40  The question sentence

Warning

THIS BOOK IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT IS INCOMPLETE AND MAY HAVE TYPOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER ERRORS. IT IS NOT YET READY TO BE STUDIED FROM.

40.1 Introduction

Questions in Arabic are introduced by question-devices. Question-devices can be particles like أَ and هَلْ used to introduce yes/no questions. Or they can be nouns like:

  • مَا « what »
  • مَنْ « who »
  • أَيّ « which »
  • كَيْفَ « how »
  • أَيْنَ « where »
  • مَتَىٰ « when »

Question-devices occur in the beginnning of a question sentence. We will study these and other question-devices in this chapter, if Allāh wills.

40.2 أَ and هَلْ

40.2.1 أَ

أَ is the most basic question-device. It is used to form:

  1. Yes-no questions. For example:

    1. أَحَضَرَ القَاضِي [معاني النحو 4/271]
      « Has the judge come? »

  2. Multiple-choice questions. For example:

    1. أَمُحَمَّدٌ عِنْدَكَ أَمْ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/271]
      « Is Muḥammad with you or K͡hālid? »

Here are some examples of yes/no questions using أَ:

  1. أَصَلَّى النَّاسُ [صحيح البخاري :687]
    « Have the people prayed? »

  2. أَتَرْضَوْنَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ النَّاسُ بِالشَّاةِ وَالْبَعِيرِ، وَتَذْهَبُونَ بِالنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى رِحَالِكُمْ [صحيح البخاري :4330]
    « Are you pleased that the people are going away with sheep and camels, while you are going with the Prophet ﷺ to your homes? »

  3. قَالُوۤا۟ ءَأَنتَ فَعَلۡتَ هَـٰذَا بِـَٔالِهَتِنَا یَـٰۤإِبۡرَ ٰ⁠هِیمُ [سورة الأنبياء 21:62]
    « They said, “Have you done this to our gods, O Abraham?” »

  4. أَمَا تَسْتَحِي مِنَ اللهِ
    [Wright 2/307A]
    « Aren’t you ashamed from Allāh? »

  5. أَلَمْ أُرْسِلْ إِلَيْكَ رَسُولاً [صحيح البخاري :1413]
    « Didn’t I send a messenger to you? »

Exceptionally, when conjunctions like وَ, فَ, and ثُمَّ are to be added before the question, they will follow أَ, not precede it. For example:

  1. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَوَكُلُّكُمْ رَأْيُهُ عَلَى هَذَا [Wright 2/307A]
    « Abū Bakr said, “Are all of you of this opinion?” »

  2. أَفَتَدْرُونَ أَىُّ شَهْرٍ هَذَا [صحيح البخاري :1742]
    « Do you then know which month this is? »

  3. أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦۤۚ ءَاۤلۡـَٔـٰنَ وَقَدۡ كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَ [سورة يونس 10:51]
    « Then is it that when it has [actually] occurred you will believe in it? Now? And you were [once] for it impatient. »

When the word following أَ is a nound beginning with a connecting hamzah, then أَ may replace the connecting hamzah. For example:

  1. أَبْنُكَ … [Wright 1/24A]
    « Is your son …? »
    (instead of أَٱبْنُكَ.)

  2. أَنْكَسَرَتْ [Wright 1/24A]
    « Did it break? »
    (instead of أَٱنْكَسَرَتْ.)

  3. أَلْمَاءُ … [Wright 1/24B]
    « Is the water …? »
    (instead of أَٱلْمَاءُ.)

When أَ precedes ال, as in example () above, then the two alifs may also be combined to form آ. So we can also say:

  1. آلْمَاءُ … [Wright 1/24B]
    « Is the water …? »
    (instead of أَٱلْمَاءُ or أَلْمَاءُ.)

Similarly,

  1. آلْحَسَنُ عِنْدَكَ [Wright 1/24B]
    « Is al‑Ḥasan with you? »
    (instead of أَٱلْحَسَنُ.)

  2. آلْقُرَشِيُّ أَمْ الثَّقَفِيُّ عِنْدَكَ [Wright 1/24B]
    « Is [he] of Qurays͡h or of T͡haqīf? »

40.2.2 أَمْ vs أَوْ

أَمْ is used to provide options in multiple-choice questions when the answer is either one or another of the provided options. For example, in the question:

  1. أَمُحَمَّدٌ عِنْدَكَ أَمْ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/271]
    « Is Muḥammad with you or K͡hālid? »

The answer can only be either « Muḥammad ». or « K͡hālid ». Similarly, if we say:

  1. أَزَيْدٌ أَفْضَلُ أَمْ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/296 citing كتاب سيبويه]
    « Is Zayd better or K͡hālid? »

The answer can only be either « Zayd » or « K͡hālid ».

أَوْ, on the other hand, is used in yes/no questions. For examples:

  1. أَلَقِيتَ زَيْدًا أَوْ عَمْرًا أَوْ خَالِدًا [معاني النحو 4/295 citing كتاب سيبويه]
    « Did you meet Zayd or Ɛamr or K͡hālid? »

  2. أَعِنْدَكَ زَيْدٌ أَوْ خَالِدٌ أَوْ عَمْرٌو [معاني النحو 4/295 citing كتاب سيبويه]
    « Is Zayd or K͡hālid or Ɛamr with you? »

then we are asking if you met any one of the named persons, and if any of them are with you. So the answer can be « yes » or « no ».

Here is another scenario where أَمْ is contrasted with أَوْ. Consider the following examples:

  1. مَا أَدْرِي أَأَكَلَ أَمْ شَرِبَ [معاني النحو 4/296]
    « I don’t know: did he eat or [or did he] drink. »

  2. مَا أَدْرِي أَأَكَلَ أَوْ شَرِبَ [معاني النحو 4/296]
    « I don’t know: did he eat or drank. »

In the first example, you are wondering which of the two options he did. Whereas in the second example, you are wondering if he did any of the two examples.

40.2.3 أَمْ as a question-device

أَمْ is also used as a question-device on its own right, when asking a yes/no question as an alternative. For example:

  1. هَلْ لك قبلنا حق أم أنت رَجُل معروفٌ بالظلم [معاني القرآن للفراء 1/72 cited by مغني اللبيب لابن هشام 1/289]
    « Do you have a right before us, or are you a man known for transgression? »

Similarly,

  1. قُلۡ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوِی ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِیرُ أَمۡ هَلۡ تَسۡتَوِی ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُۗ أَمۡ جَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاۤءَ خَلَقُوا۟ كَخَلۡقِهِۦ فَتَشَـٰبَهَ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ عَلَیۡهِمۡۚ [سورة الرعد 13:16 cited by مغني اللبيب لابن هشام 1/289]
    « Say, “Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Or is darkness equivalent to light? Or have they attributed to Allāh partners who created like His creation so that the creation [of each] seemed similar to them?” »

  2. أَمۡ لَهُ ٱلۡبَنَـٰتُ وَلَكُمُ ٱلۡبَنُونَ [سورة الطور 52:39 cited by مغني اللبيب لابن هشام 1/289]
    « Or has He daughters while you have sons? »

40.2.4 Omitting أَ

أَ may frequently be omitted from a question sentence. Its meaning will then be implicit. For example:

  1. فَوَاللهِ مَا أَدْرِي وَإِنْ كُنْتُ دَارِيًا بِسَبْعٍ رَمَيْنَ الْجَمْرَ أَمْ بِثَمَانٍ [cited by معاني النحو 237]
    « By Allāh, I don’t know, even though I am knowledgeable, with seven did they throw the pebbles or with eight? »
    (for أَبِسَبْعٍ)

40.2.5 هَلْ

هَلْ is similar to أَ in that it introduced yes/no questions. Here are some examples with هَلْ:

  1. هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِیثُ ٱلۡجُنُودِ [سورة البروج 85:17 cited by Wright 2/308C]
    « Has there reached you the story of the soldiers - »

  2. یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ هَلۡ أَدُلُّكُمۡ عَلَىٰ تِجَـٰرَةࣲ تُنجِیكُم مِّنۡ عَذَابٍ أَلِیمࣲ [سورة الصف 61:10 cited by Wright 2/308C]
    « O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment? »

  3. هَلْ أَنْتُمْ تَارِكُو لِي صَاحِبِي [صحيح البخاري :4640 cited by Wright 2/308C]
    « Are you (people) leaving for me my companion? »

40.2.6 هَلْ vs أَ

هَلْ or أَ are often interchangeable, but there are also some differences between them. أَ is more basic and direct, whereas هَلْ will add more wonder, liveliness, or incredulity to the question.1, Unlike أَ, هَلْ cannot be used for multiple-choice questions.

Here are some more differences between هَلْ and أَ:

Unlike أَ, the conjunctions وَ, فَ, and ثُمَّ do precede هَلْ when needed. For example:

  1. وَهَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِیثُ مُوسَىٰۤ [سورة طه 20:9 cited by Wright 2/308D]
    « And has the story of Moses reached you? - »

  2. إِنْ أَقَمْتُ إِلَى الْمَسَاءِ فَهَلْ أَنْتَ رَائِحٌ مَعِي [Wright 2/308D]
    « If I stay till the evening, then will you go with me? »

هَلْ cannot be prefixed to a negative clause (excepting هَلَّا, see () below). For example:

  1. ✗ هَلْ لَمْ يَحْضُرْ أَخُوكَ
    ✓ أَلَمْ يَحْضُرْ أَخُوكَ
    [معاني النحو 4/283]
    « Didn’t your brother come? »

  2. ✗ هَلْ لَيْسَ أَخُوكَ حَاضِرًا
    ✓ أَلَيْسَ أَخُوكَ حَاضِرًا
    [معاني النحو 4/283]
    « Isn’t your brother present? »

هَلْ prefixed to a pc verb usually (not not exclusively) restricts the tense to the future. For example:

  1. هَلْ تُسَافٍرُ [معاني النحو 4/283]
    « Will you journey? »

Occassionally, it can admit a present tense meaning. For example:

  1. قُلۡ یَـٰۤأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ هَلۡ تَنقِمُونَ مِنَّاۤ إِلَّاۤ أَنۡ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَاۤ أُنزِلَ إِلَیۡنَا وَمَاۤ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَأَنَّ أَكۡثَرَكُمۡ فَـٰسِقُونَ [سورة المائدة 5:59 cited by معاني النحو 4/283]
    « Say, “O People of the Scripture, do you resent us except [for the fact] that we have believed in Allāh and what was revealed to us and what was revealed before and because most of you are defiantly disobedient?” »

هَلْ is not prefixed to a conditional-device. For example:

  1. ✗ هَلْ إِنْ سَافَرَ سَافَرْتَ مَعَهُ
    ✓ أَإِنْ سَافَرَ سَافَرْتَ مَعَهُ
    [معاني النحو 4/284]
    « If he journeys, will you journey with him? »

هَلْ is not prefixed to a إِنَّ. For example:

  1. ✗ هَلْ إِنَّهُ شَاعِرٌ
    ✓ أَإِنَّهُ شَاعِرٌ
    [معاني النحو 4/284]
    « Is he indeed a poet? »

هَلْ is not prefixed to a noun, following which is a verb indicating a choice or alternative. For example:

  1. ✗ هَلْ خَالِدٌ يَرْجِعُ
    ✓ أَخَالِدٌ يَرْجِعُ
    [معاني النحو 4/243]
    « Is it K͡hālid returning? »

  2. ✗ هَلْ خَالِدًا أَكْرَمْتَ
    ✓ أَخَالِدًا أَكْرَمْتَ
    [معاني النحو 4/243]
    « Is it K͡hālid you honored? »

هَلْ is used in an exceptive question sentence that gives the meaning of a negative sentence. أَ is not used in this manner. For example:

  1. ✓ هَلْ حَضَرَ إِلَّا مُحَمَّدٌ ✗ أَحَضَرَ إِلَّا مُحَمَّدٌ [معاني النحو 4/243]
    « Did anyone come except Muḥammad? »
    (i.e. « No one came except Muḥammad. »)

Also, أَ because of its direct nature can imply that the action being asked about was done or is being done. هَلْ has no such implication.2 For example:

  1. أَتَضْرِبُ زَيدًا [معاني النحو 4/247 citing كتاب سيبويه]
    « Are you beating Zayd? »
    (The implication could be that you are beating him and the question is in response to your action.)

  2. هَلْ تَضْرِبُ زَيدًا [معاني النحو 4/247 citing كتاب سيبويه]
    « Are you beating Zayd? »
    (There is no implication you are beating him.)

Similarly,

  1. أَحَضَرَ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/248]
    « Did K͡hālid come? »
    (The implication could be that you expected K͡hālid to have come and you are confirming whether he did.)

  2. هَلْ حَضَرَ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/248]
    « Did K͡hālid come? »
    (There is no implication you expected K͡hālid to have come.)

هَلْ with the verb تَسْتَطِيعُ « can » can also be used for requests.3 For example:

  1. هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تُرِيَنِي كَيْفَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَتَوَضَّأُ [سنن النسائي :98]
    « Can you show me how the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ would perform wud̤͡hūʾ? »

40.2.7 هَلْ لَكَ فِي

Wright 2/309D

40.2.8 هَلَّا, أَلَا

Wright 310D

40.3 Sentence word order

In a question sentence, the noun being asked about is typically put first in sentence word order. So, for example, if the question sentence is led with a verb, then it is the action of the verb which is being asked about:

  1. أَحَضَرَ مُحَمَّدٌ [معاني النحو 4/270]
    « Did Muḥammad attend? »
    (i.e. did Muḥammad’s attending occur?)

But if the noun comes first, then the identity of the person attending is being asked about:

  1. أَمُحَمَّدٌ حَضَرَ [معاني النحو 4/270]
    « Is it Muḥammad who attended? »

Similarly,

  1. أَأَكْرَمْتَ مُحَمَّدًا [معاني النحو 4/271]
    « Did you honor Muḥammad? »

  2. أَمُحَمَّدًا أَكْرَمْتَ [معاني النحو 4/271]
    « Is it Muḥammad you honored? »

and

  1. أَسَافَرَ خَالِدٌ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ [معاني النحو 4/271]
    « Did K͡hālid journey on Friday? »

  2. أَيَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ سَافَرَ خَالِدٌ [معاني النحو 4/271]
    « Is it on Friday K͡hālid journeyed? »

40.4 مَا and مَنْ

40.4.1 Position in the beginning of the question sentence

All question-devices typically occur in the beginning of the question sentence. (Particles like وَ, فَ, etc. are allowed to precede them.) For example,

  1. مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ [Wright 2/311D]
    « Who are you? »

  2. وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ؟ [سورة طه 20:17]
    « And what is that in your right hand? »

In both the above examples, the question nouns مَا and مَنْ are in the u-case as the subject of their respective question sentences.

When the question is asking about the direct doee of a verb, then too is the question noun placed in the beginning of the sentence. For example,

  1. مَا تَقُولُ؟ [Wright 2/312A]
    « What do you say? »

  2. مَنْ قَتَلْتَ؟ [Wright 2/311D]
    « Whom did you kill? »

  3. مَا فَرَضَ رَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ أُمَّتِكَ؟ [صحيح مسلم :162a]
    « What has your Lord enjoined upon your Ummah? »

In the above three examples, the question nouns مَا and مَنْ are analyzed as the a-case direct doee of the verb following it.

It is also possible, in such cases, for the verb to have a pronoun direct doee. For example:

  1. مَنْ رَأَيْتَهُ [مغني اللبيب لابن هشام 5/436]
    « Whom did you see? »
    (instead of مَنْ رَأَيْتَ)

In example (57) above, مَنْ can be analyzed as either a (positional) u-case subject such that the verbal sentence رَأَيْتَهُ is its info, or مَنْ can be a preoccupied-from direct doee (see (ref)).4

The question nouns are exempted from being placed in the beginning of the question noun when they are in the i-case: either following a preposition, or as the annexed-to noun in an annexation. For example,

  1. لِمَنْ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقَصْرُ؟ [جامع الترمذي :3688]
    « Whose is this palace? »

  2. بِنْتُ مَنْ أَنْتِ؟ [Wright 2/311D]
    « Whose daughter are you? »

40.4.2 مَا shortened to مَ in the i-case

When the question noun مَا mā is in the i-case it is typically shortened to مَ ma. Example:

  1. بِمَ يَرْجِعُ؟ [سنن ابن ماجه :4108]
    « With what does he return? »

This shortened مَ is also usually joined to the preposition before it, even for prepositions constituting more than one letter (which don’t typically join to the word directly following it). So we get:

  • بِمَ for بِمَا
  • لِمَ for لِمَا
  • فِيمَ for فِي مَا
  • إِلَامَ for إِلَىٰ مَا
  • عَلَامَ for عَلَىٰ مَا
  • حَتَّامَ for حَتَّىٰ مَا
  • مِمَّ for مِمَّا (مِنْ مَا)
  • عَمَّ for عَمَّا (عَنْ مَا)

When pausing on this shortened مَ, a هْ is appended to it to preserve the sound of the fat·ḥah. For example:

  1. لِمَهْ؟
    limah?
    « For what? »

The shortened مَ is also used when it is the annexed-to noun in an annexation. However, in this case it won’t be joined to the previous word. For example:

  1. مِثْلُ مَ أَنْتَ؟ [Wright 1/275A]
    « What are you like? »

40.4.3 مَا and مَنْ referred back to with an i-case pronoun

As an alternative to placing the question noun مَا or مَنْ after the preposition or annexed noun, the question noun may be placed in the beginning of the sentence and it is referred back to by a pronoun. For example,

  1. قُلْ مَنْ بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ [سورة المؤمنون 23:88]
    « Say, “In whose hand is the realm of all things” »

  2. مَاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ [سورة يونس 10:50]
    « for which [aspect] of it would the criminals be impatient? »

40.4.4 Verb gender when inquiring about the doer of a verb

The question nouns مَا and مَنْ are themselves masculine singular nouns. But they can be used to ask about nouns of any gender or number. For example,

  1. وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ؟ [سورة طه 20:17]
    « And what is that in your right hand? »

  2. مَنْ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ ٱلرِّجَالُ؟
    « Who are these men? »

When inquiring about the doer of a verb, then the verb is usually construed with a masculine singular doer to match the question noun. For example:

  1. مَنْ جَاءَ؟
    « Who has come? »

  2. مَا يُبْكِيكَ؟ [جامع الترمذي :3894]
    « What makes you cry? »

Ocassionally, the feminine verb may be used if asking about a feminine doer. For example:

  1. مَنْ كَانَتْ أُمَّكَ؟ 5 [Wright 2/313C]
    « Who was your mother? »

If the question is regarding a specific number and gender, then we are more likely to insert the corresponding specific connected noun (ٱلَّذِي, etc.) between the question noun مَن and the verb. For example:

  1. مَنِ اللَّتَانِ تَظَاهَرَتَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ أَزْوَاجِهِ [صحيح البخاري :4913]
    « Who are the ones2f, from his wives, who aided one another against the Prophet ﷺ? »

Note that now the dual feminine doer pronoun ا in تَظَاهَرَتَا is the refer-back pronoun that refers back to the connected noun ٱللَّتَانِ.

40.4.5 An indefinite noun after مَا and مَنْ

The question nouns مَا and مَنْ cannot occur as annexed nouns. Nor can either of them be a replacee. So any indefinite noun after them must necessarily be the info of the question sentence. For example, مَنْ فَارِسٌ؟ [Wright 2/312C] can only mean, “Who is a horseman?” not “Who horseman?” or “Which horseman?”

40.4.6 مَاذَا and مَنْ ذَا

To lend more force to the question or to make it more lively, ذَا may be appended to the question nouns مَا and مَنْ. For example,

  1. مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ [صحيح البخاري :4800]
    « What did your lord say? »

With مَنْ ذَا especially, but also with مَا, the specific connected noun ٱلَّذِي is often appended as well. For example:

  1. مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي قَالَ هَذَا [سنن ابن ماجه :3802]
    « Who is the one that said this? »

  2. مَاذَا ٱلَّذِي تَقُولُ؟ [Wright 2/312B]
    « What is it that you say? »

Note that ذَا is also a variant pointing noun meaning “this” or “that”. In which case, it can be the info of the question sentence by itself. For example:

  1. فَدَقَقْتُ الْبَابَ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ ذَا؟ فَقُلْتُ: أَنَا، قَالَ: أَنَا، أَنَا؟، كَأَنَّهُ كَرِهَهُ. [الأدب المفرد :1086]
    « So I knocked at the door. He said, ‘Who is that?’ I said, ‘I.’ He said ‘I? I?’ as if he disliked it. »

40.4.7 Why

Arabic has no distinct question-device for “why”. Instead, the question noun مَا is used with a preposition, typically لِ to give the meaning “For what?”. For example,

  1. لِمَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ [صحيح مسلم :705b]
    « Why did he do that? »

  2. لِمَاذَا وَلَّيْتَ بَعْدَ مَجِيِّكَ إِلَىٰ هَـٰهُنَا؟ [Wright 2/312B]
    « Why did you turn back after your coming here? »

Sometimes, other prepositions like عَلَىٰ and بِ may be used. But this is dependent on the verb in the sentence. For example,

  1. عَلَامَ يَقْتُلُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ [مشكاة المصابيح :4562]
    « Why does one of you kill his brother? »
    i.e. “on what [basis]”

  2. بِمَ يَأْخُذ أحدكُم مَال أَخِيه؟ [مشكاة المصابيح :2840]
    « Why should any of you take his brother’s property? »
    i.e. “by what [justification]”

And often times, the meaning “why” is conveyed using مَا when a suitable verb exists. For example:

  1. مَا يُبْكِيكَ؟ [جامع الترمذي :3894]
    « What makes you cry? »
    i.e. “Why are you crying?”

40.4.8 Applicability of مَا and مَنْ to intelligent and non-intelligent beings

In (give ref) we discussed how, sometimes, the connected noun مَا may be used for intelligent beings and مَنْ for non-intelligent beings. Those same guidelines apply for مَا and مَنْ when they are question nouns. For example, when inquiring about the nature or qualities of a person مَا may be used. Examples:

  1. فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَا أَنْتَ قَالَ أَنَا نَبِيٌّ. فَقُلْتُ وَمَا نَبِيٌّ قَالَ أَرْسَلَنِي اللَّهُ [صحيح مسلم :832]
    « I said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘I am a prophet.’ So I said, ‘And who is a prophet?’ He said ‘Allāh has sent me.’ »

40.5 أَيّ

In section .. we studied أَيّ as a general connected noun. Just like مَا and مَنْ, أَيّ too can be a question noun for “which” questions. Many of the rules that apply the question nouns مَا and مَنْ also apply to أَيّ. For example, the default position of أَيّ is in the beginning of the question sentence.

However, أَيّ is also different from مَا and مَنْ in some respects. For example, consistent with what we learned in its use as a connected noun, the question noun أَيّ is a fully-flexible noun and can be used indiscriminately for both intelligent and non-intelligent beings.

Also, أَيّ is typically the annexed noun in an annexation. When أَيّ is a connected noun, then its annexed-to noun is usually definite. But when أَيّ is a question noun, then its annexed-to noun may be either definite or indefinite.

40.5.1 أَيّ with a definite annexed-to noun

When the annexed-to noun of أَيّ is a definite noun, the annexation has the meaning “which [one] of”. For example,

  1. فَأَيَّ آيَاتِ ٱللَّهِ تُنكِرُونَ [سورة غافر 40:81]
    « So which of the signs of Allāh do you deny? »

  2. أَيُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ [سنن أبي داود :1449]
    « Which of the deeds is best? »

  3. فَأَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ [سورة الأنعام 6:81]
    « So which of the two parties has more right to security »

  4. مِنْ أَيِّ أَيَّامِ الشَّهْرِ كَانَ يَصُومُ [صحيح مسلم :1160]
    « From which of the days of the month would he fast? »

As in the examples above, the annexed-to noun in such a case is typically a plural or a dual. If the annexed-to noun is a definite singular noun, then there is an implied partitive meaning, i.e. “which part of”.6 For example,

  1. فِي أَيِّ طَعَامِهِ يُبَارَكُ لَهُ [سنن أبي داود :3845]
    « in which (part) of his food is the blessing »

  2. مِنْ أَيِّ الْمَالِ [سنن أبي داود :4063]
    « From which (category) of wealth? »

However, if the noun is of generic definiteness then the partitive aspect indicates one out of the set that constitutes the generic type. In English the plural is often used to signify the generic type. For example the generic type ٱلْعَمَل “the deed” can be translated in English as “deeds”. So أَيُّ ٱلْعَمَلِ means “which one from the generic type ‘deeds’” or simply “which deed”. Examples:

  1. أَيُّ الْعَمَلِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟ [الأدب المفرد :1]
    « Which deed is most beloved to Allāh? »

  2. أَيُّ الدُّعَاءِ أَفْضَلُ [الأدب المفرد :637]
    “Which supplication is best?”

  3. أَيُّ الذَّنْبِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ [صحيح البخاري :4477]
    « Which deed is most enormous in the sight of Allāh? »

40.5.2 أَيّ with a indefinite annexed-to noun

When the annexed-to noun of أَيّ is a indefinite noun, the annexation has the meaning “which” without “of”. For example,

  1. أَيَّ شَىْءٍ كُنْتَ تَصْنَعُ [سنن ابن ماجه :2606]
    « Which thing would you do? »

  2. أَيَّ شَىْءٍ نَشْتَهِي [صحيح مسلم :1887]
    « What thing shall we desire? »

  3. أَيُّ لَيْلَةٍ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ [جامع الترمذي :3513]
    « Which night is the night of Decree »

If the annexed-to noun is a dual or plural indefinite then then inquiry is about the complete number, not just one of them. For example:

  1. أَيُّ رِجَالٍ؟ [Wright 2/220A]
    « Which men? »

  2. أَيُّ رَجُلَيْنِ؟ [Wright 2/220A]
    « Which two men? »

40.5.3 Matching the rest of the question sentence with أَيّ

أَيّ itself, like مَا and مَنْ, is singular masculine. For the purpose of matching the rest of the question sentence with أَيّ, either it can match the singular masculine to match with the word أَيّ, or it can match the gender and number of what أَيّ refers to. For example,

  1. أَيُّ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتَعَاذَتْ مِنْهُ [صحيح البخاري :5254]
    « Which of the wives of the Prophet sought refuge (with Allāh) from him? »
    (اسْتَعَاذَتْ is a feminine verb to match the feminine “wife”.)

  2. فَأَيُّ نِسَاءِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ أَحْظَى عِنْدَهُ مِنِّي [صحيح مسلم :1423]
    « So which of the women of the Prophet was dearer to him than I? »
    (كَانَ is a masculine verb to match masculine أَيّ.)

40.5.4 أَيّ standalone without a annexed-to noun

Occasionally, أَيّ is used without a annexed-to noun. It is then, technically, indefininte. However, the meaning of an annexation is still implicit. This may be when أَيّ has already been used once with an an annexation, and subsequent uses of أَيّ are restricted to the previously mentioned annexation. For example,

  1. أَيُّ الْعَمَلِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟ قَالَ الصَّلاَةُ عَلَى وَقْتِهَا، قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَيٌّ؟ [الأدب المفرد :1]
    « ‘Which deed is most beloved to Allāh?’ He replied, ‘Prayer at its proper time.’ I said, ‘Then which?’ »

See also section … below, where أَيّ is used standalone in a response.

40.5.5 أَيّ annexed to multiple annexed-to nouns

One أَيّ may be annexed to multiple annexed-to nouns separated by وَ “and”. For example,

  1. أَيُّ زِرَاعَةِ ٱلْفَاكِهَةِ وَزِرَاعَةِ ٱلْقُطْنِ أَرْبَحُ؟ [النحو الوافي 3/107]
    « Which one of the agriculture of fruit, and the agriculture of cotton is more profitable? »

In such a case, it is optional to have one أَيّ or to repeat it. So we could also say, for the same meaning:

  1. أَيُّ زِرَاعَةِ ٱلْفَاكِهَةِ وَأَيُّ زِرَاعَةِ ٱلْقُطْنِ أَرْبَحُ؟

However, if one of the annexed-to nouns is an attached pronoun then repeating أَيّ is mandatory.7 Example:

  1. أَيِّي وَأَيُّكَ أَعْلَمُ؟
    « Which one of you and me is more knowledgeable? »

أَيِّي وَأَيُّكَ is equivalent to أَيُّنَا but it spells out the two options to choose from.

40.6 The question sentence within another sentence8

TODO

40.7 Usage of question nouns in quoting and standalone9

TODO

40.8 Differentiating question-devices from their other functions

معاني النحو 2/37

Many of the question-devices (أَ, مَنْ, مَا, كَيْفَ, etc.) also have other functions. For example, in chapter @ref(the-connected-nouns) we learned that مَنْ, مَا, and أَيّ are also connected nouns. Many of the question nouns can also be used as conditional nouns that we will study in chapter @ref(…), if Allāh wills.

In this section, we will discuss briefly how to determine when words like أَ, مَنْ, مَا, كَيْفَ, etc. are question-devices, and when they could have one of their other functions.

The basic principle regarding a question sentence is that it is to be treated as one unit. A word from within a question sentence is not, individually, affected by anything outside the question. Let’s try to understand this using an example.

Consider the following sentence:

  1. ٱِسْأَلْ أَيُّهُمْ قَامَ
    ʾisʾal ʾayyuhum qām
    « Ask: ‘Which of them stood?’ »

The speaker is commanding the addressed person to ask a group of people the question: “Which of them stood”.

The question sentence is أَيُّهُمْ قَامَ ʾayyuhum qām « Which of them stood ». This entire sentence is considered the direct doee of the verb of command ٱسْأَلْ “ask!”. The question noun أَيُّ ʾayyu is in the u-case because it is the subject of the question sentence. It does not become أَيَّ ʾayya in the a-case because it is not, by itself, the direct doee of ٱسْأَلْ. Rather, as we have just stated, the entire question sentence is the direct doee. But because the direct doee is a sentence, and not an individual word, it does not indicate its case using, for example, an fat·ḥah ◌َ.

Now, let’s modify the example. Consider now this sentence:

  1. ٱِسْأَلْ أَيَّهُمْ قَامَ
    ʾisʾal ʾayyahum qām
    « Ask the one of them who stood! »

Now, the noun أَيَّ is in the a-case because it (individually) is the direct doee of the verb of command ٱسْأَلْ. The speaker is now commanding the addressed person to ask (something) of only the person who stood, out of a group of people. The rest of the people are not to be asked. Because the noun أَيَّ is individually affected by the preceding verb ٱسْأَلْ it is now not a question noun, and must be one of the other functions that the word أَيّ can have. As a matter of fact, it is here a connected noun, and the sentence following it: قَامَ “he stood” is its connecting sentence.

The other noteworthy point regarding questions (besides their being considered one unit) is that they may only be preceded either by a verb of knowledge, (like عَلِمَ, دَرىٰ, etc.) or by an expression indicating that the question is being quoted. We have already seen an example of the question being quoted in the example:

  1. ٱِسْأَلْ أَيُّهُمْ قَامَ
    « Ask: ‘Which of them stood?’ »

An example of a question being preceded by a verb of knowledge is:

  1. مَا عَلِمْتُ أَذَهَبَ أَمْ مَكَثَ
    « I don’t know whether he went or stayed. »

Here the question sentence is: أَذَهَبَ أَمْ مَكَثَ « Did he go or did he stay? »

By the way, a question sentence may be part of a bigger question as well. For example:

  1. أَتَدْرِي أَيُّهُمْ فِي ٱلدَّارِ؟
    ʾatadrī ʾayyuhum fi ‑ddār
    « Do you know: which of them is in the house? »

Note now the subtle difference in meaning if we change the case of أَيّ in the above example from the u-case to the a-case:

  1. أَتَدْرِي أَيَّهُمْ فِي ٱلدَّارِ؟
    ʾatadrī ʾayyahum fi ‑ddār
    « Do you know the one of them who is in the house? »

When أَيّ was in the u-case it was a question noun. And the speaker was asking the addressed person if he could figure out who, from among the group of people, was in the house.

When أَيّ is in the a-case it is now a connected noun. The connecting sentence’s refer-back pronoun is omitted (as is permissible in this case, see section @ref(…)). With the refer-back pronoun restored, the sentence is أَتَدْرِي أَيَّهُمْ هُوَ فِي ٱلدَّارِ؟ And the speaker is asking the addressed person if he is familiar with the person who is in the house. Now he is not asking the addressed person to identify him, but rather if knows him as a person.

This difference is apparent with أَيّ because it is a flexible noun whose case is indicated by the vowel mark at its end. The same occurs in the other question nouns that are also connected nouns: مَا, and مَنْ but it won’t often be as apparent because they are rigid nouns.

As a final note, sometimes, one of the words like أَ, مَنْ, مَا, كَيْفَ, etc. may be preceded by parts of a sentence that are neither quoting, nor a verb of knowledge. Here we can be sure that the word is not a question-device and must be one of its other functions. However, it still may not be easy to figure out what that other function is. Nevertheless, the meaning of the sentence can still usually be gleaned. For example:

  1. فَلْتَدْخُلْ مِنْ أَيِّ أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ شَاءَتْ
    « then let her enter from whichever of the doors of paradise she wishes. »[^question-vs-other-functions]

  1. Wright 2/308C↩︎

  2. معاني النحو 4/247↩︎

  3. See also the tafsīr of إِذۡ قَالَ ٱلۡحَوَارِیُّونَ یَـٰعِیسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ هَلۡ یَسۡتَطِیعُ رَبُّكَ أَن یُنَزِّلَ عَلَیۡنَا مَاۤىِٕدَةࣰ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِۖ [سورة المائدة 5:112]↩︎

  4. مغني اللبيب لابن هشام 5/436↩︎

  5. See also البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة النساء 4:176 (فإن كانتا اثنتين) and البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة الأنعام 6:23 (ثم لم تكن فتنتهم)↩︎

  6. Wright 2/220A↩︎

  7. Wright 2/220B↩︎

  8. التعليق. See معاني النحو (ظن وأخواتها) ٢/٣٧; النحو الوافي ٢/٢٧; Howell, part II, book 5, §444, pp. 155–165.↩︎

  9. الحكاية. See Wright, vol. i., §352–353, pp. 275B–276B, vol. ii, §170, p. 313↩︎