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أَلَا ذ [in its primitive acceptation, being composed of the interrogative hemzeh and the negative لا,] denotes an interrogation respecting a negative, as in the saying [of the poet], “ أَلَا ا@صْطِبَارَ لِسَلْمَى أَمْ لَهَا جَلَدٌ
إِِذَا أُلَاقِى ا@لَّذِى لَاقَاهُ أَمْثَالِى
” [Is there not any patience belonging to Selmà, or has she hardiness, when I experience what persons like me have experienced?]: (Mughnee, K:) and when used in this manner, it is put before a nominal proposition only, and governs like the negative لا [when used without the interrogative hemzeh]. (Mughnee.) ― -b2- It also denotes a wish; as in the saying [of the poet], “ أَلَا عُمْرَ وَلَّى مُسْتَطَاعٌ رُجُوعُهُ
فَيَرْأَبَ مَا أَثْأَتْ يَدُ الغَفَلَاتِ
” [May there not be a life which has declined whereof the returning is possible, so that it may repair what the hand of negligences hath marred?]; for which reason يرأب is mansoob, because it is the complement of a wish, coupled with فَ: and used in this manner, also, it is put before a nominal proposition only, [ولّى in the verse above being a qualificative, like an epithet,] and it governs like the negative لا [without the interrogative hemzeh], and has no enunciative either expressed or understood. (Mughnee.) ― -b3- It also denotes reproof, or reproach, (T, Mughnee, K,) and disapproval; as in the saying [of the poet], “ أَلَا ا@رْعِوَآءَ لِمَنْ وَلَتْ شَبِيْبَتُهُ
وَاذَنَتْ بِمَشِيبٍ بَعْدَهُ هَرَمُ
” [Is there no self-restraint to him whose youth hath declined, and announced hoariness, after which is to follow decrepitude?]: (Mughnee, K:) and used in this manner, also, it is put before a nominal proposition only, and governs as in the cases mentioned above, (Mughnee,) or before a verb [also], which is always marfooa; as in the phrase أَلَا تَنَدَّمَ عَلَى فِعَالِكَ [Dost not thou repent of thine actions?] and أَلَا تَسْتَحْيِى مِنْ جِيرَانِكَ [Art not thou ashamed for thyself, or of thyself, with respect to thy neighbours?] and أَلَا تَخَافُ رَبَّكَ [Dost not thou fear thy Lord?]. (T.) ― -b4- It also denotes عَرْضٌ, (T,) or العَرْضُ, and التَّحْضِيضُ, both of which signify the asking, or requiring, a thing; (Mughnee, K; *) but the former means the doing so with gentleness; (Mughnee, K;) and the latter, the doing so with urgency: (Mughnee:) and when used in this manner, [also,] it is said to be composed of لا with the interrogative hemzeh; (TA;) and is put before a verbal proposition only; (Mughnee;) as in the saying [in the Kur xxiv. 22], أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ ا@للّٰهُ لَكُمْ [Do not ye, or wherefore do not ye, (see أَمَا,) like that God should forgive you?] (Mughnee, K,) and [in the same, ix. 13,] أَلَاتُقَاتِلُونَ قًوْمًا نَكَثُوا أَيْمَانَهُمْ [Will not ye, or wherefore will not ye, fight a people who have broken their oaths?]; (Mughnee;) or before a mejzoom or marfooa aor., both of these forms being mentioned on the authority of the Arabs, as in أَلَا تَنْزِلْ تَأْكُلْ and أَلَا تَنْزِلُ تَأْكُلُ [Wilt not thou, or wherefore wilt not thou, alight and eat?]. (Ks, T.) ― -b5- It is also an inceptive particle, (S, Mughnee, K,) of which those who parse show the place but neglect the meaning, (Mughnee,) used to give notice of something about to be said, [like as Now, and why, (by the former of which I think it is generally best rendered when thus used,) are often employed in our language, and like as ἀλλὰ (which is remarkable for its near agreement with it in sound) is often used in Greek,] (S, Mughnee, K,) and importing averment, because it is composed of the interrogative hemzeh and the negative لا which, when thus composed, have this import, (Mughnee, K,) like أَلَمْ, and أَلَيْسَ, because the interrogative particle resembles the particle of negation, and the negation of a negation is an affirmation, (Ham p. 589,) and like أَمَا before an oath: (Z, Mughnee:) [it may therefore be further rendered by our word surely;; for this word (as Dr. Johnson says in his Dictionary) "is often used rather to intend and strengthen the meaning of the sentence, than with any distinct and explicable meaning:"] or it signifies حَقًّا [verily, or truly]: (M voce أَمَا:) it is put before both the [kinds of] propositions, [the nominal and the verbal;] (Mughnee;) as in the saying [in the Kur ii. 12], أَلَا إِِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ا@لسُّفَهَآءُ [meaning Now surely it is they who are the lightwitted], (Mughnee, K,) and [in the same, xi. 11,] أَلَا يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمْ لَيْسَ مَصْرُوفًا عَنْهُمْ [meaning Now surely, on the day of its coming to them, it shall not be averted from them], (Mughnee,) in which يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمْ appears to be the object of government of مَصْرُوفًا, which is the enunciative of لَيْسَ whence it has been argued that, as the object of government of the enunciative of ليس precedes that verb, the enunciative itself may precede it: (I 'Ak pp. 74 and 75:) [J says,] you say, أَلَا إِِنَّ زَيْدًا خَارِجٌ [Now surely Zeyd is going forth], like as you say, إِِعْلَمْ أَنَّ زَيْدًا خَارِجٌ [Know thou that Zeyd is going forth]: (S:) Ks says, أَلَا is used to give notice of what is about to be said, and is followed by a command and a prohibition and an enunciation, as in أَلَا قُمْ [Now stand thou], and أَلَا لَا تَقُمْ [Now stand not thou], and أَلَا إِِنَّ زَيْدًا قَدْ قَامَ [Now surely Zeyd has stood, or has just now stood]. (T.) When it is put before the particle [يَا] used to give notice of what is about to be said, it is merely an inceptive, as in the saying. [of the poet], “ أَلَا يَا ا@سْلَمِى يَا دَارَ مَىَّ عَلَى البِلَى
” [Now be thou free from evil, O abode of Meiyà, during wear and tear]. (AAF, M.) ― -b6- Lth says, sometimes أَلَا is immediately followed by another لا; and he cites the following ex.: “ فَقَامَ يَذُودُ النَّاسَ عَنَّا بِسَيْفِهِ
يَقُولُ أَلَا لَا مِنْ سَبِيلٍ إِِلَى هِنْدِ
” [Then he began to drive away the people from us, saying, Now is there no way to Hind?]: and one says to a man, "Did such and such things happen?" and he answers, أَلَا لَا [Why no]: he holds الا to be used to give notice of what is about to be said, and لا to be a negative. (T.)
An Arabic-English Lexicon. London. Williams and Norgate. 1863.
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