Surah An-Nasr
النصر
An-Nasr (The Help)
Overview
- Revelation: Medinan
- Verses: 3
- Theme: Victory and divine help, announcing the conquest of Mecca and the coming of people into Islam in multitudes, with an instruction to glorify Allah and seek forgiveness.
- Grammar Focus: Conditional particles (إِذَا), past tense verbs, conjunction فَ (fa), imperative verbs, verbal nouns (masdar), noun-adjective agreement
Structural Overview
| Verse | Arabic | Sentence Type | Key Grammar | Message |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ | Conditional (protasis) | إِذَا + past tense with future meaning | Victory is coming |
| 2 | وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ… | Conditional (continued) | Ḥāl clause + ḥāl noun | People entering in multitudes |
| 3 | فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ… | Imperative (apodosis) | فَ consequential + Forms II and X | Glorify and seek forgiveness |
Verse-by-Verse Analysis
Verse 1
When the help of Allah and the victory come
— An-Nasr 110:1
Word-by-Word Breakdown
| # | Arabic | Transliteration | Root | Morphology | I’rab | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | إِذَا | idhā | - | Particle - conditional/temporal | Conditional particle for the future (ḍarf li-l-mustaqbal) - mabni | When |
| 2 | جَاءَ | jā’a | ج ي ء | Verb - Form I, past tense, 3rd person masculine singular | Past tense verb (fi’l māḍī) - mabni, verb of the condition (fi’l al-shart) | Came / comes |
| 3 | نَصْرُ | naṣru | ن ص ر | Noun - masculine singular, construct state (muḍāf) | Subject (fa’il) - nominative (marfu’) | Help, victory, support |
| 4 | اللَّهِ | Allāhi | - | Proper noun - genitive, definite | Second part of construct (muḍāf ilayhi) - genitive (majrur) | Allah |
| 5 | وَالْفَتْحُ | wa-l-fatḥu | ف ت ح | Conjunction + noun - masculine singular, definite | Coordinating conjunction + subject (fa’il ma’ṭūf) - nominative (marfu’) | And the victory, the conquest |
Nahw-Sarf-Balagha Synthesis
Nahw (Syntax): This is a conditional clause (jumlat al-shart / protasis). إِذَا governs the past tense verb جَاءَ, shifting it to future meaning. نَصْرُ اللَّهِ is an iḍāfah construction (possessive), where نَصْرُ is the muḍāf (nominative, unmarked because it’s in construct state) and اللَّهِ is the muḍāf ilayhi (genitive). وَالْفَتْحُ is coordinated with نَصْرُ as a second subject of جَاءَ — both in the nominative case.
Sarf (Morphology): جَاءَ is a Form I hollow verb from root ج-ي-ء. نَصْرُ from root ن-ص-ر on the فَعْل pattern is a masdar (verbal noun) meaning “help/victory.” الْفَتْحُ from root ف-ت-ح on the فَعْل pattern is also a masdar meaning “opening/conquest.” Both are masculine singular nouns.
Balagha (Rhetoric): The use of إِذَا (when) rather than إِنْ (if) indicates certainty — this victory is not hypothetical but inevitable. The iḍāfah نَصْرُ اللَّهِ attributes the victory directly to Allah, not to human effort. Pairing نَصْر (help) with الْفَتْح (conquest) creates a comprehensive picture: divine assistance leading to tangible victory. The verse serves as the protasis of a conditional whose resolution comes in verse 3.
Verse 2
And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes
— An-Nasr 110:2
Word-by-Word Breakdown
| # | Arabic | Transliteration | Root | Morphology | I’rab | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | وَرَأَيْتَ | wa-ra’ayta | ر أ ي | Conjunction + verb - Form I, past tense, 2nd person masculine singular | Coordinating conjunction + past tense verb (fi’l māḍī) - mabni | And you saw / you see |
| 2 | النَّاسَ | al-nāsa | ن و س | Noun - masculine plural, definite | Object (maf’ūl bihi) - accusative (manṣūb) | The people |
| 3 | يَدْخُلُونَ | yadkhulūna | د خ ل | Verb - Form I, present tense, 3rd person masculine plural | Present tense verb (fi’l muḍāri’) - indicative (marfū’), functioning as ḥāl (circumstantial clause) | They enter / entering |
| 4 | فِي | fī | - | Particle - preposition | Preposition (ḥarf jarr) - mabni | In, into |
| 5 | دِينِ | dīni | د ي ن | Noun - masculine singular, construct state (muḍāf) | Object of preposition (majrūr bi-l-ḥarf) - genitive (majrūr) | Religion |
| 6 | اللَّهِ | Allāhi | - | Proper noun - genitive, definite | Second part of construct (muḍāf ilayhi) - genitive (majrūr) | Allah |
| 7 | أَفْوَاجًا | afwājan | ف و ج | Noun - masculine plural, indefinite | Circumstantial description (ḥāl) - accusative (manṣūb) | In multitudes, in groups |
Nahw-Sarf-Balagha Synthesis
Nahw (Syntax): وَرَأَيْتَ continues the conditional clause from verse 1 — all still governed by إِذَا. The past tense رَأَيْتَ also carries future meaning. النَّاسَ is the direct object (maf’ūl bihi) of رَأَيْتَ in the accusative. يَدْخُلُونَ functions as a ḥāl clause describing the state of the people. دِينِ اللَّهِ is another iḍāfah. أَفْوَاجًا is a second ḥāl in the accusative describing the manner.
Sarf (Morphology): رَأَيْتَ is Form I from root ر-أ-ي with the 2nd person masculine singular past tense suffix ـتَ. يَدْخُلُونَ is Form I present tense with the masculine plural suffix ـونَ indicating indicative mood (marfū’). أَفْوَاجًا is the broken plural of فَوْج on the أَفْعَال pattern, a common broken plural pattern.
Balagha (Rhetoric): The shift from singular “you see” (addressing the Prophet) to plural “they enter” paints a vivid scene: one observer watching masses flow in. The word أَفْوَاجًا (multitudes, waves) is deliberately indefinite — the numbers are so vast they cannot be defined or counted. The present tense يَدْخُلُونَ within a past tense conditional creates a sense of ongoing, continuous action — not a single event but a sustained flow of people entering Islam.
Verse 3
Then glorify the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, indeed He is the Acceptor of Repentance
— An-Nasr 110:3
Word-by-Word Breakdown
| # | Arabic | Transliteration | Root | Morphology | I’rab | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَسَبِّحْ | fa-sabbiḥ | س ب ح | Particle + verb - Form II, imperative, 2nd person masculine singular | Consequential particle + command verb (fi’l amr) - mabni | Then glorify |
| 2 | بِحَمْدِ | bi-ḥamdi | ح م د | Preposition + noun - masculine singular, construct state (muḍāf) | Preposition + noun (majrūr bi-l-ḥarf) - genitive (majrūr) | With the praise |
| 3 | رَبِّكَ | rabbika | ر ب ب | Noun - masculine singular + attached pronoun 2nd person singular | Second part of construct (muḍāf ilayhi) - genitive (majrūr) | Your Lord |
| 4 | وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ | wa-staghfirhu | غ ف ر | Conjunction + verb - Form X, imperative, 2nd person masculine singular + attached pronoun | Coordinating conjunction + command verb (fi’l amr) - mabni + object pronoun | And seek His forgiveness |
| 5 | إِنَّهُ | innahu | - | Particle + attached pronoun 3rd person masculine singular | Emphasis particle (ḥarf tawkīd) + pronoun as noun (ism inna) - accusative (manṣūb) | Indeed He |
| 6 | كَانَ | kāna | ك و ن | Verb - Form I, past tense, 3rd person masculine singular (defective verb) | Defective past tense verb (kāna wa-akhawātuhā) - mabni | Was / is |
| 7 | تَوَّابًا | tawwāban | ت و ب | Noun - masculine singular, indefinite, intensive active participle (Form II) | Predicate of kāna (khabar kāna) - accusative (manṣūb) | The Acceptor of Repentance |
Nahw-Sarf-Balagha Synthesis
Nahw (Syntax): فَ marks the apodosis (jawāb al-shart) — the response to the conditional in verses 1-2. Two imperative verbs are coordinated: سَبِّحْ (Form II) and اسْتَغْفِرْهُ (Form X). The phrase بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ is a nested iḍāfah: بِ + حَمْدِ (muḍāf) + رَبِّ (muḍāf ilayhi, itself muḍāf to) + كَ (muḍāf ilayhi). إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا is a supporting clause: إِنَّ governs the pronoun هُ (accusative), and كَانَ takes تَوَّابًا as its khabar (accusative).
Sarf (Morphology): Three verb forms appear: سَبِّحْ (Form II — intensive, from root س-ب-ح), اسْتَغْفِرْ (Form X — seeking, from root غ-ف-ر), and كَانَ (Form I hollow verb, from root ك-و-ن). تَوَّابًا follows the فَعَّال intensive pattern from root ت-و-ب, emphasizing abundant and repeated action.
Balagha (Rhetoric): The juxtaposition of glorification (سَبِّحْ) with seeking forgiveness (اسْتَغْفِرْ) at the moment of victory is profoundly counter-intuitive. Victory usually brings celebration, but the Quran commands humility. The intensive تَوَّابًا (not just “forgiving” but “ever-accepting of repentance”) reassures: seeking forgiveness will always be answered. The nested iḍāfah بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ chains three elements — praise, lordship, personal relationship — in one compact phrase.
Practice Exercises
Identify all iḍāfah (construct/possessive) constructions in this surah. For each, state the muḍāf (first term) and muḍāf ilayhi (second term), and give the case of each.
1. نَصْرُ اللَّهِ (Verse 1)
- Muḍāf: نَصْرُ — nominative (as fa’il of جَاءَ), but loses tanwin due to construct state
- Muḍāf ilayhi: اللَّهِ — genitive (always in iḍāfah)
- Meaning: “the help of Allah”
2. دِينِ اللَّهِ (Verse 2)
- Muḍāf: دِينِ — genitive (governed by preposition فِي), no tanwin
- Muḍāf ilayhi: اللَّهِ — genitive
- Meaning: “the religion of Allah”
3. بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ (Verse 3) — nested iḍāfah
- First iḍāfah: حَمْدِ (muḍāf, genitive via بِ) + رَبِّ (muḍāf ilayhi, genitive)
- Second iḍāfah: رَبِّ (muḍāf) + كَ (muḍāf ilayhi, genitive pronoun)
- Meaning: “the praise of your Lord”
Key rule: The muḍāf always drops its tanwin and definite article. The muḍāf ilayhi is always genitive. The case of the muḍāf is determined by its role in the sentence (subject, object, etc.), not by the iḍāfah itself.
This surah uses three different verb forms for commands/actions: Form I (جَاءَ), Form II (سَبِّحْ), and Form X (اسْتَغْفِرْ). Explain what each form adds to the base root meaning.
Form I — جَاءَ (root: ج-ي-ء)
- Meaning: “to come” — the basic, unaugmented meaning
- Function: Expresses the simple action without additional nuance
- Form I is the foundation; all other forms build on it
Form II — سَبِّحْ (root: س-ب-ح)
- Base meaning: سَبَحَ = “to swim, to float”
- Form II meaning: سَبَّحَ = “to glorify, to declare God’s perfection”
- What Form II adds: Intensification and causation. The doubled middle letter (بّ) intensifies the action — not just acknowledging God’s perfection but actively, repeatedly, emphatically declaring it
- Pattern: فَعَّلَ (doubled middle radical)
Form X — اسْتَغْفَرَ (root: غ-ف-ر)
- Base meaning: غَفَرَ = “to forgive, to cover”
- Form X meaning: اسْتَغْفَرَ = “to seek forgiveness”
- What Form X adds: The meaning of “seeking/requesting” the base action. Form X transforms the action from performing it to requesting it from someone else
- Pattern: اسْتَفْعَلَ (prefix اسْتَ)
Insight: The progression from Form I (basic action) to Form II (intensified action) to Form X (seeking action) shows how Arabic morphology builds complex meanings systematically from simple roots.
Key Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Pattern | Meaning | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| نَصْر | ن ص ر | فَعْل | Help, victory, support | Very common |
| فَتْح | ف ت ح | فَعْل | Victory, conquest, opening | Very common |
| رَأَيْتَ | ر أ ي | فَعَلْتَ (past Form I) | You saw | Very common |
| النَّاس | ن و س | - | The people, mankind | Very common |
| يَدْخُلُونَ | د خ ل | يَفْعُلُونَ (present Form I) | They enter | Very common |
| دِين | د ي ن | فِعْل | Religion, way of life | Very common |
| أَفْوَاج | ف و ج | أَفْعَال (broken plural) | Multitudes, groups, crowds | Common |
| سَبِّحْ | س ب ح | فَعِّلْ (imperative Form II) | Glorify | Very common |
| حَمْد | ح م د | فَعْل | Praise | Very common |
| رَبّ | ر ب ب | فَعْل | Lord, sustainer | Very common |
| اسْتَغْفِرْ | غ ف ر | اِسْتَفْعِلْ (imperative Form X) | Seek forgiveness | Very common |
| تَوَّاب | ت و ب | فَعَّال (intensive Form II active participle) | Acceptor of Repentance | Common |