And He taught Adam the names - all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful."
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا
(And He taught Adam the names - all of them.)
Root علم — to know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran
Root سمو — to be high, elevated; name; sky, heaven · 381 times in the Quran
Root كلل — entirely, totally, all, everyone, each one, whole · 377 times in the Quran
وَعَلَّمَword 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 وَعَلَّمَ opens such a fresh start. L14 · 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. عَلَّمَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'And He taught', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. 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 عَلَّمَ is exactly that bare base: 'And He taught', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. L8 · R1
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 — and often makes the action land on others: عَلِمَ 'he knew' becomes عَلَّمَ 'he taught', caused others to know. In عَلَّمَ that shaddah sits on the ل, the middle letter of the root علم. L12 · R1
ءَادَمَword 2
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ءَادَمَ is a proper name: 'Adam'. L1 · 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. ءَادَمَ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, in the accusative — the fathah ـَ, the small stroke above the last letter. The teaching of عَلَّمَ lands on ءَادَمَ: it was Adam who was taught. L9 · R3
ٱلْأَسْمَآءَword 3
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): ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ. 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 names', from the root سمو, to be high, elevated; name. 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. أَسْمَآء is such a broken plural: the singular اِسْم (name) is reshaped from within. 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. ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ 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. ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ carries that fathah as the second thing the teaching lands on: He taught Adam THE NAMES. L9 · R3
كُلَّهَاword 4
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. كُلَّ names such a thing: 'all of them', from the root كلل: entirely, totally, all, everyone, each one, whole. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. كُلَّهَا 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 shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. كُلَّ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ, matching the ending of ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ, the word it stresses. L2 · R11
Emphasis · توكيدEmphasis follows a word to stress that it really, fully applies, using an emphatic word such as كُلّ 'all' and matching the emphasized word's case. كُلَّهَا follows 'the names' and wears the same fathah ـَ ending: the names — ALL of them, every one. L7 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'them/its' glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on كُلَّهَا stands for 'them' — the names: 'all of them'. 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 'them' is that owner glued onto كُلَّ: 'the whole OF them'. A pronoun like هَا keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries. L5 · R5
Allah stated Adam's virtue above the angels by teaching him, rather than them, the names of everything — Ibn Abbas said: the names that people use, such as human, animal, sky, earth, land, sea, and the names of every species.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:31
So far: “And He taught Adam the names - all of them.”
ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ
(Then He showed them to the angels)
Root عرض — to turn away, to present, breadth; exposure · 79 times in the Quran
Root ملك — to possess, to rule; sovereignty, kingship, angels · 206 times in the Quran
ثُمَّword 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. ثُمَّ · 'then' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word; ثُمَّ means 'then', joining events in order with a step between them. Here it moves from the teaching to the showing. L4 · R4
عَرَضَهُمْword 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. عَرَضَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'He displayed them', from the root عرض: to turn away, to present, breadth; exposure. 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 عَرَضَ is exactly that bare base: 'He displayed them', from the root عرض: to turn away, to present, breadth; exposure. 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. هُمْ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — عَرَضَهُمْ — naming the one the action lands on. L3 · R6
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 ending هُمْ 'them' is that object: the displaying lands on the named things. A pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
عَلَىword 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. عَلَى · 'on/upon' 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'. عَلَى · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِword 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): ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ. 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: ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ. L2 · R12
He showed them — the objects, the creations — to the angels; Qatadah said: Allah paraded the objects before the angels.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:31
فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى
(…and said, "Inform Me)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root نبا — to inform, give news; prophet, prophecy · 160 times in the Quran
فَقَالَword 9
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix فَ at the front of فَقَالَ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and then' — 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. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'then 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: 'then 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
أَنۢبِـُٔونِىword 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. أَنۢبِـُٔ is a command: 'Inform Me', from the root نبا: to inform, give news; prophet, prophecy. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you'. أَنۢبِـُٔونِى commands a group — 'inform Me!' — the ending و pointing the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has the hamza ء as one of its root letters. The root of أَنۢبِـُٔونِى is نبا, whose final letter is that hamza — seated here mid-word as ـُٔ, since the hamza's written seat changes with the vowels around it. L24 · R11
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 — often giving the sense of making or causing the action — and the command shape keeps that added hamza. أَنۢبِـُٔ carries it at its front: 'Inform Me', from the root نبا: to inform, give news; prophet, prophecy. L12 · R5
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. و · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — أَنۢبِـُٔونِى — 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 و on أَنۢبِـُٔونِى is that doer, 'you all' — those commanded to inform; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
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 ending نِى 'me' is that object: the informing is to reach Me. A pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
بِأَسْمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ
(…of the names of these,)
Root سمو — to be high, elevated; name; sky, heaven · 381 times in the Quran
بِأَسْمَآءِword 11
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِأَسْمَآءِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' 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 بِأَسْمَآءِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a person, thing, or idea. أَسْمَآءِ names things: 'names', from the root سمو, to be high, elevated; name. 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
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. أَسْمَآء is such a broken plural: the singular اِسْم (name) 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. أَسْمَآءِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِأَسْمَآءِ. L2 · R12
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِword 12
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out specific ones, near or far. هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ is the plural near form — 'these': the things paraded before the angels. L3 · R8
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. هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ is that owner chained to 'names': 'the names OF these'. A pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role its owner slot carries. L5 · R5
إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
(…if you are truthful.")
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root صدق — to be truthful, sincerity; to give charity; to confirm, verify · 155 times in the Quran
إِنword 13
Conditional Particle · أداة شرطA conditional particle sets up a two-part sentence: a condition and its result. إِن means 'if', laying the condition here: 'IF you are truthful' — then name these things. L16 · R2
كُنتُمْword 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. كُن speaks of an action already carried out: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. 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 كُنتُمْ that ending is تُمْ, telling exactly who is meant: 'you are', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. 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 كُن is كون: to be, exist, happen — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ 'was/are' is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment, keeping its topic nominative — the ḍammah ـُ form — while pushing its comment into the accusative, usually a fathah ـَ. Here its topic is the attached تُمْ 'you all', and its comment is صَـٰدِقِينَ 'truthful', which wears the accusative dress of its plural shape. L18 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending تُمْ on كُنتُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — the topic كَانَ speaks about, a slot that stays in the nominative, the ḍammah ـُ form; the pronoun's fixed written shape carries that role. L3 · R6
صَـٰدِقِينَword 15
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. صَٰدِقِينَ is such a naming word: 'truthful', from the root صدق: to be truthful, sincerity; to give charity; to confirm, verify. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, صَـٰدِقِينَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is a masculine noun; its ending is the 'sound' plural ending Arabic reserves for masculine nouns. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); صَـٰدِقِينَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter — but the dual and the sound masculine plural share one ending, ـِينَ, for both the accusative and the genitive. صَـٰدِقِينَ wears that ـِينَ as the comment of كُنتُمْ, for كَانَ pushes its comment into the accusative. L2 · R7
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root on the pattern فَاعِل to name the doer or holder of the action. صَٰدِق is built on that pattern from the root صدق (to be truthful): ones who speak truth. L11 · R1
Meaning: if you say truly that you would be better as Khalifahs — since you do not know the names of the objects I paraded before you, you have even less knowledge of what will occur on the earth that does not yet exist.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:31
So far: “And He taught Adam the names - all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful."”