1
A conditional, partitive and corroborative particle.
Sometimes written أَيْمَا, by the change of the first م into ى.
1.1[For as for those who have believed, they know that it is the truth from their Lord; but as for those who have disbelieved, they say, What is it that God means by this as a parable?]—فأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَا ذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِهذَا مَثَلاً
Used as a conditional particle in the words of the Qur'ān 2:24.
That it denotes a condition is shown by the fact that ف must come after it. If this ف were a conjunction, it would not be prefixed to the khabar; and if it were redundant, it could be dispensed with. But it cannot be dispensed with except of necessity in poetry, or where a word is left out.
1.2[As for the ship, it belonged to poor men who worked on the sea]—أَمَّا السَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَاكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى البَحْرِ
In most cases it is used as a partitive, carrying the meaning of a condition. It is so used in the passage of the Qur'ān quoted above, and in these examples, Qur'ān 18:78, 79 and 81.
It is mentioned there together with أَمَا.
[and as for the boy, his two parents were believers]—وَأَمَا الْغُلَامُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنِينَ
[and as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys]—وأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغلَامَينِ يَتَيمَيْنِ
[It is a partitive also in the phrase أَمَّابَعْدُ: see art. بعد.]
Qur’ān 18:80 fixed by the citations on either side of it Lane cites “Kur xviii. 78”
Qur’ān 18:80 the verse Lane’s citation points to, and it uses this word
وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـٰنًا وَكُفْرًا"As for the youth, his parents were people of Faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah and man).Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’ān (1934)
1.3[Whatever be the case, or at all events, Zeyd is going away]—أَمَّا زَيْدٌ فَذَاهِبٌ
Few have mentioned its use as a corroborative.
You say this when you mean that Zeyd is inevitably going away, and is determined upon doing so.
Sb therefore explains it here as meaning مَهْمَا يَكُنْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ [whatever be the case, or, in some instances, happen what would or what might], which shows it to be a corroborative and to have a conditional meaning. So Z.
[The same explanation, with a similar example, is given in art. امو.]
The فَ, in this case, is moved from its proper place before the mubtadaʾ and put before the khabar.
Ks says that أَمَّا is used in commanding, in forbidding and in announcing.
[Whatever be the case, worship God]—أَمَّا اللّٰهَ فَاعْبُدْ
[Whatever be the case, as for wine, do not drink it]—أَمَّا الخَمْرَ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا
That is, أَمَّا الخَمْرَ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا; though you may also say أَمَّا الخَمْرُ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا without leaving a word out, just as one says أمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ as well as أَمَّا ثَمُودَ in the Qur'ān 41:16, according to different readers.
[Whatever be the case with respect to other things, Zeyd has gone forth]—أَمَّا زَيْدٌ فَخَرَجَ
Whereas إِمَّا is used in expressing a condition, in expressing doubt, in giving option, and in taking option.
Lane cites “Kur xli. 16” — Flügel numbering, not yet mapped
1.4he is a possessor of slaves, whenever you mention slaves—أَمَّا العَبِيدَ فَذُو عَبِيدٍ
Heard thus, with العبيد in the accusative case.
IHsh says that in his opinion the meaning here is مَهَما ذَكَرْتَ; but I would rather say that the meaning is أَمَّا ذِكْرُكَ العَبِيدَ, that is, as for your mentioning the slaves. The same applies to similar phrases that have been heard.
2[Or rather, what is it that you were doing?]—أَمَّا ذاكُنْتُمْ تَعمَلُونَ
Distinct from the foregoing is أَمَّا in the saying in the Qur'ān 27:86.
Here it is a compound of the unconnected أَمْ and the interrogative مَا.
3stands for لِأَنْ كُنْتَ—أَمَّا أَنْتَ
So too in the saying of the poet: [O Aboo-Khurásheh, because you were possessor of a number of men, do you boast? My people — the year of dearth, or of sterility, has not consumed them]
shāhidأَبَا خُرَاشَةَ أَمَّا أَنْتَ ذَا نَسفَرٍفَإنَّ قُوْمِىَ لَمْ تَأكُلْهُمُ الضَّبُعُ
Here it is a compound of the أَنْ termed مَصُدَرِيَّة [which combines with a verb following it to form an equivalent to a maṣdar] and the redundant مَا.
The preposition and the verb are dropped for the sake of shortening, so that the pronoun [تَ in كُنْتَ] becomes separate; مَا is put in place of the verb; and the ن [of ان] is incorporated into the م [of ما].
[See another reading of this verse under إِمَّا, and there also, immediately after, another example of أَمَّا used as explained above. See also أَنْ as a conditional particle, like إِنْ.]
4
Also has the same meaning as إِمَّا.
Show Lane's original text
is a conditional and partitive and corroborative particle; and is sometimes written أَيْمَا , by the change of the first م into ى . (Mughnee, K.) It is used as a conditional particle in the words of the Kur [ii.24], فأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَا ذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِهذَا مَثَلاً [For as for those who have believed, they know that it is the truth from their Lord; but as for those who have disbelieved, they say, What is it that God meaneth by this as a parable?]. (Mughnee,* K,* TA.) That it denotes a condition is shown by the necessary occurrence of ف after it; for if this ف were a conjunction, it would not be prefixed to the enunciative; and if it were redundant, it might be dispensed with; but it may not be dispensed with except in a case of necessity in poetry or in a case of an ellipsis. In most cases, (Mughnee, K,) it is used as a partitive, (S, Mughnee, K,) implying the meaning of a condition; (S; [in which it is mentioned with أَمَا ;]) and thus it is used in the passage of the Kur cited above; (Mughnee;) and in the following exs. [in the Kur xviii. 78 and 79 and 81], أَمَّا السَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَاكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى البَحْرِ and وَأَمَا الْغُلَامُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنِينَ and وأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغلَامَينِ يَتَيمَيْنِ [As for the ship, it belonged to poor men who worked on the sea . . . and as for the boy, his two parents were believers . . . and as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys]. (Mughnee, * K, * TA.) [It is a partitive also in the phrase أَمَّابَعْدُ , which see in art. بعد .] Few have mentioned its use as a corroborative: (Mughnee:) it is thus used in the phrase أَمَّا زَيْدٌ فَذَاهِبٌ [Whatever be the case, or happen what will or what may, or at all events, Zeyd is going away], when you mean that Zeyd is inevitably going away, and determined, or decided, upon doing so: (Z cited in the Mughnee, and K:) therefore Sb explains it as meaning, in this case, مَهْمَا يَكُنْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ [whatever be the case, &c., as above, or, in some instances, happen what would or what might]; thereby showing it to be a corroborative, and to have a conditional meaning: (Z cited in the Mughnee: [and the same explanation of it is given, with a similar ex., in the S, in art. امو :]) the فَ , in this case, is transferred from its proper place before the inchoative, and put before the enunciative. (I 'AK p. 306.) Ks says that أَمَّا is used in commanding and forbidding and announcing: you say, أَمَّا اللّٰهَ فَاعْبُدْ [Whatever be the case, or happen what will, &c., God worship thou]: and أَمَّا الخَمْرَ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا [i. e. أَمَّا الخَمْرَ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا (as is shown in the case of a similar ex. in the Mughnee, though you may say أَمَّا الخَمْرُ فَلَا تَشْرَبْهَا , without an ellipsis, like as you say أمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ as well as أَمَّا ثَمُودَ , in the Kur xli. 16, accord. to different readers,) Whatever be the case, &c., wine (drink not), drink not thou it]: and أَمَّا زَيْدٌ فَخَرَجَ [Whatever be the case, &c., with respect to other things, Zeyd has gone forth; or whatever be the case with respect to others, as for Zeyd, he has gone forth]: whereas إِمَّا [which see in the next paragraph] is used in expressing a condition and in expressing doubt and in giving option and in taking option. (T.) [IHsh says that in his opinion,] in the phrase أَمَّا العَبِيدَ فَذُو عَبِيدٍ , thus heard, with العبيد in the accus. case, the meaning is, مَهَما ذَكَرْتَ [&c., i. e. Whenever thou mentionest the slaves, he is a possessor of slaves: but I would rather say that the meaning is, أَمَّا ذِكْرُكَ العَبِيدَ , &c., i. e. as for thy mentioning the slaves, &c.]: and so in similar phrases which have been heard. (Mughnee.) Distinct from the foregoing is أَمَّا in the saying in the Kur [xxvii. 86], أَمَّا ذاكُنْتُمْ تَعمَلُونَ [Or rather, what is it that ye were doing?]: for here it is a compound of the unconnected أَمْ and the interrogative مَا (Mughnee.) So too in the saying of the poet, 1 [O Aboo-Khurásheh, because thou wast possessor of a number of men dost thou boast? Verily, my people, the year of dearth, or of sterility, hath not consumed them]: for here it is a compound of the أَنْ termed مَصُدَرِيَّة [which combines with a verb following it to form an equivalent to an inf. n.] and the redundant مَا : أَمَّا أَنْتَ is for لِأَنْ كُنْتَ ; the preposition and the verb are suppressed for the sake of abridgment, so that the pronoun [ تَ in كُنْتَ ] becomes separate; and مَا is substituted for the verb [thus deprived of its affixed pronoun], and the ن [of ان ] is incorporated into the م [of ما ]. (Mughnee.) [See another reading of this verse voce إِمَّا ; and there also, immediately after, another ex. (accord. to the Mughnee) of أَمَّا used in the manner explained above. See also أَنْ as a conditional particle, like إِنْ .] أَبَا خُرَاشَةَ أَمَّا أَنْتَ ذَا نَسفَرٍ | فَإنَّ قُوْمِىَ لَمْ تَأكُلْهُمُ الضَّبُعُ Also i. q. إِمَّا , q. v. (Mughnee, K.)