Breakdown of أقسم بالله أنني سأصون هذا العهد دون أن تطلب مني ذلك.
الal
the
هذاhâdhâ
this (m)
منmin
from
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
بbi
by, with (attached)
ذلكzâlika
that (masculine)
نيni
me
سsa
will (future prefix)
أنan
to (with verbs)
طلبtalaba
to order / to request / to seek
اللهallâhu
God
أقسمaqsama
to swear (take an oath)
دونdûna
without
صانsâna
to preserve (safeguard)
عهدahd
covenant
Questions & Answers about أقسم بالله أنني سأصون هذا العهد دون أن تطلب مني ذلك.
Why do we use بالله here instead of the more common والله?
While والله is the most common standalone oath, the particle بـ is required when directly following the verb of swearing, أقسم (I swear). You say أقسم بالله, never أقسم والله. Remember from this lesson that oath particles force the following noun into the genitive case, so it is pronounced باللهِ (billahi).
Why did we use أنني instead of إنني after the oath?
We use أن (with a fatha) because the clause 'that I will preserve...' acts as the object of the verb أقسم. You only use إن (with a kasra) at the very beginning of a sentence, or directly after the verb 'to say' (قال). Since أقسم is not قال, we must use أن.
What is the root of سأصون and why does it have a waw in the middle?
The root is (ص-و-ن). It is a Form I 'hollow' verb, meaning its middle root letter is weak. While the past tense is صان (he preserved), the original waw returns in the present tense: يصون (he preserves). Adding the future prefix سـ and the first-person prefix أ gives us سأصون.
Why does the verb تطلب follow أن here instead of just using a verbal noun (masdar)?
The phrase دون أن (without) must be followed by a present tense verb in the subjunctive mood, which here is تطلبَ (tatluba). While you could technically use the preposition دون with a verbal noun, like دون طلبك (without your asking), using دون أن plus a conjugated verb is often more natural and easier to construct in MSA.
Why is العهد definite (with Alif-Lam) after هذا?
When a demonstrative like هذا is followed by a definite noun, they lock together into a single noun phrase meaning 'this covenant'. If عهد were indefinite (هذا عهد), it would form a complete sentence meaning 'This is a covenant,' which would break the structure of 'I will preserve this covenant'.
Learn أقسم بالله أنني سأصون هذا العهد دون أن تطلب مني ذلك and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free