1. The verb “to not be” — لَيْسَ
It is used only in the perfect tense but conveys the sense of the imperfect. Like كَانَ, the noun or adjective following لَيْسَ takes the accusative case (الْمَنْصُوبُ).
Here is the past tense conjugation of لَيْسَ:
3rd person masculine
Singular: لَيْسَ
Dual: لَيْسَا
Plural: لَيْسُوا
3rd person feminine
Singular: لَيْسَتْ
Dual: لَيْسَتَا
Plural: لَسْنَ
2nd person masculine
Singular: لَسْتَ
Dual: لَسْتُمَا
Plural: لَسْتُمْ
2nd person feminine
Singular: لَسْتِ
Dual: لَسْتُمَا
Plural: لَسْتُنَّ
1st person (masculine/feminine)
Singular: لَسْتُ
Plural: لَسْنَا
Examples:
وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلًا
And those who disbelieve say, “You are not a messenger.” (11:43)
وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَىٰ إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا
And do not say to one who greets you with peace, “You are not a believer.” (4:94)
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ
Indeed, My servants — you have no authority over them. (15:42)
يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ
O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women. (33:32)
When a nominal sentence is negated with لَيْسَ and begins with the preposition بِ, the predicate takes the genitive case.
Examples:
أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ
Is not Allah the most just of judges? (95:8)
أَلَيْسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَىٰ
Is not that [Creator] Able to give life to the dead? (75:40)
أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ
Is not Allah sufficient for His servant? (39:36)
2. The verbs of praise and blame — أَفْعَالُ المَدْحِ وَالذَّمِّ
The verb نِعْمَ expresses praise, while بِئْسَ conveys blame. Like لَيْسَ, they appear only in the past tense but carry the sense of the present. They are limited to the third person. The feminine forms are نِعْمَتْ and بِئْسَتْ.
Examples:
وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُودَ سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ
And to David We gave Solomon. An excellent servant! Indeed, he was one who often turned back [to Allah]. (38:30)
فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۚ نِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ
Then know that Allah is your protector. Excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper. (8:40)
وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ
And excellent is the reward of the righteous workers. (3:136)
بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place. (18:29)
لَبِئْسَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ
How wretched the protector and how wretched the companion. (22:13)
جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ
[It is] Hell, which they will enter to burn, and wretched is the settlement. (14:29)
3. The verbs of wonder — أَفْعَالُ التَّعَجُّبِ
These verbs express amazement at something, whether praiseworthy or blameworthy. They follow two patterns: مَا أَفْعَلَهُ and أَفْعِلْ بِهِ.
Examples:
قُتِلَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ
Cursed is man! How disbelieving he is. (80:17)
فَمَا أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ
How patient they are in facing the Fire! (2:175)
أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ
How Seeing is He and how Hearing! (18:26)
أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ
How clearly they will hear and see! (19:38)
This structure represents one of the most eloquent styles found in the Holy Qur’an.
4. The verb عَسَى
The verb عَسَى conveys meanings such as “perhaps,” “it may be,” or “it is hoped.” It acts as an auxiliary verb and is used in the perfect tense. When followed by a clause introduced by أَنْ, the subject of that clause is also the subject of عَسَى.
Examples:
عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ
Perhaps they may be better than them. (49:11)
وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
But perhaps you dislike a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you do not know. (2:216)
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَىٰ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا
And during the night, pray with it as additional worship for you. It is expected that your Lord will raise you to a praised station. (17:79)
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يَرْحَمَكُمْ
[Then Allah said], “It is expected, if you repent, that your Lord will have mercy upon you.” (17:8)
قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ
He said, “Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy.” (7:129)
Conclusion
This concludes our lesson on special Arabic verbs. Insha’Allah, the next session will cover the five magnified nouns in Arabic.
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