What is the correct grammatical parsing (اعراب) of the word "qabl" (قبل) in the Holy Quran, where it sometimes appears with a kasra (مجرورة) and at other times with a dammah (مرفوعة)?

The word "qabl" (before) and its sisters (such as "ba'd" - after, "awwal" - first, "dun" - below/without, and the names of the six directions) have four grammatical and constructive states:

1. Explicit annexation (Idafah Lafziyyah): They are inflected with nasb (accusative) as an adverb of time/place, or with khafdh (genitive) by the preposition "min". 2. Omission of the annexed noun (mudaf ilayh) with the intention of retaining its لفظ (wording): They are inflected with the same previous declension but are not subject to tanween (nunation) due to the intention of annexation. 3. Severing from annexation explicitly, without intending the annexed noun: They are inflected with the same previous declension and are subject to tanween, becoming complete nouns like other indefinite nouns. For example: "I came to you qablan wa ba'dan" (before and after). 4. Omission of the annexed noun with the intention of its meaning, not its wording: They are constructed (mabni) upon dhamm (ضمَّة - u-vowel), as in the reading of the Seven (Qira'at): "لله الأمر من قبلُ ومن بعدُ" (To Allah belongs the command, before and after).

It is indicated that when they are constructed upon dhamm, they are not described as being in the marfu' (nominative) case, but rather as constructed upon dhamm, and their grammatical role is determined by the governing factor.