And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, [saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you." And they wronged Us not - but they were [only] wronging themselves.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْغَمَامَ
(And We shaded you with clouds)
Root ظلل — to shade, to provide shadow or cover, shade, shadow · 33 times in the Quran
Root غمم — distress, clouds · 11 times in the Quran
وَظَلَّلْنَاword 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one statement to another. The prefix وَ joins this favor to the ones recounted before it. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ظَلَّلْ names an action — shading — from the root ظلل, to shade, provide shadow or cover. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending نَا — the 'We' marker — sits on ظَلَّلْنَا: 'We shaded', already done. L8 · R2
Doubled Verb · فعل مضاعفA doubled verb is one whose second and third root letters are the same letter. The root of ظَلَّلْ is ظلل — its second and third letters are both ل, and here both ل sounds stand written in the word. L24 · R10
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb doubles its middle root letter with the shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped doubling mark. ظَلَّلْ shows that shaddah on its middle ل: the shape that makes the action happen onto others — We made shade cover you. L12 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending نَا on ظَلَّلْنَا is such a suffix, standing for 'We'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَا is that doer, 'We'; an attached pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
عَلَيْكُمُword 2
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَيْ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. عَلَى 'on/upon' is one of the common prepositions: shade 'over you'. L4 · 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 كُمُ on عَلَيْكُمُ stands for 'you all'. L3 · R6
ٱلْغَمَامَword 3
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال attached to the front of a naming word to mean 'the' — one specific, known one. ٱلْغَمَامَ wears that prefix: 'the clouds'. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. غَمَامَ names clouds, from the root غمم. 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
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 letter. غَمَامَ ends in that fathah ـَ. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above its last letter. The clouds are what We spread as shade over them. L9 · R3
This mentions the white clouds that provided shade for the Children of Israel, protecting them from the sun's heat during their years of wandering; several scholars said this cloud 'was cooler and better than the type we know.'
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:57
وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ
(…and sent down to you manna and quails,)
Root نزل — to come down, descend, send down, reveal · 293 times in the Quran
Root منن — to bestow, favor, to remind of favors · 27 times in the Quran
Root سلو — quail, quails · 3 times in the Quran
وَأَنزَلْنَاword 4
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one favor to another. The prefix وَ joins the sending-down to the shading. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. أَنزَلْ names an action — sending down — from the root نزل, to come down, descend, send down. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending نَا — the 'We' marker — sits on أَنزَلْنَا: 'We sent down', already done; the أَ at the verb's front is not a tense marker but belongs to the verb's form. L8 · R2
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb adds a hamzah to the front of the root, usually meaning causing the action to happen — أَنْزَلَ 'sent down' is a textbook case. أَنزَلْ shows that added أَ before the root letters: the root means to come down; this form means We made it come down. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending نَا on أَنزَلْنَا is such a suffix, standing for 'We'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَا is that doer, 'We'; an attached pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
عَلَيْكُمُword 5
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَيْ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. عَلَى 'on/upon' is one of the common prepositions: sent down 'to you'. L4 · 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 كُمُ on عَلَيْكُمُ stands for 'you all'. L3 · R6
ٱلْمَنَّword 6
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال attached to the front of a naming word to mean 'the' — one specific, known one. ٱلْمَنَّ wears that prefix: 'the manna'. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. مَنَّ names the manna, from the root منن, to bestow, favor. 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
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 letter. مَنَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, sitting above its doubled final letter. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above its last letter. The manna is what the sending-down delivered. L9 · R3
وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖword 7
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties words together, and the joined word takes the same ending role as the word before it. The prefix وَ joins the quails to the manna — both sent down. L4 · R4
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال meaning 'the' — one specific, known one. Its ل is written in ٱلسَّلْوَىٰ but not heard: س is one of the fourteen 'solar' letters — letters made near where ل itself is made, which swallow the ل of ال — so the س doubles instead, shown by the shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped mark above it. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. سَّلْوَىٰ names the quails, from the root سلو — quail, quails. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word is treated as 'he' — a masculine noun, the default when Arabic does not treat a naming word as 'she'. 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. سَّلْوَىٰ ends in the bent letter ىٰ, which carries no vowel mark, so nothing shows on the page — the accusative is the role the word fills, joined to ٱلْمَنَّ which shows it plainly. L2 · R11
Ibn 'Abbas said the manna used to descend to them on the trees and they ate whatever they wished of it; Qatadah said it was whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, raining down like snow. The Salwa, Ibn 'Abbas said, is a bird that looks like the quail.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:57
So far: “And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails,”
كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ
(…[saying], "Eat from the good things)
Root اكل — to eat, consume · 109 times in the Quran
Root طيب — to be good, pure, wholesome · 50 times in the Quran
كُلُوا۟word 8
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. كُلُ names an action — eating — from the root اكل, to eat, consume. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its opening prefix. كُلُوا۟ is that command shape aimed at a group — its ending وا۟ points the order at 'you all': eat! L10 · R1
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters, and in the command shape that hamza may be cut away — كُلْ 'Eat!' from أَكَلَ is the classic case. كُلُوا۟ is exactly that trimmed command: the root's opening hamza is gone, leaving only ك and ل on the page. L24 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on كُلُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ is that doer, 'you all' — the ones told to eat; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
مِنword 9
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. مِن is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. مِنْ 'from/of' is one of the common prepositions: eat 'from' the good things. L4 · R2
طَيِّبَـٰتِword 10
Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. طَيِّبَٰتِ names good things, from the root طيب, to be good, pure, wholesome. L1 · R5
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she'. The ending ـَات on طَيِّبَٰتِ is the plural ending reserved for such 'she'-words — the sound feminine plural — so the word wears its 'she'-hood in its very ending. L2 · R6
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The sound feminine plural marks this by adding the ending ـَات to the word: طَيِّبَٰتِ 'good things', many of them. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. طَيِّبَٰتِ ends in that kasrah ـِ because مِن stands before it. L2 · R12
'Eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you' — this form of command is a simple order of allowance, guiding to what is good.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:57
مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۖ
(…with which We have provided you.")
Root رزق — to provide, necessaries of life, good, grant, bestow · 123 times in the Quran
مَاword 11
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'that which' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto what came before. مَا is the form used for non-human things: 'the good things of WHAT We provided you'. L5 · R13
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. مَا fills that owner slot after طَيِّبَٰتِ: 'the good things OF what…'; مَا keeps one fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears — the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۖword 12
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. رَزَقْ names an action — providing — from the root رزق, to provide, grant, bestow. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending نَٰ — the 'We' marker — sits on رَزَقْنَٰكُمْ: 'We provided', already done. L8 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. Two are stacked on this verb: نَٰ standing for 'We' and كُمْ standing for 'you all' — one written word carries who provided and who received. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَٰ is that doer, 'We'; an attached pronoun keeps one fixed shape, 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 stroke above the letter. The ending كُمْ 'you all' is whom the providing reached; a pronoun's written shape is fixed, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
So far: “And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, [saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you."”
وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا
(And they wronged Us not —)
Root ظلم — to do wrong or evil, to wrong, to treat unjustly, ill-treat, oppress, harm, suppress, tyrannise · 315 times in the Quran
وَمَاword 13
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 turns from the command to a verdict on how they answered it: 'And they wronged Us not…'. 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. مَا is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle is a word meaning 'not', which flips a statement to its opposite; مَا is the one that negates past-tense statements. Here it denies the wronging of Us: they did NOT wrong Us. L4 · R5
ظَلَمُونَاword 14
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ظَلَمُ names an action — wronging — from the root ظلم, to do wrong, treat unjustly, oppress. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending و — the 'they' marker — sits on ظَلَمُونَا before the نَا: 'they wronged' (denied by the مَا before it). L8 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. Two are stacked on this verb: the و standing for 'they' and نَا standing for 'Us' — one written word carries the deniers and the One the wrong would have touched. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The و on ظَلَمُونَا is that doer, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. 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 stroke above the letter. The ending نَا 'Us' is where the denied wronging would have landed; a pronoun's written shape is fixed, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
(…but they were [only] wronging themselves.)
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root نفس — soul, self, person; one's own self · 298 times in the Quran
Root ظلم — to do wrong or evil, to wrong, to treat unjustly, ill-treat, oppress, harm, suppress, tyrannise · 315 times in the Quran
وَلَـٰكِنword 15
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 correcting statement that follows the denial. L14 · R1
Retraction Particle (بَلْ / لَٰكِن) · حرف إضراب واستدراكA retraction particle steers the sentence in a new direction after what was just said; لَٰكِن 'but' — written without a shaddah and changing no endings — softens and corrects: not Us did they wrong, BUT their own selves. L20 · R18
كَانُوٓا۟word 16
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. كَانُ names a state — being — from the root كون, to be, exist, happen. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes something already done, and who it concerns is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending وٓا۟ — the 'they' marker — sits on كَانُوٓا۟: 'they were'. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters. كَانَ is a 'hollow' one — its middle root letter hides behind a long alif: the root is really كون, with و in the middle. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ and its sisters are incomplete verbs: they need both a subject and a telling part to finish their meaning — 'they were' — WHAT? كَانُوٓا۟ here waits for its completion: '…wronging themselves'. L18 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وٓا۟ on كَانُوٓا۟ stands for 'they' — the ones the 'were'-statement is about; كَانَ keeps this subject of its own in the nominative, the subject's form usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the letter, but a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L3 · R7
أَنفُسَهُمْword 17
Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. أَنفُسَ names selves — souls — from the root نفس: soul, self, person. L1 · R5
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she'. نَفْس 'soul' carries no visible marker like ة, yet is one of the words simply known to be feminine — it must be memorized; its plural here keeps that 'she'-hood. L2 · R2
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more, made either by adding an ending or by reshaping the word from the inside — a 'broken' plural. أَنفُسَ is such a reshaped plural of نَفْس 'soul': many selves, with no added plural ending. 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 letter. أَنفُسَ ends in that fathah ـَ. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above the س. Their own selves, placed even before the verb of wronging, are what that wronging fell upon. L9 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هُمْ on أَنفُسَهُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'their': THEIR selves. L3 · R7
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هُمْ fills that owner slot: 'the selves OF them'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
يَظْلِمُونَword 18
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. يَظْلِمُ names an action — wronging — from the root ظلم, to do wrong, treat unjustly, oppress. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. يَظْلِمُونَ opens with the prefix يَ, always standing before the root letters — with كَانُوٓا۟ before it, it paints a wronging they kept on doing. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present tense shapes ending in نَ, where that نَ itself shows the mood: kept in the normal mood, dropped after trimming words. يَظْلِمُونَ is the 'they do' shape with its نَ kept. L10 · R10
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending ونَ on يَظْلِمُونَ is such a suffix, standing for 'they'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The و in the ending ونَ names the doers of the wronging, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
'And they did not wrong Us but they wronged themselves' means: 'We commanded them to eat from what We gave them and to perform the acts of worship, but they rebelled' — they committed injustice against themselves even though they saw the clear signs.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:57
So far: “And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, [saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you." And they wronged Us not - but they were [only] wronging themselves.”