So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allāh," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ
(So woe to those)
فَوَيْلٌۭword 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 فَ · 'then' at the front of فَوَيْلٌۭ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the changing final vowel marks — the ḍammah ـُ (a small curl above the letter), the fathah ـَ (a small stroke above), the kasrah ـِ (a small stroke below) — is a noun, a naming word. وَيْلٌ takes such endings: 'So woe'. L1 · R5
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. فَوَيْلٌۭ 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. وَيْلٌ carries the tanwīn ـٌ — the ḍammah ـُ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'So woe'. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of a sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — or its doubled form ـٌ. وَيْلٌ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R10
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, shown here by the doubled ḍammah ـٌ on وَيْلٌ. 'Woe' is the topic, and the 'to those who…' phrase completes it: woe IS for them. L6 · R2
لِّلَّذِينَword 2
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لِّ at the front of لِّلَّذِينَ 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
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. لَّذِينَ · 'to 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
"Waylun (woe)" carries meanings of destruction and perishing, a well-known word in the Arabic language — here for another category among them who called to misguidance with falsehood and lies about Allah, thriving on unjustly amassing people's property.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:78–79
يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ
(…who write the "scripture" with their own hands,)
Root كتب — to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture · 319 times in the Quran
Root يدي — a hand · 120 times in the Quran
يَكْتُبُونَword 3
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَكْتُبُ is an action unfolding now: 'write', from the root كتب: to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture. 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. يَكْتُبُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'write', from the root كتب: to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture. 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. يَكْتُبُونَ 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 · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَكْتُبُونَ — 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, 'they', the writers; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
ٱلْكِتَـٰبَword 4
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): ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. كِتَٰبَ names such a thing: 'the book', from the root كتب: to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ 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 a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. كِتَٰبَ ends in exactly 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 on the ب of كِتَٰبَ. 'The book' is what their writing lands on — a book of their own making. L9 · R3
بِأَيْدِيهِمْword 5
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِأَيْدِيهِمْ 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. أَيْدِي names such a thing: 'with their (own) hands', from the root يدي: a hand. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. أَيْدِي is a plural built by reshaping its word from the inside rather than by adding an ending, and it wears no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — yet Arabic treats it as feminine: 'with their (own) hands'. 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. أَيْدِي is such a reshaped plural of يَد 'hand': 'hands'. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually a kasrah ـِ — a small stroke below the last letter. أَيْدِي is pulled into that role by the بِ at its front, but it closes on a long ي, a shape that cannot carry the changing mark — so the genitive here is the role it fills, not a mark on show. L2 · R12
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 هِمْ on بِأَيْدِيهِمْ stands for 'their': THEIR OWN hands. 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 هِمْ fills that owner slot: 'the hands OF them'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
Ibn 'Abbas said: Allah told you that the People of the Book altered the Book of Allah, changed it, and wrote another book with their own hands, then said, "This book is from Allah," so that they acquired a small profit by it.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:78–79
ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ
(…then say, "This is from Allāh,")
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root عند — near, with · 201 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
ثُمَّword 6
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 particle that joins words or sentences, and ثُمَّ means 'then' — the next thing after a gap. They write — THEN they make their claim about it. L4 · R4
يَقُولُونَword 7
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَقُولُ is an action unfolding now: 'they say', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. 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. يَقُولُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'they say', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. 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. يَقُولُونَ 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
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 يَقُولُ 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. ونَ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَقُولُونَ — 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, 'they', the speakers; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
هَـٰذَاword 8
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out a specific thing, and هَٰذَا is the near pointing word: 'this' — the very book their hands wrote. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the word a sentence 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. Inside their claim, هَٰذَا 'this' is that topic, completed by 'from Allah'; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
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 whole claim 'this is from Allah' is what their saying lands on, and هَٰذَا anchors it; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the accusative is the role it fills, not a mark on show. L9 · R3
مِنْword 9
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. مِنْ · 'from/of' 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'. مِنْ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
عِندِword 10
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. عِندِ names such a thing: 'from', from the root عند: near, with. L1 · 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. عِندِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: عِندِ. L2 · R12
ٱللَّهِword 11
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهِ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
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 final letter. عِندِ and ٱللَّهِ form such a pair, 'from Allah', and as the owner-word of that pair, ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: عِندِ ٱللَّهِ reads 'from — Allah'. 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 ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L5 · R5
لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا ۖ
(…in order to exchange it for a small price.)
Root شري — to buy, to purchase, to sell · 25 times in the Quran
Root ثمن — eight, price · 19 times in the Quran
Root قلل — to be few, little, small in quantity or number · 76 times in the Quran
لِيَشْتَرُوا۟word 12
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لِ at the front of لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ 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. يَشْتَرُ is an action unfolding now: 'to barter', from the root شري: to buy, to purchase, to sell. 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. يَشْتَرُ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'to barter', from the root شري: to buy, to purchase, to sell. 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. يَشْتَرُوا۟ 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. لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ 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
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 يَشْتَرُ is شري: to buy, to purchase, to sell — and its last letter is the weak ي, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb tucks an extra ت inside, right after the first root letter, usually giving a do-it-for-oneself sense. لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ shows exactly that تَ after its first root letter ش: bartering to gain for themselves. L13 · 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. وا۟ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ — 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 barterers; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
بِهِۦword 13
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 book their hands wrote. 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': 'with it'. L3 · R7
ثَمَنًۭاword 14
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. ثَمَنًا names such a thing: '(for) a price', from the root ثمن: eight, price. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ثَمَنًۭا 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. ثَمَنًا carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: '(for) a price'. 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 here to the tanwīn ـً. ثَمَنًا ends in exactly that doubled fathah ـً. 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 doubled fathah ـً at the end of ثَمَنًا. 'A price' is what their bartering aims to take in. L9 · R3
قَلِيلًۭا ۖword 15
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. قَلِيلًا names such a thing: 'little', from the root قلل: to be few, little, small in quantity or number. L1 · R6
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. قَلِيلًا carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled: 'little'. L2 · R8
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is an ending shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter — doubled here to the tanwīn ـً. قَلِيلًا ends in exactly that doubled fathah ـً, copying the ending of ثَمَنًا, the word it describes. L2 · R11
Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that comes after its naming word — the opposite of English order. قَلِيلًا follows ثَمَنًا 'a price' and copies its ending: both carry the doubled fathah ـً, indefinite and accusative alike — 'a price — a LITTLE one'. L7 · R1
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "The little amount here means this life and all that it contains."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:78–79
So far: “So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allāh," in order to exchange it for a small price.”
فَوَيْلٌۭ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ
(Woe to them for what their hands have written)
Root كتب — to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture · 319 times in the Quran
Root يدي — a hand · 120 times in the Quran
فَوَيْلٌۭword 16
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 فَ · 'then' at the front of فَوَيْلٌۭ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the changing final vowel marks — the ḍammah ـُ (a small curl above the letter), the fathah ـَ (a small stroke above), the kasrah ـِ (a small stroke below) — is a noun, a naming word. وَيْلٌ takes such endings: 'So woe'. L1 · R5
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. فَوَيْلٌۭ 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. وَيْلٌ carries the tanwīn ـٌ — the ḍammah ـُ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'So woe'. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of a sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — or its doubled form ـٌ. وَيْلٌ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R10
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, shown here by the doubled ḍammah ـٌ on وَيْلٌ. 'Woe' is the topic, and 'to them' completes it: woe IS theirs. L6 · R2
لَّهُمword 17
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَّ at the front of لَّهُم 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 هُم 'them'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَّ and works like the glued-on endings for 'their/them', naming those the woe is for: 'to them'. L3 · R7
مِّمَّاword 18
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. مِّ · 'from/of' 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'. مِّ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَّا · 'for 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
كَتَبَتْword 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. كَتَبَتْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'have written', from the root كتب: to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes what already happened, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending تْ — the 'she' marker, capped with the sukūn ـْ, the small circle meaning its sound stops there — sits on كَتَبَتْ: 'it wrote', speaking of the hands as 'she'. L8 · R2
أَيْدِيهِمْword 20
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. أَيْدِي names such a thing: 'their hands', from the root يدي: a hand. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. أَيْدِي is a plural built by reshaping its word from the inside rather than by adding an ending, and it wears no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — yet Arabic treats it as feminine: 'their hands'. 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. أَيْدِي is such a reshaped plural of يَد 'hand': 'hands'. L2 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, usually a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. أَيْدِي closes on a long ي, a shape that cannot carry that changing mark — so the nominative here is the role it fills as the doer, not a mark on show. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. 'Their hands' are what did the writing; the word's fixed long ي ending shows no mark, so the nominative is the role it fills. 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 possession. The ending هِمْ on أَيْدِيهِمْ stands for 'their': THEIR hands. 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 هِمْ fills that owner slot: 'the hands OF them'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
"Woe to them for what their hands have written" — woe to them because of the lies, falsehood and alterations they wrote with their own hands; Ibn 'Abbas said the torment will be theirs because of those lies.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:78–79
وَوَيْلٌۭ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
(…and woe to them for what they earn.)
Root كسب — to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences) · 67 times in the Quran
وَوَيْلٌۭword 21
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَوَيْلٌۭ 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
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the changing final vowel marks — the ḍammah ـُ (a small curl above the letter), the fathah ـَ (a small stroke above), the kasrah ـِ (a small stroke below) — is a noun, a naming word. وَيْلٌ takes such endings: 'and woe'. L1 · R5
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَوَيْلٌۭ 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. وَيْلٌ carries the tanwīn ـٌ — the ḍammah ـُ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'and woe'. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of a sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — or its doubled form ـٌ. وَيْلٌ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R10
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, shown here by the doubled ḍammah ـٌ on وَيْلٌ. This second 'woe' is again the topic, and 'to them' completes it. L6 · R2
لَّهُمword 22
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَّ at the front of لَّهُم 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 هُم 'them'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَّ and works like the glued-on endings for 'their/them', naming those the woe is for: 'to them'. L3 · R7
مِّمَّاword 23
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. مِّ · 'from/of' 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'. مِّ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَّا · 'for 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
يَكْسِبُونَword 24
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَكْسِبُ is an action unfolding now: 'they earn', from the root كسب: to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences). 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. يَكْسِبُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'they earn', from the root كسب: to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences). 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. يَكْسِبُونَ 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 · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَكْسِبُونَ — 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, 'they', the earners; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
"And woe to them for that they earn thereby" — woe to them because of the property they unjustly acquired from people, be they commoners or otherwise, as Ibn 'Abbas said.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:78–79
So far: “So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allāh," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.”