Hafiz soon
Al-Baqarah · 2:21

O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous -

Sahih International

Grammar, phrase by phrase

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ

(O mankind,)

Root نوسmen, people · 241 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاword 1

Vocative Particle · حرف نداءA vocative particle is a calling word like يَا 'O!' placed before a noun to address someone directly. The prefix يَٰٓ here opens the call to all people: 'O mankind'. L4 · R8

Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word. أَيُّهَا is the bridge word that stands after يَا when calling a specific, 'the'-marked group, leading into 'mankind'. L1 · R6

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. أَيُّهَا, the word being called, is held in that nominative role, ending in the ḍammah ـُ on its يُّ. L2 · R10

Vocative · المُنَادَىThe vocative is the one being called after يَا 'O!'. أَيُّهَا is that called word, the bridge to 'mankind' in the standard address 'O mankind'. L21 · R4

ٱلنَّاسُword 2

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. Because the next letter, ن, is one of the fourteen 'sun-letters' — letters made in the same part of the mouth as ل itself, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — the ل of the prefix melts into it and doubles it, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped doubling mark written above the letter: ٱلنَّاسُ. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. نَّاسُ names such a thing: 'mankind!', from the root نوس: men, people. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلنَّاسُ 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

Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. ٱلنَّاسُ names not one person but the whole body of people. L2 · R6

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. ٱلنَّاسُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, matching the called word أَيُّهَا it renames. L2 · R10

Apposition (Badal) · بدلApposition is a second noun that renames the one before it to make it clearer, matching it in case. أَيُّهَا was the called word; ٱلنَّاسُ renames it — both nominative, ending in the ḍammah ـُ — telling exactly who is called: mankind. L7 · R4

Significance — from the tafsir

Allah calls mankind to His Oneness in divinity, having favored His servants by bringing them to life and surrounding them with blessings, both hidden and apparent.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:21

ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ

(…worship your Lord,)

Root عبدto worship, serve; servant, slave · 275 times in the Quran

Root رببLord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

ٱعْبُدُوا۟word 3

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ٱعْبُدُ is a command: 'worship', from the root عبد: to worship, serve; servant, slave. L1 · R7

Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a command telling 'you' to do something. ٱعْبُدُوا۟ is such a command spoken to a group, 'Worship!' — the ending وا۟ points the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1

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. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — ٱعْبُدُوا۟ — 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 ending وا۟ on ٱعْبُدُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4

رَبَّكُمُword 4

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَبَّ names such a thing: 'your Lord', from the root ربب: Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. رَبَّكُمُ 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

Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, usually shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. رَبَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, marking your Lord as the One to be worshipped. L2 · R11

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, and it takes the accusative — the ending shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter. رَبَّ carries that fathah ـَ and is the One worshipped — your Lord. L9 · R3

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'your' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending كُمُ on رَبَّكُمُ stands for 'your (all)', naming whose Lord He 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 كُمُ 'your' is that owner glued onto رَبَّ; a pronoun like كُمُ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'your Lord'. L5 · R5

Significance — from the tafsir

Allah is the Creator, Sustainer, Owner, and Provider of this life and all that is in it; hence He alone deserves to be worshipped, and nothing is to be associated with Him.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:21

ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ

(…who created you)

Root خلقto create, bring into being, creation · 261 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

ٱلَّذِىword 5

Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'who' or 'which' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto whoever or whatever it points to. ٱلَّذِى · 'the One Who' is the masculine singular form — used when it points to one person or thing Arabic treats as 'he'. Its shape is fixed: this word never changes its ending to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13

Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that follows its noun. ٱلَّذِى 'who…' comes after 'your Lord' and describes Him: your Lord, the One who created you. L7 · R1

خَلَقَكُمْword 6

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. خَلَقَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'created you', from the root خلق: to create, bring into being, creation. L1 · R7

Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed. Its plain base shape — the shape Arabic uses for a single 'he' — carries no who-ending glued to its tail, and خَلَقَ is exactly that bare base: 'created you', from the root خلق: to create, bring into being, creation. L8 · R1

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. كُمْ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — خَلَقَكُمْ — naming the one the action lands on. L3 · R6

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one 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 كُمْ on this verb is that object, 'you all'; being a fixed-shape pronoun it shows no fathah, but the role it fills is that accusative one. L9 · R5

وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ

(…and those before you,)

Root قبلto be before, accept; direction faced · 294 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَٱلَّذِينَword 7

Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَٱلَّذِينَ 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

Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'who' or 'which' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto whoever or whatever it points to. ٱلَّذِينَ · 'and those' is the masculine plural form — 'those who' — used when it points to a group of people. Its shape is fixed: this word never changes its ending to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13

مِنword 8

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. مِن · 'from/of' 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'. مِن · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2

قَبْلِكُمْword 9

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. قَبْلِ names such a thing: 'before you', from the root قبل: to be before, accept; direction faced. L1 · R6

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. قَبْلِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside قَبْلِكُمْ, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'your' glued onto the end of a word. The ending كُمْ on قَبْلِكُمْ stands for 'you all': before you. L3 · R6

Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains one word onto another, and the second word carries the genitive — the owner-slot ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending كُمْ 'you' is chained to قَبْلِ 'before'; a pronoun like كُمْ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its slot carries: 'before you'. L5 · R5

So far: O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you,

لَعَلَّكُمْ

(…that you may)

Grammar — lesson evidence

لَعَلَّكُمْword 10

Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعللَعَلَّ means 'perhaps / so that' and, like إِنَّ, carries the doubling shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark — and pushes its own topic into the accusative, the ending usually shown by a fathah ـَ above the last letter, while its comment stays nominative, the ḍammah ـُ form. Here its topic is the attached كُمْ 'you'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no fathah appears, but the role it fills is the accusative one: 'that you may…'. L15 · R8

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending كُمْ on لَعَلَّكُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — the topic لَعَلَّ takes as its subject. L3 · R6

تَتَّقُونَ

(…become righteous -)

Root وقيto fear Allah, guard against evil, consciousness of Allah, piety · 258 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

تَتَّقُونَword 11

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَتَّقُ is an action unfolding now: 'become righteous', from the root وقي: to fear Allah, guard against evil, consciousness of Allah, piety. 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. تَتَّقُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'become righteous', from the root وقي: to fear Allah, guard against evil, consciousness of Allah, piety. L8 · R3

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter نيَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. تَتَّقُونَ 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

Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of تَتَّقُ is وقي: to fear Allah, guard against evil, consciousness of Allah, piety — and not one but two of its letters are weak, و and ي: a doubly-weak root. L24 · R9

Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb tucks an extra تـ just after the first root letter. In تَتَّقُونَ, from the root وقي, that inserted تـ has merged with the root to give the doubled تّ, marking it as Form VIII. L13 · R4

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 · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَتَّقُونَ — 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 تَتَّقُونَ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4

Significance — from the tafsir

The command to worship Allah alone — without associating anything with Him — is that mankind may become righteous, singling Him out in worship, for He created and sustains them.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:21

So far: O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous -