Hafiz soon
Al-Baqarah · 2:24

But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.

Sahih International

Grammar, phrase by phrase

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟

(But if you do not -)

Root فعلdoing · 108 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

فَإِنword 1

Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or shift. The prefix فَ here opens the follow-up to the challenge: 'But if you do not…'. L14 · R1

Conditional Particle · أداة شرطA conditional particle sets up a two-part 'if…, then…' sentence, and إِن trims its verbs down to the jussive — the cut-short mood. إِن means 'if' here: 'if you do not, then fear the Fire'. L16 · R2

لَّمْword 2

Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. لَّمْ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8

Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle is a word meaning 'not'. لَّمْ 'did not' negates a present-tense verb form while giving it a past meaning, and cuts that verb down to the jussive — the shortened mood: 'you did not do'. L4 · R5

تَفْعَلُوا۟word 3

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَفْعَلُوا۟ names an action — doing — from the root فعل, to do. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb opens with one of the four prefixes أ ن ي ت, and after لَّمْ it carries a past meaning. تَفْعَلُوا۟ opens with تَ, marking a 'you' doer: 'you do'. L8 · R3

Jussive Mood · الفعل المجزومThe jussive mood is the cut-short present form after a particle like لَّمْ; for this kind of plural verb its sign is the dropping of the final نَ. تَفْعَلُوا۟ has lost that final نَ — the plain form would be تَفْعَلُونَ — showing لَّمْ before it: 'you did not do'. L10 · R10

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present shapes that in their plain mood end in نَ, one being تَفْعَلُونَ 'you all do'. Here that نَ has dropped — تَفْعَلُوا۟ instead of تَفْعَلُونَ — the very sign that the jussive particle لَّمْ stands before it. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on تَفْعَلُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — those who do not do it. 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 تَفْعَلُوا۟ 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

Allah states that they will never be able to answer the challenge; that the Qur'an will never be matched by anything similar is itself a miracle, a true statement unchanged to this day.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:24

وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا۟

(…and you will never be able to -)

Root فعلdoing · 108 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَلَنword 4

Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or shift. The prefix وَ here opens the inserted remark: 'and you will never be able to'. L14 · R1

Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. لَن is such a helper word here. L1 · R8

Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle is a word meaning 'not'. لَن 'will never' negates the future, and cuts the verb after it into the subjunctive — the mood shown here by a dropped final نَ: 'you will never do it'. L4 · R5

تَفْعَلُوا۟word 5

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَفْعَلُوا۟ names an action — doing — from the root فعل, to do. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb opens with one of the four prefixes أ ن ي ت, and after لَن it points to the future. تَفْعَلُوا۟ opens with تَ, marking a 'you' doer: 'you will do'. L8 · R3

Subjunctive Mood · الفعل المنصوبThe subjunctive mood is the present form a verb takes after a particle like لَن 'never will'; for this kind of plural verb its sign is the dropping of the final نَ. تَفْعَلُوا۟ has lost that final نَ — the plain form would be تَفْعَلُونَ — showing لَن before it: 'you will never do it'. L10 · R9

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present shapes that in their plain mood end in نَ, one being تَفْعَلُونَ 'you all do'. Here that نَ has dropped — تَفْعَلُوا۟ instead of تَفْعَلُونَ — the sign that the subjunctive particle لَن stands before it. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on تَفْعَلُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — those who will never do it. 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 تَفْعَلُوا۟ 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

Allah clearly stated, without doubt, that they can never do it; how could the words of the created ever match the Words of the Creator, who created everything?

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:24

فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلنَّارَ

(…then fear the Fire,)

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

Root نورfire, light · 194 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

فَٱتَّقُوا۟word 6

Result Particle · فاء الجوابThe result particle is a فَ that introduces the 'then' half of an 'if…, then…' pair, marking what follows from the condition. The prefix فَ here begins the answer to 'if you do not': 'then fear the Fire'. L14 · R2

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ٱتَّقُ names an action — guarding oneself, fearing — from the root وقي, to fear Allah and guard against evil. L1 · R7

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

Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to soften or vanish. From the root وقي, the weak و has folded into the doubled تّ of ٱتَّقُ, hiding that root letter. L24 · R1

Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb tucks an extra تـ just after the first root letter. In ٱتَّقُ, 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 glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on فَٱتَّقُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — those commanded to fear. 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 فَٱتَّقُوا۟ 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

ٱلنَّارَword 7

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل ('the') fixed to the front of a noun to mark a specific, known thing. Here it marks نَّارَ as 'the Fire'. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱل ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names a thing, 'the Fire', from the root نور, fire and light. L1 · R1

Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she'. 'Fire' is one of the words counted feminine without a visible marker, so نَّارَ is treated as feminine. L2 · R2

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. ٱلنَّارَ ends in that fathah ـَ, marking the Fire as what they are told to fear. L2 · R11

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, in the accusative — the fathah ـَ, a stroke above the last letter. ٱلنَّارَ carries that fathah ـَ and is what they are commanded to fear — the Fire. L9 · R3

ٱلَّتِى وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ ۖ

(…whose fuel is people and stones,)

Root وقدto kindle, ignite; fuel · 11 times in the Quran

Root نوسmen, people · 241 times in the Quran

Root حجرstone; to forbid, prevent; barrier, partition; mind · 21 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

ٱلَّتِىword 8

Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'which/whose' that hooks a describing sentence onto a noun, matching it in gender. ٱلَّتِى is the feminine form, agreeing with 'the Fire', and what follows — 'whose fuel is people and stones' — describes it. L5 · R13

Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that follows its noun and matches it. ٱلَّتِى 'whose…' comes after 'the Fire' and describes it: the Fire whose fuel is people and stones. L7 · R1

وَقُودُهَاword 9

Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a thing. وَقُودُ names a thing — fuel — from the root وقد, to kindle; fuel is what feeds a fire. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes when it is the topic the statement talks about, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. وَقُودُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, marking 'its fuel' as the topic within the description. L2 · R10

Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a statement opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, shown by a ḍammah ـُ above the last letter. وَقُودُ carries that ḍammah ـُ and is the topic; what follows, 'is people and stones', is said about it. L6 · R2

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'its' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending هَا on وَقُودُهَا stands for 'its', pointing back to the Fire: 'its fuel'. 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 هَا 'its' is that owner glued onto وَقُودُ; a pronoun like هَا keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'its fuel'. L5 · R5

ٱلنَّاسُword 10

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل ('the') fixed to the front of a noun to mark a specific, known group. Here it marks نَّاسُ as 'the people'. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱل ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names a group, 'the people'. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to 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 a naming word takes when it completes what is said about the topic, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. ٱلنَّاسُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, as the comment about 'its fuel': its fuel is people. L2 · R10

Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, standing in the nominative, shown by a ḍammah ـُ above the last letter. The topic was وَقُودُهَا 'its fuel'; ٱلنَّاسُ, carrying that ḍammah ـُ, is what is said about it — people. L6 · R3

وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ ۖword 11

Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one item to another, and the joined item copies the case of the one before it. The prefix وَ joins 'stones' to 'people', so it too takes the nominative — the ḍammah ـُ form. L4 · R4

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a noun to mark a specific, known thing. Here it marks حِجَارَةُ as 'the stones'. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names things, 'the stones', from the root حجر, stone. L1 · R1

Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she', most often marked by a ة at its end. حِجَارَةُ carries that ة, so it is treated as feminine. L2 · R1

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. ٱلْحِجَارَةُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, matching the case of 'people' it is joined to: its fuel is people and stones. L2 · R10

Significance — from the tafsir

'Fuel' is wood or the like used to feed a fire; the stones here are said to be giant, black, sulfuric stones that grow hottest when heated — and it is also reported they are the idols worshipped besides Allah.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:24

So far: But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones,

أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

(…prepared for the disbelievers.)

Root عددnumber, counting · 57 times in the Quran

Root كفرto disbelieve, reject faith; disbelief, ingratitude · 525 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

أُعِدَّتْword 12

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. أُعِدَّتْ names an action — preparing — from the root عدد, to count or make ready. L1 · R7

Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marked by a small ending glued to the verb's tail. On أُعِدَّتْ that ending is the تْ resting with a sukūn ـْ, the 'she' marker agreeing with the Fire (a feminine noun) — not a doer but the one the action was done to, since this verb is passive: 'it was prepared'. The أُ at its front is not a tense marker; it belongs to the verb's Form IV pattern. L8 · R2

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 عدد, the two د's fold together into the shaddah ـّ on أُعِدَّتْ. L24 · R10

Passive Voice · المبني للمجهولA passive voice verb hides who did the action by reshaping its inner vowels: it opens with a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the first letter — as أُعِدَّتْ does, giving 'it was prepared' without naming who prepared it. L11 · R4

Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb builds on a hamza added to the root. أُعِدَّتْ, from the root عدد, is built on that Form IV pattern, here in its passive shape: 'it was prepared'. L12 · R5

لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَword 13

Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the noun right after it into the genitive — the ending for a noun after a preposition, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The prefix لِ 'for' does that here: 'for the disbelievers'. L4 · R1

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix لْ ('the') fixed to the front of a noun to mark a specific, known group. Here it marks كَٰفِرِينَ as 'the disbelievers'. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix الـ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names a group, 'the disbelievers', from the root كفر, to reject faith. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The masculine sound plural in the genitive adds the ending ـِينَ. كَٰفِرِينَ ends in ـِينَ, so it names the many disbelievers. L2 · R6

Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition; for this kind of plural that ending is ـِينَ, carrying the kasrah sound. كَٰفِرِينَ ends in ـِينَ because the preposition لِ 'for' stands before it: 'for the disbelievers'. L2 · R12

Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root to name the doer of the action. Built from the root كفر (to reject faith), كَٰفِرِينَ names the doers — those who disbelieve. L11 · R1

Significance — from the tafsir

'Prepared' means kept and made ready; the Fire is prepared and will surely touch those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger — proof, the scholars note, that the Fire exists even now.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:24

So far: But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.