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.