1[I will do such a thing]—سَوْفَ أَفْعَلُ
One also says سَفْ, dropping the middle radical letter, and سَوْ, dropping the final radical, and سَىْ, dropping the final radical and changing the middle one into ى to make the utterance lighter.
According to the L, سَا is a particle denoting the beginning of an action; or a word denoting تَنْفِيس, that is, amplification, because it changes the muḍāriʿ from the narrow time, which is the present, to the ample time, which is the future. (Mughnee, under سَ [q. v.].)
That is, it denotes تنفيس with respect to what has not yet happened, and postponement; and it is used in frightening, in threatening, and in promising; or it is a word denoting promising or threatening.
According to some it means the same as سَ; according to others it has a wider meaning than that.
No separating word may be put between it and its verb, except in the one case mentioned below, because it stands in the place of the س in سَيَفْعَلُ and the like.
[And your Lord will give you, and you will be well pleased]—وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى
It differs from سَ, however, in sometimes having ل prefixed to it, as in the phrase in the Qur 93:5:
In this phrase the ل is regarded as prefixed to the verb, not to the particle; or a word has been left out, the phrase standing for لَأَنْتَ سَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ.
It differs from سَ in this, that it is sometimes separated from its verb by a verb that governs nothing either in letter or in meaning, as in the saying: [And I do not know, but I shall, I think, know, whether the family of Ḥiṣn be a company of men or of women]
shāhidوَمَا أَدْرِى وَسَوْفَ إِخَالُ أَدْرِىأَقَوْمٌ آلُ حِصْنٍ أَمْ نِسَآءُ
.
Lane cites “Kur xciii. 5” — Flügel numbering, not yet mapped
1.1figurative · مجازsuch a one lives by means of things hoped for—فُلَانٌ يَقْتَاتُ السَّوْفَ
When you want to use it as a noun, you give it tenween [when it is indeterminate]. IDrd cites as an example: [Truly سَوْفَ and truly لَيْتَ are a weariness]
shāhidإِنَّ سَوْفًا وَإِنَّ لَيْتًا عَنَآءٌ
.
But one reading is إِنَّ لَوًّا, and another إِنَّ لَيْتًا وإِنَّ لَوًّا; and there is no such reading as إِنَّ سَوْفًا.
[Literally, such a one feeds upon the word سَوْفَ.]
and in the same way: his food is nothing but things hoped for—مَا قُوتُهُ إِلَّا السَّوْفُ
[Literally, his food is nothing other than the word سَوْفَ.]
1.2
In the following verse of Ibn-Mukbil, cited by Sb: [Had she put us off with a سَوْفَ as part of her greeting, with the putting off even of one who is affected with dislike, the riders would have gone away contented]
shāhidلَوْ سَاوَفَتْنَا بِسَوْفٍ مِنْ تَحِيَّتِهَاسَوْفَ العَيُوفِ لَرَاحَ الرَّكْبُ قَدْ قَنِعَا
.
Here سَوْفَ is put in the accusative case [for مُسَاوَفَةَ, that is,] as a maṣdar with the augmentative letters dropped.
Show Lane's original text
, for which one also says سَفْ , (M, Mughnee, K,) rejecting the medial radical letter, (M, Mughnee,) and سَوْ , (M, Mughnee, K,) rejecting the final radical, (M, Mughnee,) and سَىْ , (M, Mughnee, K,) rejecting the final radical and changing the medial into ى for the purpose of alleviation [of the utterance], (M, Mughnee,) and accord. to the L سَا , (TA,) is a particle, (IJ, M, K,) denoting inception; (K;) or a word denoting تَنْفِيس , (Sb, S, M, K,) i. e. amplification, because it changes the aor. from the strait time, which is the present, to the ample time, which is the future; (Mughnee voce سَ [q. v.];) i. e., denoting تنفيس with respect to that which has not yet happened; (Sb, S, K;) and postponement; (M;) and is used in terrifying and threatening and promising; (IDrd, K;) or it is a word denoting promising or threatening: (Msb:) it is syn. with سَ accord. to some, or has a larger meaning than this latter accord. to others. (Mughnee.) You say, سَوْفَ أَفْعَلُ [I will do such a thing]. (Sb, S.) And one may not introduce a separating word between it and its verb, [except in a case mentioned in what follows,] because it occupies the place of the س in سَيَفْعَلُ [&c.]. (Sb, S.) [But] it is distinct from سَ by its [sometimes] having ل prefixed to it; as in [the phrase in the Kur xciii. 5], وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى [And thy Lord will give thee, and thou wilt be well pleased]: (Mughnee:) in this phrase, [however,] the ل is [considered as] pre- fixed to the verb, not to the particle: (M:) or the phrase is elliptical, for لَأَنْتَ سَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ . (Bd.) And it is distinct from سَ in this, that it is sometimes separated [from its verb] by a verb divested of government both as to the letter and the meaning; as in the saying, 1 [And I know not, but I shall, I think, know, whether the family of Hisn be a company of men or women]. (Mughnee.) وَمَا أَدْرِى وَسَوْفَ إِخَالُ أَدْرِى | أَقَوْمٌ آلُ حِصْنٍ أَمْ نِسَآءُ When you desire to make it a subst., [i. e. to use it as a subst.,] you make it to have tenween [when it is indeterminate]. (IDrd, K.) IDrd cites as an ex., 1 [Verily سَوْفَ and verily لَيْتَ are a weariness]: but one reading is إِنَّ لَوًّا ; and another, إِنَّ لَيْتًا وإِنَّ لَوًّا ; and there is no such reading as إِنَّ سَوْفًا . (O, TA.) One says also, فُلَانٌ يَقْتَاتُ السَّوْفَ [lit. Such a one feeds upon the word سَوْفَ ]; meaning Such a one lives by means of things hoped for: (S, K, TA:) and in like manner, مَا قُوتُهُ إِلَّا السَّوْفُ [lit. His food is not anything but, or other than, the word سَوْفَ ]. (A, TA.) إِنَّ سَوْفًا وَإِنَّ لَيْتًا عَنَآءٌ In the following verse of Ibn-Mukbil, cited by Sb, 1 [Had she put us off with a سَوْفَ as part of her greeting, with the putting off even of such as is affected with dislike, the riders had gone contented], سَوْفَ is put in the accus. case [for مُسَاوَفَةَ , i. e.] as an inf. n. with the augmentation [meaning the augmentative letters] rejected. (M.) لَوْ سَاوَفَتْنَا بِسَوْفٍ مِنْ تَحِيَّتِهَا | سَوْفَ العَيُوفِ لَرَاحَ الرَّكْبُ قَدْ قَنِعَا