And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh and the Last Day," but they are not believers.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ
(And of the people)
Root نوس — men, people · 241 times in the Quran
وَمِنَword 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 وَمِنَ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
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. مِنَ · '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'. مِنَ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
ٱلنَّاسِword 2
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. Because the next letter, ن, is one of the fourteen 'sun-letters' — letters made in the same part of the mouth as ل itself, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — the ل of the prefix melts into it and doubles it, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped doubling mark written above the letter: ٱلنَّاسِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. نَّاسِ names such a thing: 'the people', from the root نوس: men, people. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلنَّاسِ 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
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. نَّاس names people as a whole — a group of three or more — 'the people, mankind'. 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. نَّاسِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: ٱلنَّاسِ. L2 · R12
This refers to the hypocrites among the Aws and Khazraj and those who behaved as they did. Allah revealed their traits so the believers would not be deceived by their outer show of belief.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:8
مَن
(…are some who)
مَنword 3
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَن · '(are some) who' is the relative word Arabic uses for people — 'who' or 'whoever' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the noun the sentence talks about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the 'topic form' usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl written above the final letter. مَن 'some who' is that topic here — 'of the people are some who say…'; a little word like مَن keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one — and the saying that follows is what is told about them. L6 · R2
يَقُولُ
(…say,)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
يَقُولُword 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. يَقُولُ is an action unfolding now: '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: 'say', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R3
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
ءَامَنَّا
(…"We believe)
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
ءَامَنَّاword 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. ءَامَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'We 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 believed', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters. From the root امن, the hamza opens the word as the ءَا of ءَامَنَّا. 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 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, so it stands in the nominative — the 'subject form', usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl written above the final letter. The نَّا 'we' ending on ءَامَنَّا is that doer — 'we believe'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
بِٱللَّهِ
(…in Allāh)
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
بِٱللَّهِword 6
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِٱللَّهِ 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 بِٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
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: 'in Allah'. 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. ٱللَّهِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِٱللَّهِ. L2 · R12
وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ
(…and the Last Day,")
Root يوم — day, time, period · 405 times in the Quran
Root اخر — other, last, hereafter, to delay · 250 times in the Quran
وَبِٱلْيَوْمِword 7
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ 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
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ 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 وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. يَوْمِ names such a thing: 'and in the Day', from the root يوم: day, time, period. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. يَوْمِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ. L2 · R12
ٱلْـَٔاخِرِword 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): ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. ءَاخِرِ names such a thing: '[the] Last', from the root اخر: other, last, hereafter, to delay. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the letter. ٱلْـَٔاخِر ends in that kasrah ـِ, copying the ending of ٱلْيَوْم, the word it describes, which is genitive after the preposition بِ. L2 · R12
Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that comes after its noun and matches it in gender, number, ending, and 'the'-ness. ٱلْـَٔاخِر follows ٱلْيَوْم and matches it — both masculine, both definite, both genitive with the kasrah ـِ — 'the Last Day'. L7 · R1
So far: “And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh and the Last Day,"”
وَمَا
(…but not)
وَمَاword 9
Circumstantial Particle · واو الحالA circumstantial وَ means 'while', opening a mini-sentence that describes the state of things during the main action. Here it opens 'while they are not believers', describing the true state behind their spoken claim. L14 · R3
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. مَا · 'not/what' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle is a word meaning 'not'. مَا here negates the statement about them — 'they are not believers' — denying the faith they claimed with their tongues. L4 · R5
They utter these words only with their tongues; they emphasize belief in Allah and the Last Day in speech, when that is not the case in reality.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:8
هُم
(…they)
هُمword 10
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'they', 'you', 'I', and the like. هُم is the standalone word 'they', the topic of the denial: it is they who are not believers. L3 · R2
Ḥijāzī Mā · ما الحجازيةThe Ḥijāzī مَا is the 'not' that works like 'is not': it keeps the topic in the nominative — the 'topic form', usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the final letter — while its comment picks up an added بِ and so turns genitive, the after-a-preposition ending usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the letter. هُم 'they' is that topic — a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one — and the comment 'believers' follows with the added بِ: 'they are not believers'. L19 · R13
بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
(…are not believers.)
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
بِمُؤْمِنِينَword 11
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِمُؤْمِنِينَ 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
Ḥijāzī Mā · ما الحجازيةThe Ḥijāzī مَا keeps its topic in the nominative — the 'topic form', usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the final letter — and marks its comment with an added بِ. That extra بِ appears here on بِمُؤْمِنِينَ, sealing the denial: 'they are not, in the least, believers'. L19 · R13
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. مُؤْمِنِينَ is such a naming word: '(are) believers (at all)', from the root امن: to believe, faith, security, trust. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, بِمُؤْمِنِينَ 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); بِمُؤْمِنِينَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the 'after-of / after-preposition' family of endings a noun — a naming word — can wear; on most nouns it is shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. 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); بِمُؤْمِنِينَ wears its genitive inside that shared plural ending. L2 · R7
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root to name the one who does the action. Built from the root امن (to believe), مُؤْمِنِينَ names the doers — 'believers' — though the sentence denies that they are any such thing. L11 · R3
The hypocrites lie in their testimony of creed: 'And of mankind are some who say, We believe in Allah and the Last Day, while in fact they believe not.'
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:8
So far: “And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh and the Last Day," but they are not believers.”