What is the parsing of the verse: "Indeed, these are two sorcerers"?
The verse: "إِنْ هَذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ" (Indeed, these two are magicians) was recited with several variations:
1. Hafs and Ibn Kathir's recitation: "إِنْ" with a light nun, and "هَذَانِ" with the alif retained. This has two grammatical possibilities: "إِنْ" is a lightened form of inna (the emphatic particle), and the lam is a differentiating particle, with the following phrase being a subject and predicate. "إِنْ" is a negative particle meaning "not" (ma), and the lam means "except," with the following phrase being a subject and predicate. The name (subject) of inna is understood to be omitted.
2. Abu Amr al-Basri's recitation: "إنَّ" with a heavy nun, and "هَذَيْنِ" with the silent ya after the dhal, which is grammatically clear (it is the name/subject of inna and its predicate).
3. The recitation of the majority: "إنَّ" with a heavy nun, and "هَذَانِ" with the alif retained. The grammatical possibilities are: "هَذَانِ" is the name (subject) of inna according to the dialect of those who replace the silent ya after fatha with an alif (the dialect of Khath'am, Kinanah, Banu al-Harith ibn Ka'b, and Zubaid). An implied ha pronoun is understood as the name (subject) of inna, and the following phrase is a subject and predicate. "إنَّ" means "yes" (na'am), and the following phrase is a subject and predicate. The lam entering upon the predicate is permissible according to some Arabs.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/54626