And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ
(And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels,)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran
Root ملك — to possess, to rule; sovereignty, kingship, angels · 206 times in the Quran
وَإِذْword 1
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or a shift of topic — it starts the speech anew rather than adding one more item to a list. The prefix وَ · 'and' at the front of وَإِذْ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word of time that anchors a sentence to when its action happened. إِذْ means 'when (back then)', anchoring what follows to a past moment: 'when your Lord said…'. Its own written shape stays fixed, closing with the sukūn ـْ — the small circle meaning no vowel sound follows. L16 · R10
قَالَword 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. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. 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 قَالَ is exactly that bare base: 'said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R1
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 قَالَ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
رَبُّكَword 3
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَبُّ 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'. رَبُّكَ 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
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. رَبُّ ends in that ḍammah ـُ. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action of a verb, and it always takes the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl on رَبُّ. Your Lord is the doer of قَالَ: He is the one who said. L9 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'your' glued onto the end of another word. The ending كَ on رَبُّكَ stands for 'your': 'your Lord'. 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 كَ 'your' is that owner glued onto رَبُّ. A pronoun like كَ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries. L5 · R5
لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِword 4
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لِ at the front of لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the naming word after it into the genitive, the ending marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word ending with the letter ة (tā marbūṭah) is a noun — a naming word. مَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ends in that ة and names beings: the angels, from the root ملك, to possess, rule; angels. L1 · R3
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she', with 'he' — masculine — as the default. مَلَٰٓئِكَةِ is counted masculine: the ة at its end here belongs to this word's plural shape rather than serving as a 'she' marker. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more — made either by adding an ending or by reshaping the word from the inside, which is called a broken plural. مَلَٰٓئِكَة is such a broken plural: the singular مَلَك (angel) is reshaped from within. L2 · 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. مَلَٰٓئِكَةِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ. L2 · R12
Allah reiterated His favor on the Children of Adam by mentioning them in the highest of heights before He created them: 'O Muhammad! Mention to your people what Allah said to the angels.'
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:30
إِنِّى جَاعِلٌۭ
(…"Indeed, I will make)
Root جعل — to put, place, make, effect, prepare, produce, appoint, fix, begin · 346 times in the Quran
إِنِّىword 5
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ 'indeed' — carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, a small w-shaped mark — is a particle of the family حرف مشبه بالفعل that opens a topic-plus-comment sentence, adds emphasis, and pushes its topic into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form. Joined with 'me' it reads إِنِّى: 'Indeed, I…'. L15 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; glued to a particle, it is governed by that particle. The ending ى on إِنِّى stands for 'I' — the topic إِنَّ pushes into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form; a pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so the role, not a visible fathah, carries that case. L3 · R6
جَاعِلٌۭword 6
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. جَاعِلٌ names such a thing: 'going to place', from the root جعل: to put, place, make, effect, prepare, produce, appoint, fix, begin. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. جَاعِلٌۭ 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
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun is a naming word left general — not pinned to one known thing by the definite article ال ('the') — and it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. جَاعِلٌ carries the tanwīn ـٌ — the ḍammah ـُ doubled: 'going to place'. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٌ when the word is indefinite. جَاعِلٌۭ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ: it is the comment about 'I', and the comment after إِنَّ keeps its nominative in its own right. L2 · R10
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root on the pattern فَاعِل to name the doer of the action. جَاعِل is built on exactly that pattern from the root جعل (to place, appoint): 'one who places' — here, 'I am going to place'. L11 · R1
فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةًۭ ۖ
(…upon the earth a successive authority.")
Root ارض — earth, land, ground · 461 times in the Quran
Root خلف — to come after, succeed, replace; successor, opposition · 127 times in the Quran
فِىword 7
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
ٱلْأَرْضِword 8
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): ٱلْأَرْضِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. أَرْضِ names such a thing: 'the earth', from the root ارض: earth, land, ground. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. Most feminine nouns wear a visible marker — a ة at the end, a final ى, or اء — but أَرْضِ shows none of these: it is one of the words Arabic simply knows as feminine, learned with the word itself: 'the earth'. L2 · R2
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. أَرْضِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: ٱلْأَرْضِ. L2 · R12
خَلِيفَةًۭ ۖword 9
Noun · اسمA word ending with the letter ة (tā marbūṭah) is a noun — a naming word. خَلِيفَةً ends in that ة and names a role: a successor holding authority, from the root خلف, to come after, succeed, replace. L1 · R3
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she', with 'he' — masculine — as the default. خَلِيفَةً is counted masculine: the ة at its end belongs to this word's own pattern rather than serving as a 'she' marker, for it names the man who succeeds and holds authority. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. خَلِيفَةً carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'a vicegerent'. L2 · R8
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـً when the word is indefinite. خَلِيفَةًۭ ends in that doubled fathah ـً. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, in the accusative — here the doubled fathah ـً above the last letter. خَلِيفَةًۭ is what the placing lands on: what 'I am going to place' is a successive authority. L9 · R3
The Khalifah means people reproducing generation after generation, century after century, replacing each other on the earth; al-Qurtubi added it also means one who judges the disputes that occur between people.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:30
So far: “And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority."”
قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ
(They said, "Will You place)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root جعل — to put, place, make, effect, prepare, produce, appoint, fix, begin · 346 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 10
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'they said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On قَالُوٓا۟ that ending is وٓا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'they said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R2
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 قَالُ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · 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. وٓا۟ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — قَالُوٓا۟ — 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 وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ 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
أَتَجْعَلُword 11
Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative particle turns a statement into a question. The prefix أَ does exactly that here, the way English adds 'Will…?': 'Will You place…?'. L17 · R1
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَجْعَلُ is an action unfolding now: 'Will You place', from the root جعل: to put, place, make, effect, prepare, produce, appoint, fix, begin. 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. تَجْعَلُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'Will You place', from the root جعل: to put, place, make, effect, prepare, produce, appoint, fix, begin. L8 · R3
فِيهَا مَن
(…upon it one who)
فِيهَاword 12
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. فِي · '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'. فِي · 'in' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
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. هَا · 'her/her' hangs on the little relation-word in فِيهَا, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
مَنword 13
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَن · '(one) who' is the relative word Arabic uses for people — 'who' or 'whoever' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. The placing of تَجْعَلُ lands on مَن 'one who…'; this word keeps one fixed written shape, so no fathah appears on it — the object role is carried by its place in the sentence. L9 · R3
يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا
(…causes corruption therein)
Root فسد — to spread corruption, cause ruin, corrupters · 50 times in the Quran
يُفْسِدُword 14
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يُفْسِدُ is an action unfolding now: 'will spread corruption', from the root فسد: to spread corruption, cause ruin, corrupters. 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. يُفْسِدُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'will spread corruption', from the root فسد: to spread corruption, cause ruin, corrupters. L8 · R3
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb is a verb stamped into the pattern that adds a hamza to the front of its three root letters; in the present tense this form announces itself instead by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the letter — sitting on the verb's opening prefix letter. يُفْسِدُ carries exactly that ḍammah ـُ on its opening letter: 'will spread corruption', from the root فسد: to spread corruption, cause ruin, corrupters. L12 · R7
فِيهَاword 15
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. فِي · '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'. فِي · 'in' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
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. هَا · 'her/her' hangs on the little relation-word in فِيهَا, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ
(…and sheds blood,)
Root سفك — to shed (blood) · 2 times in the Quran
Root دمو — blood · 10 times in the Quran
وَيَسْفِكُword 16
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَيَسْفِكُ 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. يَسْفِكُ is an action unfolding now: 'and will shed', from the root سفك: to shed (blood). 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. يَسْفِكُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'and will shed', from the root سفك: to shed (blood). L8 · R3
ٱلدِّمَآءَword 17
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, د, 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: ٱلدِّمَآءَ. 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 blood', from the root دمو, blood. 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 — made either by adding an ending or by reshaping the word from the inside, which is called a broken plural. دِمَآء is such a broken plural: the singular دَم (blood) is reshaped from within — bloods, blood spilled again and again. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. ٱلدِّمَآءَ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, in the accusative — the fathah ـَ, the small stroke above the last letter. The shedding of يَسْفِكُ lands on ٱلدِّمَآءَ: what he sheds is blood. L9 · R3
The angels knew, according to their understanding of human nature, that this type of creature would commit such deeds; their statement was a question to learn the wisdom of it — not disputing with Allah, nor envy of the Children of Adam.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:30
وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ
(…while we exalt You with praise)
Root سبح — to glorify, declare glory and perfection, to praise as transcendent · 92 times in the Quran
Root حمد — to praise, commendation, gratitude · 63 times in the Quran
وَنَحْنُword 18
Circumstantial Particle · واو الحالThe circumstantial particle is a وَ meaning 'while', introducing a mini-sentence that describes an accompanying state; its marker is that a complete topic-plus-comment sentence follows it. Here the وَ introduces نَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ… — 'while we glorify You'. L14 · R3
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I/you/he/we'. نَحْنُ is the standalone word 'we', the angels speaking of themselves. L3 · R2
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the word a statement opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. نَحْنُ 'we' is that topic; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so no ḍammah appears on it — the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
Circumstantial (Hāl) · الحالThe ḥāl describes the state things are in while the main action happens, and one of its forms is a whole mini-sentence introduced by the circumstantial وَ. The state-sentence opening with نَحْنُ — 'while we glorify You with praise' — describes the situation in which the asked-about placing would happen. L21 · R6
نُسَبِّحُword 19
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. نُسَبِّحُ is an action unfolding now: '[we] glorify (You)', from the root سبح: to glorify, declare glory and perfection, to praise as transcendent. L1 · R7
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, and it can be a whole action-sentence. Here the sentence نُسَبِّحُ 'we glorify' is what is told about the topic نَحْنُ 'we'; when the comment is a sentence like this, the sentence itself carries the information, with no separate 'is' needed. L6 · R4
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb describes an ongoing action and opens with one of the four prefixes أ ن ي ت. نُسَبِّحُ opens with نُ, the 'we' marker: 'we glorify'. L8 · R3
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb doubles its middle root letter, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark meaning the letter is said twice. In نُسَبِّحُ that shaddah sits on the ب, the middle letter of the root سبح, marking it as Form II. L12 · R7
بِحَمْدِكَword 20
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِحَمْدِكَ 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
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. حَمْدِ names such a thing: 'with Your praises', from the root حمد: to praise, commendation, gratitude. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بِحَمْدِكَ 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. حَمْدِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside بِحَمْدِكَ, 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 another word. The ending كَ on بِحَمْدِكَ stands for 'Your': 'Your praise'. 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 كَ 'Your' is that owner glued onto حَمْدِ: the praise belongs to You. A pronoun like كَ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries. L5 · R5
وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ
(…and declare Your perfection?")
Root قدس — to be holy, sanctify · 10 times in the Quran
وَنُقَدِّسُword 21
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَنُقَدِّسُ 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. نُقَدِّسُ is an action unfolding now: 'and we sanctify', from the root قدس: to be holy, sanctify. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb describes an ongoing action and opens with one of the four prefixes أ ن ي ت. نُقَدِّسُ opens with نُ, the 'we' marker: 'we sanctify'. L8 · R3
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb doubles its middle root letter, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark meaning the letter is said twice. In نُقَدِّسُ that shaddah sits on the د, the middle letter of the root قدس, marking it as Form II. L12 · R7
لَكَ ۖword 22
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَ at the front of لَكَ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' 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 كَ 'You'. Joined after the preposition لَ, it names the One the sanctifying is offered to: 'to You'. L3 · R7
So far: “And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?"”
قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ
(He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root علم — to know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran
قَالَword 23
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. 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 قَالَ is exactly that bare base: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R1
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 قَالَ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
إِنِّىٓword 24
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ 'indeed' — carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, a small w-shaped mark — is a particle of the family حرف مشبه بالفعل that opens a topic-plus-comment sentence, adds emphasis, and pushes its topic into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form. Joined with 'me' it reads إِنِّىٓ: 'Indeed, I…'. L15 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; glued to a particle, it is governed by that particle. The ending ىٓ on إِنِّىٓ stands for 'I' — the topic إِنَّ pushes into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form; a pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so the role, not a visible fathah, carries that case. L3 · R6
أَعْلَمُword 25
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أَعْلَمُ is an action unfolding now: '[I] know', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. 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. أَعْلَمُ opens with exactly such a letter: '[I] know', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. L8 · R3
مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
(…that which you do not know.")
Root علم — to know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran
مَاword 26
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَا · 'what' is the relative word Arabic uses for non-human things — 'what' or 'that which' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is what the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. The knowing of أَعْلَمُ lands on مَا 'that which…'; this word keeps one fixed written shape, so no fathah appears on it — the object role is carried by its place in the sentence. L9 · R3
لَاword 27
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. لَا · 'not/no' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle is a word meaning 'not', flipping a statement to its opposite. لَا negates the ongoing action after it: 'you do NOT know'. L4 · R5
تَعْلَمُونَword 28
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَعْلَمُ is an action unfolding now: 'you know', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. 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. تَعْلَمُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'you know', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. 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. تَعْلَمُونَ 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 · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَعْلَمُونَ — 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 و in the ending ونَ of تَعْلَمُونَ 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
Meaning: I know that the benefit of creating this creature outweighs the harm you mentioned — I will create among them Prophets and Messengers, the truthful, martyrs, righteous believers, worshippers, and scholars who implement their knowledge.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:30
So far: “And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."”