إِذ — Temporal Ẓarf for the Past
إِذ = "when" (referring to a past action only). It is a ẓarf al-zamān (adverb of time).
Key Properties
| Property | Rule |
|---|---|
| Tense | Past only — never used for present or future |
| Type | Ẓarf al-zamān (adverb of time) |
| Form | Mabni — always written and pronounced إِذ (never changes) |
| What follows | A full sentence (verbal or nominal) — its muḍāf ilayhi |
Grammatical Structure
إِذ forms an iḍāfah with the sentence that follows it: - إِذ = muḍāf (the ẓarf) - The following sentence = muḍāf ilayhi (provides the content of "when")
The following sentence has no iʿrāb position in the main clause — it is the internal content of the ẓarf.
إِذ itself, as a ẓarf, is in maḥall naṣb (adverbial/ẓarf position).
Examples
| Type | Sentence | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal sentence after إِذ | إِذ قَالَ إِبرَاهِيم | إِذ = ẓarf; قَالَ إِبرَاهِيم = jūmlah fī maḥall jarr |
| Nominal sentence after إِذ | إِذ هُمَا فِي الغَار | إِذ = ẓarf; هُمَا فِي الغَار = jūmlah fī maḥall jarr |
إِذ هُمَا فِي الغَارِ إِذ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِه لَا تَحزَن "When the two were in the cave — when he said to his companion: Do not grieve." (Al-Tawbah 9:40)
Two occurrences of إِذ in the same passage, each introducing a past scenario.
Difference from إِذَا
| Particle | Tense | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| إِذ | Past only | "When [it happened]" |
| إِذَا | Future/conditional | "When [it happens]" / "Whenever" |
Session References
- Selections from the Glorious Quran Session 13: Introduced in the context of إِذ قَالَ إِبرَاهِيم (Ibrahim debating Nimrod); iʿrāb rules; examples from Al-Tawbah 9:40.