And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We have believed"; but when they are alone with one another, they say, "Do you talk to them about what Allāh has revealed to you so they can argue with you about it before your Lord?" Then will you not reason?
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟
(And when they meet those who believe,)
Root لقي — to meet, encounter, to cast or throw · 146 times in the Quran
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
وَإِذَاword 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 وَإِذَا opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that anchors a sentence to the time its action happens. إِذَا 'when' marks events expected to recur or come, without shortening the verb after it: 'WHEN they meet those who believe…'. L16 · R7
لَقُوا۟word 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. لَقُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'they meet', from the root لقي: to meet, encounter, to cast or throw. 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 لَقُوا۟ that ending is وا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'they meet', from the root لقي: to meet, encounter, to cast or throw. 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 لَقُ is لقي: to meet, encounter, to cast or throw — and its last letter is the weak ي, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
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 · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — لَقُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
ٱلَّذِينَword 3
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 · 'those who' 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
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. 'Those who believe' are the ones the meeting lands on; ٱلَّذِينَ keeps one fixed written shape, so the accusative is the role it fills, not a mark on show. L9 · R3
ءَامَنُوا۟word 4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ءَامَنُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'believe[d]', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. 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 ءَامَنُوا۟ that ending is وا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'believe[d]', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters, and the hamza's written seat changes with the surrounding vowels. The root امن opens with that hamza, and ءَامَنُوا۟ shows it at the very front — the ء carrying the long ā that follows 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 — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted' — often giving the sense of making or causing the action. ءَامَنُ carries that added hamza at its front: 'believe[d]', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. 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. وا۟ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — ءَامَنُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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, 'they', the believers; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا
(…they say, "We have believed";)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 5
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 say', 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 say', 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, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وٓا۟ is that doer, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
ءَامَنَّاword 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. ءَامَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'We have believed', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. 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 ءَامَنَّا that ending is نَّا, telling exactly who is meant: 'We have believed', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters, and the hamza's written seat changes with the surrounding vowels. The root امن opens with that hamza, and ءَامَنَّا shows it at the very front — the ء carrying the long ā that follows 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 — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted' — often giving the sense of making or causing the action. ءَامَ carries that added hamza at its front: 'We have believed', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. 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. نَّا · 'us/our' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — ءَامَنَّا — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 نَّا is that doer, 'we'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
Ibn 'Abbas said of "they say, 'We believe'": they believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah — "but he was only sent for you Arabs."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:75–77
So far: “And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We have believed";”
وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ
(…but when they are alone with one another,)
Root خلو — to be alone, pass away, be free from, be empty · 28 times in the Quran
Root بعض — some, part, a portion · 158 times in the Quran
وَإِذَاword 7
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَإِذَا 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
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that anchors a sentence to the time its action happens. إِذَا 'when' marks events expected to recur or come, without shortening the verb after it: 'WHEN they are alone with one another…'. L16 · R7
خَلَاword 8
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. خَلَا speaks of an action already carried out: 'meet in private', from the root خلو: to be alone, pass away, be free from, be empty. 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 خَلَا is exactly that bare base: 'meet in private', from the root خلو: to be alone, pass away, be free from, be empty. 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 خَلَا is خلو: to be alone, pass away, be free from, be empty — and its last letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
بَعْضُهُمْword 9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَعْضُ names such a thing: 'some of them', from the root بعض: some, part, a portion. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بَعْضُهُمْ 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. بَعْضُ carries exactly that ḍammah ـُ on its ض. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl on the ض of بَعْضُ. 'Some of them' are the ones who are alone together. L9 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; attached to a naming word, it shows belonging. The ending هُمْ on بَعْضُهُمْ stands for 'them': some 'OF them'. L3 · R6
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: 'some OF them'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
إِلَىٰword 10
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. إِلَىٰ · 'to/toward' 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'. إِلَىٰ · 'to/toward' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
بَعْضٍۢword 11
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَعْضٍ names such a thing: 'some (others)', from the root بعض: some, part, a portion. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بَعْضٍۢ 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 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. بَعْضٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'some (others)'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small stroke below the last letter — doubled here to the tanwīn ـٍ. بَعْضٍ ends in exactly that doubled kasrah ـٍ, pulled into it by إِلَىٰ before it. L2 · R12
قَالُوٓا۟ أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم
(…they say, "Do you talk to them)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root حدث — to tell, narrate; news, statement, narrative · 36 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 12
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 say', 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 say', 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, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وٓا۟ is that doer, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُمword 13
Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative particle turns a statement into a question, and the prefix أَ is one that forms yes/no questions. The أَ opening أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم asks, reproaching: DO you tell them…? 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. تُحَدِّثُ is an action unfolding now: 'Do you tell them', from the root حدث: to tell, narrate; news, statement, narrative. 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. تُحَدِّثُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'Do you tell them', from the root حدث: to tell, narrate; news, statement, narrative. 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. أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم is one of them: its marker ونَ keeps that ن — written here just before the small pronoun fastened to the word's tail — and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb is identified by a shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped doubling mark — on the second root letter. أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم shows that shaddah on the د in its middle: the mark of this form. L12 · R7
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 — أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'you all', the ones asked about their telling; 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 slanted stroke above the last letter. The final هُم 'them' is that object, glued straight onto the verb — the ones being told; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
بِمَا فَتَحَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ
(…about what Allāh has revealed to you)
Root فتح — to open, grant victory, judge decisively · 38 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
بِمَاword 14
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِمَا 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
Maṣdar Particle · حرف مصدريA maṣdar particle turns the verb clause after it into a single action-idea, the way 'that you fast' works like the one naming word 'your fasting' — and مَا is one of these little converters. This مَا bundles 'Allah has revealed to you' into one thing: the revealed matter itself. L20 · R15
فَتَحَword 15
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. فَتَحَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'has', from the root فتح: to open, grant victory, judge decisively. 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 فَتَحَ is exactly that bare base: 'has', from the root فتح: to open, grant victory, judge decisively. L8 · R1
ٱللَّهُword 16
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهُ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
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. ٱللَّهُ ends in exactly that ḍammah ـُ. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl on the last letter of ٱللَّهُ. Allah is the One who revealed. L9 · R2
عَلَيْكُمْword 17
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. عَلَيْ · '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'. عَلَيْ · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words — it is عَلَىٰ 'on' in the shape it takes when a suffix is fastened to its end. 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. كُمْ · 'you all/your' hangs on the little relation-word in عَلَيْكُمْ, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
لِيُحَآجُّوكُم بِهِۦ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ ۚ
(…so they can argue with you about it before your Lord?")
Root حجج — to argue, contend with proof; pilgrimage to Mecca · 33 times in the Quran
Root عند — near, with · 201 times in the Quran
Root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran
لِيُحَآجُّوكُمword 18
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لِ at the front of لِيُحَآجُّوكُم is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'so that' 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
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يُحَآجُّ is an action unfolding now: 'so that they argue with you', from the root حجج: to argue, contend with proof; pilgrimage to Mecca. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. يُحَآجُّ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'so that they argue with you', from the root حجج: to argue, contend with proof; pilgrimage to Mecca. L8 · R3
Subjunctive Mood · الفعل المنصوبThe subjunctive is the mood a present tense verb takes after particles like أَنْ, لَنْ, كَيْ, and the purpose لِـ; for the masculine plural shape the marker is the DROPPING of the final نَ. يُحَآجُّو stands right after that purpose لِ, and its plural ending has lost that نَ — the full shape would end ـُونَ — exactly the subjunctive's sign. L10 · R4
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. لِيُحَآجُّوكُم is one of them, but here its closing ن has dropped away — and for these five shapes that dropped ن is itself the grammar-sign: it marks the subjunctive mood, the bent form a governing word before it forces on the verb. L10 · R10
Doubled Verb · فعل مضاعفA doubled verb is one whose second and third root letters are the same letter, written once with the doubling shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped mark. The root حجج repeats its ج, and لِيُحَآجُّوكُم shows that shaddah ـّ on the ج. L24 · R10
Form III Verb · فَاعَلَA Form III verb is identified by an alif after the first root letter. لِيُحَآجُّوكُم shows exactly that long ā — written آ — after its first root letter ح: 'argue with', an action directed at the other party. L12 · R7
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 · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — لِيُحَآجُّوكُم — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 و is that doer, 'they', the arguers; 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 slanted stroke above the last letter. The final كُم 'you all' is that object, glued straight onto the verb — the ones argued against; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
بِهِۦword 19
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِهِۦ 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
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here هِۦ 'it' — the revealed matter. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition بِ and works like the glued-on endings for 'his/it': 'about it'. L3 · R7
عِندَword 20
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is an ending shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. عِندَ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ, the ending words that tell where something stands keep fixed. L2 · R11
Place Adverb · ظرف مكانA place adverb is a naming word frozen in the accusative — the fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above its last letter — that tells where something happens, and عِندَ 'with/at' is one of the most common, chained to the naming word after it. Here: arguing 'AT your Lord' — before Him. L26 · R2
رَبِّكُمْ ۚword 21
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَبِّ 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'. رَبِّكُمْ 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 as the owner in an 'of' phrase, marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter. عِندَ and رَبِّكُمْ form such a pair, 'before your Lord?', and as the owner-word of that pair, رَبِّ carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ reads 'before — your Lord?'. The second word of such a chain, the owner, always takes the genitive — the after-'of' ending, shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and رَبِّ carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L5 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; attached to a naming word, it shows possession. The ending كُمْ on رَبِّكُمْ stands for 'your': YOUR Lord. L3 · R6
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: when they met each other, some would say, "Do not talk to the companions of Muhammad about what Allah has foretold in your Book, so that the news does not become a proof for them against you with your Lord, and thus you will win the dispute."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:75–77
So far: “And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We have believed"; but when they are alone with one another, they say, "Do you talk to them about what Allāh has revealed to you so they can argue with you about it before your Lord?"”
أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
(Then will you not reason?)
Root عقل — to bind the feet of a camel with a rope; to understand, comprehend · 49 times in the Quran
أَفَلَاword 22
Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative particle turns a statement into a question, and the prefix أَ combines with other little words — as in أَفَلَا 'will you not?'. The أَ opening أَفَلَا asks exactly that pressing question. L17 · R1
Supplementary Particle · حرف زائدA supplementary particle is an extra word added for weight — removing it would not change the core meaning. The فَ tucked between the question's أَ and the 'not' is such an extra particle, giving the question its pressing tone. L14 · R4
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 flips a statement to its opposite, and لَا is the one used with present-tense verbs. Here it makes the question's 'not': will you NOT reason? L4 · R5
تَعْقِلُونَword 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. تَعْقِلُ is an action unfolding now: 'understand?', from the root عقل: to bind the feet of a camel with a rope; to understand, comprehend. 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. تَعْقِلُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'understand?', from the root عقل: to bind the feet of a camel with a rope; to understand, comprehend. 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. تَعْقِلُونَ 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 — تَعْقِلُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'you all'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
So far: “And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We have believed"; but when they are alone with one another, they say, "Do you talk to them about what Allāh has revealed to you so they can argue with you about it before your Lord?" Then will you not reason?”