خَبَر كَانَ
khabar kana
Predicate of kana & sisters
Nahw · syntaxSyntactic rolecore term1,244+ in the Qur'an
Also written: Kana wa Akhawatuha · Kana · Defective verbs
In one line
The predicate of kana and her sisters — put into nasb by the verb.
Classical definition
كَانَ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا تَرْفَعُ الاسْمَ وَتَنْصِبُ الخَبَرَ.
(الآجرّومية)
How to spot it
Recognition test
After كان and her sisters, the predicate that takes nasb is the khabar kana.
In the Qur'an
وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Al-Ahzab 33:73 — “And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful”
غَفُورًا is the khabar of كان, in nasb.
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