nor is longing for Him abandoned (1); this is the meaning of ‘dispensed with.’

On this interpretation, ‘our Lord’ (rabbanā) is in the accusative to express specification and praise, or as a form of address (2), as though he had said: ‘Our Lord, hear our praise and supplication.’

Whoever reads it in the nominative treats it as a separate clause, making it the predicate, as though saying: ‘That is our Lord,’ or ‘You are our Lord.’

The genitive is also permissible, with it standing in apposition to the divine name in ‘Praise be to Allah.’” Here his words end (3).

There is a third interpretation: that the words ‘not turned aside, nor forsaken’ qualify (4) the praise, as though he had said: ‘Abundant praise, neither turned aside nor forsaken, and never dispensed with.’

The words ‘nor forsaken’ mean ‘not abandoned.’ On this interpretation, ‘not turned aside’ means that the praise is neither diverted nor turned away from its proper direction, as a vessel is overturned. Rather, it is (5) praise offered in the manner deserved by—and befitting—the One to whom praise rightfully belongs, and which is appropriate for none besides Him.

As for the grammatical case of ‘our Lord,’ all three cases are possible. The preferable analysis of the nominative is to take it as a predicate