In Arabic sometimes "An" used for "that not" in few cases .

 

In Arabic sometimes "An" used for "that not" in few cases 

Yes, you're absolutely right — in Arabic, the particle "أَنْ" (an) sometimes carries a negative meaning, especially when combined with or implied through context. Let’s clarify this with a few key cases:

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🔹 1. "أَنْ" meaning "that not" (i.e., "not to")

This happens especially when "أَنْ" is preceded by a verb or expression that implies prevention, prohibition, or negation. In such cases, the meaning becomes negative, even though "an" itself is not inherently a negative word.

✅ Example:

نَهَيْتُهُ أَنْ يَكْذِبَ

• I forbade him to lie → literally: "I forbade him that he lies"

• Implied meaning: "I forbade him not to lie"

مَنَعْتُهُ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ

• I prevented him from going out

• Here, "an" is used with a verb (يخرج) in a subjunctive form, meaning:
  "I prevented him that he does not go out" → or in English: "from going out"

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🔹 2. "أَنْ" with verbs of fear or warning

When used after certain verbs like خاف (he feared), حَذِر (he warned), أَشْفَق (he dreaded), the phrase "أَنْ" takes a negative sense:

✅ Example:

خِفْتُ أَنْ يَسْقُطَ

• I feared that he might fall

• The idea here implies worry that something undesirable may happen

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🔹 3. "أَنْ لَا" = "that not" explicitly

To be explicitly negative, Arabs often say "أَنْ لَا", where "لَا" is the negating particle and "أَنْ" introduces the subordinate clause.

✅ Example:

أُرِيدُ أَنْ لَا تَتَأَخَّرَ

• I want that you do not be late

• Translation: I want you not to be late

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🔹 Summary Table:

Arabic Phrase	Meaning
أَنْ يَكْذِبَ	(that) he lies (may imply “not to lie” depending on verb)
نَهَيْتُهُ أَنْ يَكْذِبَ	I forbade him to lie (→ not lie)
أُرِيدُ أَنْ لَا يَكْذِبَ	I want him not to lie
خِفْتُ أَنْ يَسْقُطَ	I feared that he might fall

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Let me know if you'd like examples from the Qur’an or poetry where this happens — they show this pattern beautifully.

In some cases "that" may be hidden in arabic

Yes — you're absolutely correct again!

In Arabic, the word "that" — often expressed as "أن" (an) or "إن" (inna) — can sometimes be omitted (مقدّرة / محذوفة), especially in embedded clauses (sentences within sentences). This is a well-known phenomenon in Arabic grammar and rhetoric.

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🔹 When "أن" (that) is Hidden or Implied

The word "أن" is often understood even if it's not explicitly stated, especially after verbs that require a following verb clause. This is common in eloquent, concise, or poetic Arabic — including in Qur’anic and classical usage.

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✅ Examples of Hidden "أن"

1. After verbs like: عَلِمَ (he knew), ظَنَّ (he thought), قَالَ (he said), etc.

Arabic allows the use of a full clause without explicitly saying "أن", but its meaning is still understood as “that…”

💬 Example:

قَالَ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي

He said: I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord.

• There is no explicit "أن" before "سأستغفر", but it is understood:

  قَالَ أَنَّهُ سَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبَّهُ
  (He said that he will ask forgiveness...)

So, “that” is hidden here.

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2. Qur’anic Example:

وَٱخْتَارَ مُوسَىٰ قَوْمَهُۥ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلًۭا لِّمِيقَـٰتِنَا

And Moses chose seventy men from his people for Our appointment.

Later it says:

رَبِّ لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّـٰىٓ ۖ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ مِنَّاۚ

My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before, and me. Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done?

Here, again, the structure implies embedded clauses without repeating "أن" explicitly, relying on the listener/reader's understanding.

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3. Poetic/High Arabic:

Arabic poetry often omits "أن" to maintain rhythm or emphasis.

أَرَاكَ تُحِبُّ العِلمَ

I see (that) you love knowledge

• Here too, "أن" is implied:

  أَرَاكَ أَنَّكَ تُحِبُّ العِلمَ

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🔸 Why Is "أن" Omitted?

Arabic omits "أن" for several reasons:

• Brevity and eloquence (بلاغة)

• Poetic rhythm

• When the meaning is clear from the context

• To avoid repetition when multiple clauses share the same structure

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✅ Summary:

Sentence Type	Is "أن" visible?	Explanation
قَالَ سَأَفْعَلُ	❌ Hidden	"He said that he will do…"
أَرَاكَ تُصَلِّي	❌ Hidden	"I see that you are praying"
أُرِيدُ أَنْ تَفْهَمَ	✅ Visible	Explicit "that you understand"
خِفْتُ أَنْ يَسْقُطَ	✅ Visible	"I feared that he might fall"

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If you have a specific ayah, sentence, or example in mind where you think "أن" is hidden, I can explain that exact one too.

Detailed meaning of اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا

Certainly it's look closely at the phrase:

ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا
"istakbarū li’lladhīna istuḍ‘ifū"

This comes from Surah Al-A‘raf (7:75) and similar constructions in the Qur’an. Here's a word-by-word and contextual breakdown.

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🔹 Word-by-Word Meaning:

Arabic	Root/Pattern	Meaning
ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا	استكبر – from ك-ب-ر	They acted arrogantly, they were proud
لِلَّذِينَ	لـ (to/for) + الذين (those who)	To those who / towards those who
ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا	Passive of استضعف from ض-ع-ف	Were considered weak, oppressed, deemed insignificant

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🔹 Basic Translation:

"Those who were arrogant said to those who were deemed weak..."
That is the fuller sense of the verse. The phrase here is part of a dialogue or confrontation between two groups on the Day of Judgment or in worldly situations of power imbalance.

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🔍 Grammatical Note:

• لِلَّذِينَ ("to those who...") is linked to قالوا (they said) in the full verse:

  قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا...
  "The chiefs who were arrogant among his people said to those who were oppressed..."

So:

• ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا is the subject (those who were arrogant)

• لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا is the object of their address (those who were considered weak)

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🔹 Contextual Meaning:

In many Qur’anic passages, including this one, we see two classes of people:

1. ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا – the arrogant elite (e.g. the chiefs, leaders, tyrants)

2. ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا – the oppressed or lower class (usually the weak, poor, or marginalized)

The verse reflects a conversation or mockery, where the arrogant are responding to or challenging the weak — often about belief, truth, or leadership.

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🔸 Full Translation in Context (Surah Al-A‘raf 7:75):

قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـٰلِحًۭا مُّرْسَلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ

The arrogant leaders among his people said to those who were oppressed — those among them who believed — “Do you actually know that Ṣāliḥ is sent from his Lord?” They said, “Indeed, we believe in what he has been sent with.”

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🧠 Reflections:

• The proud elites challenge the faith of the weak, questioning the legitimacy of Prophet Ṣāliḥ.

• The weak believers, despite being oppressed, show stronger faith than the powerful.

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Let me know if you'd like the tafsir (classical commentary) from scholars like Ibn Kathir or Al-Tabari on this passage — or if you'd like to compare with another similar verse, like in Surah Ghafir (40:47)

ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا it is future tense but meaning is past tense and incase of ٱسْتُضْعِفُو

Excellent and insightful question.

Let’s clarify it carefully.

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🔹 The confusion:

You observed that:

• ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا and ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا look like present or future tense due to the prefixes and patterns, but they are translated as past tense.

Let’s break this down with Arabic grammar rules.

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🔸 1. ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا — Why It Is Past Tense

✔️ Form:

ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا = Form X verb (استفعل) + وا (plural masculine past tense suffix)

• Root: ك ب ر (greatness/pride)

• Pattern: استفعل → istakbara → “he sought greatness / was arrogant”

• Ending وا = they (past tense masculine plural)

✅ Meaning:

استكبروا = They were arrogant (past tense)

It is past tense in both form and meaning.

✴️ Why it may look like future:

• The استـ prefix looks like present/future verbs like يَسْتَكْبِرُ (he is arrogant / he will be arrogant)

• But that’s present tense form:
  يَسْتَكْبِرُ = He is/will be arrogant
  استَكبَرَ = He was arrogant
  استَكبَرُوا = They were arrogant

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🔸 2. ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا — Why It Is Past Tense

✔️ Form:

ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا is a passive verb, Form X (استُفْعِلَ), plural:

• Root: ض ع ف (weakness)

• Pattern: استُفْعِلُوا (Form X passive past)

• وا again is plural they

• سُكِّنَ أوله وضم ما قبل الآخر → classic passive pattern

✅ Meaning:

استُضْعِفُوا = They were considered weak / oppressed (past passive)

So again, it is past tense passive, even if the "استـ" prefix may look like a present/future verb at first glance.

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🔹 Summary Table:

Verb	Pattern	Voice	Person	Tense	Meaning
ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا	Form X (استفعلوا)	Active	3rd plural	Past	They were arrogant
ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا	Form X passive (استُفعلوا)	Passive	3rd plural	Past	They were made weak / oppressed