1And they said, "The Compassionate has gotten offspring": extolled be his freedom from what lowers his glory! no, or nay rather, they are honoured servants (Qur 21:26)—وَقَالُوا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمٰنُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ
A particle of turning aside from one thing to another. Mbr: it denotes correction, wherever it occurs, whether after a negation or after an affirmation. Or it is a word of correction, marking a turn away from what precedes it.
بَنْ is used in the same way; in it the ن stands as a substitute for the ل, because بل occurs often and بن is rare. IJ says the latter may be an independent dialectal variant.
He has attained happiness who has purified himself, and celebrated the name of his Lord, and prayed: but you prefer the present life (Qur 87:14-16)—قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّى وَ ذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَاةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا
Beat Zeyd: no, ʿAmr—اِضْرَبْ زَيْدًا بَلْ عَمْرًا
Zeyd stood: no, ʿAmr—قَامَ زَيْدٌ بَلْ عَمْرٌو
Your brother came to me: no, your father—جَآءَنِى أَخُوكَ بَلْ أَبُوكَ
When it is followed by a proposition, the turn either cancels what precedes it or passes from one subject of discourse to another.
Here it cancels what precedes it.
Here it passes from one subject of discourse to another.
In all such cases it is an opening particle, not a conjunction.
When it is followed by a single word, it is a conjunction, and requires that word to be in the same case as the word before it. If it is preceded by a command or an affirmation, it makes what precedes it as though nothing had been said about it, and makes the command or affirmation relate to what follows it.
[A similar case is where it is preceded by a question: see أَمْ, which is used with the same meaning as this particle.]
Zeyd did not stand, but ʿAmr stood—مَا قَامَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرٌو
I did not see Zeyd, but I saw ʿAmr—مَا رَأَيْتُ زَيْدًا بَلْ عَمْرًا
Let Zeyd not stand, but let ʿAmr stand—لَا يَقُمْ زَيْدٌ بَلْ عَمْرٌو
Zeyd is not standing: no, is not sitting—مَازَيْدٌ قَائِمًا بَلْ قَاعِدًا
but is sitting—بَلْ قَاعِدٌ
I beat Zeyd: no, you—ضَرَبْتُ زَيْدًا بَلْ إِيَّاكَ
But when it is preceded by a negation or a prohibition, it confirms the meaning of what precedes it and assigns the contrary of that meaning to what follows it.
Mbr and ʿAbd-El-Wārith allow it to be used to carry the meaning of the negation or the prohibition over to what follows it, so that on their view one may say:
The meaning differs in the two cases.
The Koofees do not allow it to be used as a conjunction after anything but a negation (so in the Mughnee, but in the K a prohibition) or the like, so that one should not say:
Sometimes لَا is added before it, after an affirmation, to strengthen the sense of turning aside:
on this sense And it is added before it after a negation to strengthen what precedes:
Your face is the full moon: no, but it would be the sun, were it not that eclipse and setting are appointed to happen to the sun
shāhid 1وَجْهُكَ البَدْرُ لَا بَلِ الشَّمْسُ لَوْ لَمْيُقْضَ لِلشَّمْسِ كَسْفَةٌ وَ أُفُولُ
And I did not abandon you: no, but abandonment and long distance, not fixed to an appointed term, increased my heart-felt love
shāhid 2وَ مَا هَجَرْتُكَ لَا بَلْ زَادَنِى شَغَفًاهَجْرٌ وَ بَعْدٌ تَرَاخَى لَا إِلَى أَجَلِ
Lane cites “Kur xxi. 26” — Flügel numbering, not yet mapped
Lane cites “Kur lxxxvii. 14” — Flügel numbering, not yet mapped
1.1And God from behind them is encompassing—وَٱللّٰهُ مِنْ
Sometimes it marks the passing from one subject to another without cancelling what precedes it, and has the same meaning as وَ, as in the Qur'ān 85:20 and 21:
and it is a glorious Qur'ān—وَ رَائِهِمْ مُحِيطٌ بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ
Here it may instead have the meaning of إِنَّ, as in an example below.
I owe him a dinar and a dirham—لَهُ عَلَىَّ دِينَارٌ بَلْ دِرْهَمٌ
This saying is made to agree with that meaning.
1.2no, those who have disbelieved are in a state of pride and opposition (Qur 38:1)—وَٱلْقُرْآنِ ذِى ٱلذِّكْرِبَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِى عِزَّةٍ وَشِقَاقٍ
It is said here to signify إِنَّ, so that the meaning is: By the Qur'ān possessed of eminence, those who have disbelieved are indeed in a state of pride and opposition. The oath therefore applies to it.
1.3
Sometimes the Arabs use it in breaking off one saying and beginning another, and so a man begins a citation or recitation of verse with it. In that case it forms no part of the first verse, but is a sign that what precedes has broken off, or ended.
1.4Many a far-extending desert I have crossed, after a far-extending desert
shāhidبَلْ مَهْمَهٍ قَطَعْتُ بَعْدَ مَهْمَهٍ
Sometimes it is put in the place of رُبَّ, as in the saying of the rājiz:
1.5
What letter is missing from this word [supposing it to be originally of three letters] is unknown, and the same holds for هَلْ and قَدْ: it may be a final و or ى, or they may be originally بَلّ, هَلّ and قَدّ.
Show Lane's original text
is a particle of digression: (Mughnee, K:) or, accord. to Mbr, it denotes emendation, wherever it occurs, in the case of a negation or an affirmation: (T, TA:) or it is a word of emendation, and denoting digression from that which precedes; as also بَنْ , in which the ن is a substitute for the ل , because بل is of frequent occurrence, and بن is rare; or, as IJ says, the latter may be an independent dial. var. (M.) When it is followed by a proposition, the meaning of the digression is either the cancelling of what precedes, as in وَقَالُوا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمٰنُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ [And they said, “ The Compassionate hath gotten offspring: ” extolled be his freedom from that which is derogatory from his glory! nay, or nay rather, or nay but, they are honoured servants (Kur xxi. 26)], or transition from one object of discourse to another, as in قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّى وَ ذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَاةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا [He hath attained felicity who hath purified himself, and celebrated the name of his Lord, and prayed: but ye prefer the present life (Kur lxxxvii. 14-16)]: (Mughnee, K: *) and in all such cases it is an inceptive particle; not a conjunctive. (Mughnee.) When it is followed by a single word, it is a conjunction, (S, * Msb, * Mughnee, K,) and requires that word to be in the same case as the word before it: (S:) and if preceded by a command or an affirmation, (Mughnee, K,) as in اِضْرَبْ زَيْدًا بَلْ عَمْرًا [Beat thou Zeyd: no, 'Amr], (Msb, Mughnee, K,) and قَامَ زَيْدٌ بَلْ عَمْرٌو [Zeyd stood: no, 'Amr], (M, Mughnee, K,) or جَآءَنِى أَخُوكَ بَلْ أَبُوكَ [Thy brother came to me: no, thy father], (S,) it makes what precedes it to be as though nothing were said respecting it, (S, * Msb, * Mughnee, K,) making the command or affirmation to relate to what follows it: (S, * Msb, * Mughnee:) [and similar to these cases is the case in which it is preceded by an interrogation: see أَمْ as syn. with this particle:] but when it is preceded by a negation or a prohibition, it is used to confirm the meaning of what precedes it and to assign the contrary of that meaning to what follows it, (Mughnee, K,) as in مَا قَامَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرٌو [Zeyd stood not, but 'Amr stood], (Mughnee,) or مَا رَأَيْتُ زَيْدًا بَلْ عَمْرًا , [I saw not Zeyd, but I saw 'Amr], (S,) and لَا يَقُمْ زَيْدٌ بَلْ عَمْرٌو [Let not Zeyd stand, but let 'Amr stand]. (Mughnee.) Mbr and 'Abd-El-Wárith allow its being used to transfer the meaning of the negation and the prohibition to what follows it; so that, accord. to them, one may say, مَازَيْدٌ قَائِمًا بَلْ قَاعِدًا [as meaning Zeyd is not standing: no, is not sitting], and بَلْ قَاعِدٌ [but is sitting]; the meaning being different [in the two cases]. (Mughnee, K. *) The Koofees disallow its being used as a conjunction after anything but a negation [so in the Mughnee, but in the K a prohibition,] or the like thereof; so that one should not say, ضَرَبْتُ زَيْدًا بَلْ إِيَّاكَ [I beat Zeyd: no, thee]. (Mughnee, K.) Sometimes لَا is added before it, to corroborate the meaning of digression, after an affirmation, as in the saying, 1 [Thy face is the full moon: no, but it would be the sun, were it not that eclipse and setting are appointed to happen to the sun]: and to corroborate what precedes it, after a negation, as in 2 [And I did not abandon thee, or have not abandoned thee: no, but abandonment and distance, protracted, not to an appointed period, increased, or have increased, my heart-felt love]. (Mughnee, K. *) وَجْهُكَ البَدْرُ لَا بَلِ الشَّمْسُ لَوْ لَمْ | يُقْضَ لِلشَّمْسِ كَسْفَةٌ وَ أُفُولُ وَ مَا هَجَرْتُكَ لَا بَلْ زَادَنِى شَغَفًا | هَجْرٌ وَ بَعْدٌ تَرَاخَى لَا إِلَى أَجَلِ Sometimes it is used to denote the passing from one subject to another without cancelling [what precedes it], and is syn. with وَ , as in the saying in the Kur [lxxxv. 20 and 21], وَٱللّٰهُ مِنْ , وَ رَائِهِمْ مُحِيطٌ بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ [And God from behind them is encompassing: and it is a glorious Kur-án: or here it may mean إِنَّ , as in an ex. below]: and to this meaning it is made to accord in the saying, لَهُ عَلَىَّ دِينَارٌ بَلْ دِرْهَمٌ [I owe him a deenár and a dirhem]. (Msb.) In the fol- lowing saying in the Kur [xxxviii. 1], وَٱلْقُرْآنِ ذِى ٱلذِّكْرِبَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِى عِزَّةٍ وَشِقَاقٍ , it is said to signify إِنَّ ; [so that the meaning is, By the Kur-án possessed of eminence, verily they who have disbelieved are in a state of pride and opposition;] therefore the oath applies to it. (Akh, S.) Sometimes the Arabs use it in breaking off a saying and commencing another; and thus a man commences with it a citation, or recitation, of verse; in which case, it does not form any part of the first verse, but is a sign of the breaking off, or ending, of what precedes. (Akh, S.) Sometimes it is put in the place of رُبَّ , (S, Mughnee,) as in the saying of the rájiz, 1 [Many a far-extending desert have I traversed, after a far-extending desert]. (S: [and a similar ex. is given in the Mughnee.]) بَلْ مَهْمَهٍ قَطَعْتُ بَعْدَ مَهْمَهٍ What is deficient in this word [supposing it to be originally of three letters] is unknown; and so in the cases of هَلْ and قَدْ : it may be a final و or ى or they may be originally بَلّ and هَلّ and قَدّ . (Akh, S.)