1[When they shall be raised to life]—أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ
Of the measure فَعَّال, or it may be of the measure فَعْلَان.
Also pronounced إِيَّانَ, this last of the dialect of Suleym, mentioned by Fr and by Zj.
[When they shall be raised to life] — the other reading—إِيَّانِ
It is an interrogative about a time, but only about a time that has not yet come: When? at what time?
It is feminine, but may be made masculine; and it may be pronounced with imáleh, though it does not belong to a class of words regularly subject to imáleh.
This is said in the Kur-án [16:22 and 27:67], according to different readings. Aboo-Is-hák: that is, when will the resurrection be?
But you may not say أَيَّانَ فَعَلْتَ ذَاكَ meaning: When did you do that?
1.1
IJ says that if it were synonymous with مَتَى it would be conditional; but it was not mentioned by his colleagues among the adverbs used conditionally, such as مَتَى and أَيْنَ and the like.
Sometimes, though, it does carry a conditional meaning, even when that meaning is not stated openly.
A poet says: [When we grant you security, you will be secure from others than us; and when you obtain no security from us, you will not cease to be in a state of fear]
shāhidأَيَّانَ نُؤْمِنْكَ تَأْمَنْ غَيْرَنَا وَ إِذَالَمْ تُدْرِكِ الأَمْنَ مِنَّا لَمْ تَزَلْ حَذِرَا
Show Lane's original text
, (T, S, M, &c.,) of the measure فَعَّال , or it may be of the measure فَعْلَان , (Msb,) also pronounced إِيَّانَ , (T, S, M, K,) the latter of the dial. of Suleym, mentioned by Fr, (T, S,) and by Zj, (M,) is an interrogative respecting a time, (T, S, Msb,) but only respecting a time not come: (T:) signifying When? (S, M, Msb;) at what time? (Msb, K:) it is fem.; but may be made masc.: (Lh, M:) and it may be pronounced with imáleh, though not belonging to a class of words regularly subject to imáleh. (TA.) It is said in the Kur [xvi. 22 and xxvii. 67], accord. to different readings, أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ or إِيَّانِ [When they shall be raised to life]; (T, S, M;) i. e. when shall be the resurrection. (Aboo-Is-hák, T.) But you may not say, أَيَّانَ فَعَلْتَ ذَاكَ as meaning When didst thou that? (T.) IJ says that, were it syn. with مَتَى , it would be conditional; whereas it was not mentioned by his colleagues among the adverbs used conditionally, as مَتَى and أَيْنَ &c.: but sometimes it has a conditional meaning, though that meaning be not explicit. (M.) A poet says, 1 [When we grant thee security, thou wilt be secure from others than us; and when thou obtainest not security from us, thou wilt not cease to be in a state of fear]. (I 'Ak p. 300.) أَيَّانَ نُؤْمِنْكَ تَأْمَنْ غَيْرَنَا وَ إِذَا | لَمْ تُدْرِكِ الأَمْنَ مِنَّا لَمْ تَزَلْ حَذِرَا