the fronted predicate and عِبْرَةً the delayed noun of إِنَّ

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