[But] Allāh mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
ٱللَّهُ
(Allah)
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
ٱللَّهُword 1
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهُ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes when it is the topic the sentence talks about, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. ٱللَّهُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, marking it as the topic: 'Allah…'. L2 · R10
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. ٱللَّهُ carries that ḍammah ـُ and is the topic; what follows — that He mocks them — is said about Him. L6 · R2
يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ
(…mocks them)
Root هزا — to mock, ridicule, make mockery · 34 times in the Quran
يَسْتَهْزِئُword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَسْتَهْزِئُ is an action unfolding now: 'mocks', from the root هزا: to mock, ridicule, make mockery. L1 · R7
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, and it can be a whole verb-sentence. The topic was ٱللَّهُ; يَسْتَهْزِئُ 'mocks' is the verb-sentence said about Him — Allah mocks them. L6 · R6
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَسْتَهْزِئُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'mocks', from the root هزا: to mock, ridicule, make mockery. L8 · R3
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters. Built from the root هزا, يَسْتَهْزِئُ carries that hamza written as ئ near its end, keeping it among the hamzated kind. L24 · R11
Form X Verb · اِسْتَفْعَلَA Form X verb carries the added block اِسْتَـ, seen in the present as ـسْتَـ after the prefix. يَسْتَهْزِئُ shows that ـسْتَـ block on the root هزا, marking it as Form X. L13 · R6
بِهِمْword 3
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِهِمْ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here هِمْ 'them'. Glued after the preposition بِ, it names those Allah's mocking is aimed at: 'at them'. L3 · R7
Allah's mocking of the hypocrites answers and punishes them for their behavior; scholars affirm that He does this not out of play but as a just recompense, using the same term for the deed and its punishment though the two differ in reality.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:15
So far: “Allah mocks them”
وَيَمُدُّهُمْ
(…and prolongs them)
Root مدد — to extend, stretch, supply, aid, reinforce · 32 times in the Quran
وَيَمُدُّهُمْword 4
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَيَمُدُّهُمْ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَمُدُّ is an action unfolding now: 'and prolongs them', from the root مدد: to extend, stretch, supply, aid, reinforce. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَمُدُّ opens with exactly such a letter: 'and prolongs them', from the root مدد: to extend, stretch, supply, aid, reinforce. L8 · R3
Doubled Verb · فعل مضاعفA doubled verb has the same letter as its second and third root letters, written once with a shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark that doubles it. From the root مدد, the two د's fold together into the shaddah ـّ on يَمُدُّ. L24 · R10
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. هُمْ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — وَيَمُدُّهُمْ — naming the one the action lands on. L3 · R6
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the person or thing the action lands on, and it takes the accusative — the ending usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter. The ending هُمْ on this verb is that object, 'them'; being a fixed-shape pronoun it shows no fathah, but the role it fills is that accusative one. L9 · R5
'And prolongs them' means, as the Companions explained, that He gives them respite, leaving them to increase in their deviation and rebellion.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:15
فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ
(…in their transgression,)
Root طغي — they exceeded limits · 39 times in the Quran
فِىword 5
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. فِى · 'in' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. فِى · 'in' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْword 6
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. طُغْيَٰنِ names such a thing: 'their transgression', from the root طغي: they exceeded limits. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. طُغْيَٰنِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Verbal Noun (Masdar) · المصدرA verbal noun names the action itself as a thing — from 'he transgressed' comes 'transgressing'. طُغْيَٰنِ, from the root طغي, names the act of going beyond the limits as a thing: their transgression. L22 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'their' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending هِمْ on طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ stands for 'their', naming whose transgression it is. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending هِمْ 'their' is that owner glued onto طُغْيَٰنِ; a pronoun like هِمْ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'their transgression'. L5 · R5
Here transgression means to go beyond the limits; Allah leaves them in the misguidance and disbelief that has encompassed them, confused and unable to find a way out.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:15
يَعْمَهُونَ
(…[while] they wander blindly.)
Root عمه — to wander blindly, confusion · 7 times in the Quran
يَعْمَهُونَword 7
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَعْمَهُ is an action unfolding now: 'they wander blindly', from the root عمه: to wander blindly, confusion. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَعْمَهُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'they wander blindly', from the root عمه: to wander blindly, confusion. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. يَعْمَهُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. ونَ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَعْمَهُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ونَ ending on يَعْمَهُونَ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
Allah has stamped and sealed their hearts and blinded their vision, so they wander in their deviation, unable to recognize guidance or find the way out.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:15
So far: “[But] Allāh mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.”