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28  The verb كَانَ

Warning

THIS BOOK IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT IS INCOMPLETE AND MAY HAVE TYPOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER ERRORS. IT IS NOT YET READY FOR STUDY.

28.1 Introduction

We have learned that a verb must have a doer in the u-state and can have a direct doee in the a-state. In this chapter, we will learn about a new type of verb, whose doer is called its subject, and whose direct doee is called its info.

The principal verb of this type is كَانَ which is used to mean “was”. There are other verbs which behave in a similar manner and they are called the sisters of كَانَ.

28.2 كَانَ as a deficient verb

In chapter (gov), we learned that a verbal sentence is formed from a verb and its doer. The verb constitutes the structure-completer and its doer constitutes the structure-starter. For example:

  1. قَامَ زَيْدٌ
    Zayd stood up.

In example (1) above قَامَ is the structure-completer and زَيْدٌ is the structure-starter.

Most verbs behave in this manner. They are termed sufficient verbs because the verb contains sufficient meaning to be the structure-completer by expressing some property about its doer (the structure-starter).

There are some verbs, however, that do not contain sufficient meaning to be the structure-completer of a sentence. These verbs are termed deficient verbs. For such verbs, the verb’s direct doee is needed to complete the meaning of the sentence. The verb كَانَ, which means “was”, is one such verb. If we say كَانَ زَيْدٌ Zayd was then the meaning is, in general, incomplete. The listener would be left wondering, Zayd was what? So, in order to complete the meaning of the sentence, we have to add a direct doee for كَانَ. For example:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا [Peled, Sentence types 171]
    Zayd was standing

Now the sentence is structurally complete.

28.3 A كَانَ sentence as a nounal sentence

The fact that كَانَ is not a structural element of its sentence also changes the classification of the sentence. The structure-starter in example (2) زَيْدٌ needs a structure-completer to complete the sentence. Because the verb كَانَ does not complete the meaning of the sentence, therefore it cannot be the structure-completer. The sentence becomes structurally complete when we add the direct doee قَائِمًا. Therefore, the direct doee قَائِمًا is the structure-completer.

So structural elements in example (2) become زَيْدٌ (the structure-starter) and قَائِمًا (the structure-completer). These two are nouns, not a verb and its doer. Therefore the sentence is reclassified as a nounal sentence, not a verbal sentence (see section (3amal)).1 زَيْدٌ is considered the subject, and قَائِمًا is considered the info.2

Although كَانَ is not a structural element anymore, it still governs both structural elements. Therefore, it is the foundational government of the sentence (see section (ref)).

The diagram below depicts the government of example (2).

DIAGRAM

28.4 Conjugation table for كَانَ

كَانَ is a hollow verb. Here is its conjugation table for easy reference:

Doer pronoun perfect verb u-state stateful verb a-state stateful verb 0-state stateful verb
he كَانَ يَكُونُ يَكُونَ يَكُنْ
she كَانَتْ تَكُونُ تَكُونَ تَكُنْ
you1m كُنْتَ تَكُونُ تَكُونَ تَكُنْ
you1f كُنْتِ تَكُونِينَ تَكُونِي تَكُونِي
I كُنْتُ أَكُونُ أَكُونَ أَكُنْ
they2m كَانَا يَكُونَانِ يَكُونَا يَكُونَا
they2f كَانَتَا تَكُونَانِ تَكُونَا تَكُونَا
you2 كُنْتُمَا تَكُونَانِ تَكُونَا تَكُونَا
they3m كَانُوا يَكُونُونَ يَكُونُوا يَكُونُوا
they3f كُنَّ يَكُنَّ يَكُنَّ يَكُنَّ
you3m كُنْتُمْ تَكُونُونَ تَكُونُوا تَكُونُوا
you3f كُنْتُنَّ تَكُنَّ تَكُنَّ تَكُنَّ
we كُنَّا نَكُونُ نَكُونَ نَكُنْ

Here are some examples showing some of the different conjugations:

  1. كَانَتْ زَيْنَبُ جَائِعَةً
    Zaynab was hungry.

  2. كَانَ ٱلْغُلَامُ زَيْدًا
    The boy was Zayd.

  3. كَانَتِ ٱلنِّسَاءُ فِي بُيُوتِهِنَّ
    The women were in their houses.

  4. كَانُوا مَسْرُورِينَ وَفَرِحِينَ
    They3m were happy and rejoicing.

  5. كُنْتُ نَائِمَةً
    I1f was sleeping.

  6. كُنْتَ لِي أَخًا
    You1m were a brother to me.

28.5 Word order of كَانَ, its subject, and its info

Verb, subject, info

In sentence word order, the natural sequence is verb, subject, info.

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا [Wright 2/100B]
    Zayd was standing.

Verb, info, subject

The sequence verb, info, subject is also permissible.

  1. كَانَ قَائِمًا زَيْدٌ [Wright 2/100B]
    Zayd was standing.

Info, verb, subject

So is the sequence info, verb, subject:

  1. قَائِمًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ [Wright 2/100B]
    Zayd was standing.

This last order is common in questions and alternative sentence sentences.3 For example:

  1. أَقَائِمًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ
    Was Zayd standing?

  2. أَكْرِمْ الضَّيْفَ غَنِيًّا كَانَ أَوْ فَقِيرًا [Wright 2/100B]
    Honor the guest, be he rich or poor.

Sometimes, however, this inversion is impossible because of an indistinguishable state of the two nouns.

For example, in order to express My brother was my companion, we must say:

  1. كَانَ أَخِي رَفِيقِي [Wright 2/100C]
    My brother was my companion.

This is because, if we invert it, it would naturally mean:

  1. كَانَ رَفِيقِي أَخِي [Wright 2/100C]
    My companion was my brother.

Subject, verb, info

What about the sequence: subject, verb, info? For example:

  1. زَيْدٌ كَانَ قَائِمًا
    Zayd – he was standing.

Remember that a verb must be followed by its doer. So this is actually a compound sentence. زَيْدٌ is the subject of the outer sentence. And the info of the outer sentence is the inner sentence كَانَ قَائِمًا. The subject of كَانَ is a latent pronoun, implicated a [هُوَ].

Word order when كَانَ’s info has a a-state governee

We know from chapter (ref) that a deverbal noun can have a doee. The natural word order is for this doee to occur after its governor, thus:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ [الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59]
    Zayd was eating your food.

Other word orders are also possible. We will discuss the different combinations below:

  1. Basic order: كَانَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا
    1. ✓ كَانَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ
    2. ✓ كَانَ زَيْدٌ طَعَامَكَ آكِلًا
    3. ✓ طَعَامَكَ كَانَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا
    4. ✗ كَانَ طَعَامَكَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا
  2. Basic order: كَانَ آكِلًا زَيْدٌ
    1. ✓ كَانَ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ زَيْدٌ
    2. ✓ كَانَ آكِلًا زَيْدٌ طَعَامَكَ
    3. ✓ طَعَامَكَ كَانَ آكِلًا زَيْدٌ
    4. ✗ كَانَ طَعَامَكَ آكِلًا زَيْدٌ
  3. Basic order: آكِلًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ
    1. ✓ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ كَانَ زَيْدٌ
    2. ✓ طَعَامَكَ آكِلًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ
    3. ✓ آكِلًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ طَعَامَكَ
    4. ✗ آكِلًا كَانَ طَعَامَكَ زَيْدٌ

As you can see, only three of the combinations are disallowed.4 And in all three كَانَ is separated from its subject (زَيْدٌ ) by the governee (طَعَامَكَ) of its info (آكِلًا).

Even some of these disallowed combinations become permitted if the governee of the info of كَانَ is not a direct doee but a preposition or an adverb of time and place. Recall from section (ref) that the word order of prepositions and adverbs of time and place is especially flexible. So we can say:

  1. كَانَ عِنْدَكَ زَيْدٌ مُقِيمًا [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 1/280]
    Zayd was, at your place, staying.

  2. كَانَ فِيكَ زَيْدٌ رَاغِبًا [شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 1/280]
    Zayd was, of [your favour], desirous

Some of the combinations above, though allowed, are considered ungainly by some grammarians5, like (20) (3) آكِلًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ طَعَامَكَ. But again, if the governee of the info of كَانَ is not a direct doee but a preposition or an adverb of time and place, then there is no problem. For example:

  1. مُسَافِرًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ الْيَوْمَ [الهمع للسيوطي 1/432]
    Journeying Zayd was today

  2. رَاغِبًا كَانَ زَيْدٌ فِيكَ [الهمع للسيوطي 1/432]
    Desirous Zayd was, of [your favour]

Word order of a compound sentence when كَانَ’s info has a a-state governee

The subject can made to precede كَانَ, such that it becomes a compound sentence:

  1. زَيْدٌ كَانَ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ [الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59]

Now the subject of كَانَ is a latent pronoun [هُوَ]. Since this latent pronoun is attached to كَانَ, the info آكِلًا’s governee طَعَامَك can no longer come between كَانَ and its subject. Now all twelve combinations are permissible.6, Here is a sampling out of them:

    1. طَعَامَكَ زَيْدٌ كَانَ آكِلًا [الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59]
    2. زَيْدٌ طَعَامَكَ آكِلًا كَانَ [الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59]
    3. طَعَامَكَ آكِلًا زَيْدٌ كَانَ [الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59]

28.6 Negation of كَانَ

TODO

28.7 A pronoun as the info of كَانَ

When a pronoun is the info of كَانَ, then it may optionally be attached to كَانَ or separated using the prefix إِيَّا.

Examples:

  1. إِنْ يَكُنْهُ فَلَنْ تُسَلَّطَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْهُ فَلاَ خَيْرَ لَكَ فِي قَتْلِهِ [صحيح مسلم :2930a cited by شرح الكافية الشافية لابن مالك 1/231]
    If he is he (i.e. the Dajjāl), you would not be able to overpower him, and if he is not he there is no good for you in killing him

  2. الصَّدِيقُ كُنْتَهُ [أوضح المسالك لابن هشام 1/114]
    The friend – you are he.
    (الصَّدِيقُ كُنْتَ إِيَّاهُ is also permitted.7)

  3. كَانَهُ زَيْدٌ [أوضح المسالك لابن هشام 1/114]
    Zayd was he.

For the other sisters of كَانَ it is preferred that the pronoun be separated using the prefix إِيَّا. An attached pronoun for the other sisters is rare.8

28.8 A separating-pronoun between the subject and info of كَانَ

TODO

  1. كَانَ زَيْدًا هُوَ الْقَائِمَ

النحو الوافي 1/249

28.9 A maṣdari ʾan as the subject or info of كَانَ

Recall from chapter (ref) that the clause of a maṣdari ʾan is equivalent to a maṣdar, which is a noun. Consider the following example:

  1. ثُمَّ لَمۡ تَكُن فِتۡنَتُهُمۡ إِلَّاۤ أَن قَالُوا۟ وَٱللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشۡرِكِینَ [سورة الأنعام 6:23 cited by البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 714]
    Then there will be no [excuse upon] examination except they will say, “By Allāh, our Lord, we were not those who associated.”

The clause أَنْ قَالُوا is equivalent to قَوْلُهُمْ their saying. Due to this equivalence to a noun, a maṣdari ʾan can be the subject or the info of كَانَ. For the āyah in example (31), فِتْنَة is read in both the u-state (فِتْنَتُهُمْ) and the a-state (فِتْنَتَهُمْ) in different recitations.9 So the أَنْ قَالُوا clause is analyzed as the subject of كَانَ when فِتْنَة is read in the a-state as the info. and it is analyzed as the info of كَانَ when فِتْنَة is read in the u-state as the subject.

In general, a maṣdari ʾan will be more likely to be the subject because is is considered more definite.10

28.10 A complete sentence as the info of كَانَ

So far we have seen examples where the info of كَانَ is a single noun in the a-state. In example (17) كَانَ زَيْدٌ آكِلًا طَعَامَكَ the info of the كَانَ is the noun آكِلًا. The info آكِلًا is governing a latent doer pronoun [هُوَ] and the direct doee طَعَامَكَ, but still, the info itself is a single noun, not a complete sentence.

Here is another example:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقًا [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 662]
    Zayd was setting out.

In example (32) above the info of كَانَ is the noun مُنْطَلِقًا.

In section (ref), we learned that the info of a nounal sentence can be a complete sentence. So, the info of كَانَ can be a complete sentence. For example:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ أَبُوهُ مُنْطَلِقٌ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 692]
    Zayd – his father was setting out.
    (literally: Zayd was – his father is setting out.)

In example (33), the info of كَانَ is the complete sentence أَبُوهُ مُنْطَلِقٌ His father is setting out. As we stated in section (ref), when the info is a sentence, then internally it is governed independently with its own foundational government. So كَانَ has no governing effect within the info sentence.11 The inner sentence زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقٌ has its own internal government with زَيْدٌ as the subject and مُنْطَلِقٌ as the info. That is why مُنْطَلِقٌ is in the u-state and not in the a-state.

The entire info sentence أَبُوهُ مُنْطَلِقٌ in in place of a a-state noun as the info of كَانَ.

Here are some more examples of كَانَ with a sentence as its info:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ أَخُوهُ ضَاحِكٌ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 692]
    Zayd – his brother was laughing.

  2. كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقٌ أَبُوهُ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 692]
    Zayd – setting out, his father was.
    (literally: Zayd was – setting out, his father is.)

In example, (35) above, the sentence info is مُنْطَلِقٌ أَبُوهُ. مُنْطَلِقٌ is the fronted info and أَبُوهُ is the subject. Although this sentence is grammatically correct, we will see in the next section that a sababi info is more likely to be used instead.

When كَانَ has a info that is a complete sentence, then the info of the inner sentence will match its subject in number and gender. For example:

  1. كَانَ الزَّيْدَانِ أَبَوَاهُمَا حَسَنَانِ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693]
    The two Zayds – their fathers [were] handsome.

  2. كَانَ الزَّيْدَانِ حَسَنَانِ أَبَوَاهُمَا [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693 footnote 3]
    The two Zayds – handsome, their fathers [were].
    (fronted info.)

  3. كَانَ الزَّيْدُونَ حَسَنُونَ آبَاؤُهُمْ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693 footnote 3]
    The Zayds – handsome, their fathers [were].
    (sound plural as the fronted info.)

  4. كَانَ الزَّيْدُونَ حِسَانٌ آبَاؤُهُمْ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693 footnote 3]
    The Zayds – handsome, their fathers [were].
    (broken plural as the fronted info.)

28.11 A state-of-affairs pronoun as the subject of كَانَ

كَانَ may have a state-of-affairs pronoun as its subject. And the info of كَانَ will be an inner sentence. For example

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 745]
    [The state of affairs] was – Zayd is standing.

In example (40) above, the subject of كَانَ is a latent state-of-affairs pronoun [هُوَ]. And the info of كَانَ is the inner sentence زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ Zayd is standing. Compare example (40) with example (2) كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا, where the subject of كَانَ is زَيْدٌ. And the info of كَانَ is the single element قَائِمًا.

Similarly, if the subject of the inner sentence is a feminine noun, then the state-of-affairs pronoun subject of كَانَ is typically feminine, thus:

  1. كَانَتْ هِنْدٌ قَائِمَةٌ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 745]
    [The state of affairs] was – Hind is standing.

By the way, although the gender of the state-of-affairs pronoun usually matches the gender of the subject of its info, it is possible for it to mismatch.12 (We also mentioned this in section (ref).)

In practice, usage of the state-of-affairs pronoun in sentences like example (40) كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ is uncommon, but nevertheless existent.13 Instead the construction in example (2) كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا is far more likely to be used. But, as we will see in sections (ref) and (ref), if Allāh wills, when the info of كَانَ is a verbal sentence, then the state-of-affairs pronoun is very commonly used as the subject of كَانَ.

28.12 كَانَ with a sababi info

Consider again example (35) كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقٌ أَبُوهُ. Instead of using a sentence info, we can reconstruct the sentence to have مُنْطَلِقًا to be the info of كَانَ, and have أَبُوهُ as the doer of the doer participle مُنْطَلِقًا, thus:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقًا أَبُوهُ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 692]
    Zayd – his father was setting out.

This is a sababi info construction. (See section (ref) for an introduction to the sababi info.) The info of كَانَ in example (42) above is not a complete sentence. Rather, it is the single element مُنْطَلِقًا. A sentence with a sababi info like (42) كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقًا أَبُوهُ will be preferred over a sentence with a fronted info like (35) كَانَ زَيْدٌ مُنْطَلِقٌ أَبُوهُ.14

When كَانَ has a sababi info, then, as mentioned in section (ref), it generally remains singular regardless whether its doer is dual or plural. So we get:

  1. كَانَ الزَّيْدَانِ مُنْطَلِقًا أَبَوَاهُمَا
    The two Zayds – their fathers [were] setting out.

  2. كَانَ الزَّيْدُونَ مُنْطَلِقَةً جَدَّاتُهُمْ
    The Zayds – their grandmothers [were] setting out.

But if the info has a broken plural, then it is permitted (and in fact preferred) to be used.15

  1. كَانَ الزَّيْدُونَ حِسَانًا آبَاؤُهُمْ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693]
    The Zayds – their fathers [were] handsome.

28.13 كَانَ with a prepositional or adverbial info

It is possible for the info of كَانَ to be a prepositional or adverbial info. For example:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ فِي الدَّارِ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 682]
    Zayd was in the house.

  2. كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ عِنْدَكَ [البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 682]
    Muḥammad was at your place.

In such cases, the info of كَانَ is technically the implication of general beingness [مُسْتَقِرًّا] (see section (ta3alluq)). The implicated general beingness governs the preposition/adverb. The preposition or adverb is not directly governed by كَانَ.16

28.14 كَانَ as a sufficient verb

As we mentioned in section (ref) above, the verb كَانَ that we have been using so far is called the deficient كَانَ.

There is another type of كَانَ called the sufficient كَانَ. This كَانَ has sufficient meaning to not need an info. The meaning that the sufficient كَانَ gives is the meaning of exists. In English, we usually express this meaning using there was. For example,

  1. كَانَ مَلِكٌ
    [There] was a king.
    (literally: A king was.)

Note that مَلِك king is in the u-state as the subject. If it were in the a-state, then it would change the meaning:

  1. كَانَ مَلِكًا
    He was a king.

When كَانَ is sufficient then it serves as the structure-completer. So the sentence is a verbal sentence.

Here is another example of a sufficient كَانَ:

  1. كَانَ تَاجِرٌ وَكَانَ لَهُ بَنُونَ [Wright 2/99D]
    There was a trader, and he had sons.

Incidentally, in example (50), the past verb of have: had is expressed using كَانَ with the preposition لِ.

28.15 Significations of the perfect verb كَانَ

The general siginification of the perfect verb كَانَ is to indicate a state that existed in the past, and that has possibly ceased. For example:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا
    Zayd was standing.

This statement is regarding Zayd’s state in the past and the implication is that he is possibly no longer standing.

This is the most common signification of the perfect verb كَانَ and the one that we have been using so far. But كَانَ is special in that it admits additional significations:

The second signification of كَانَ is to indicate a state that, at first, had not yet begun, and which then began and remained, possibly up to the present. It has, in this sense, the meaning became, has become, or happened. Examples:

  1. أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ [سورة البقرة 2:34]
    He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.

  2. احْتَرَقَ الْخَشَبُ فَكَانَ تُرَابًا
    [النحو الوافي 1/548]
    The wood burned and so became dust.

A third signification of كَانَ is to indicate a state that will be in the future. For example:

  1. وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًۭا كَانَ شَرُّهُۥ مُسْتَطِيرًۭا [سورة الإنسان 76:7]
    and [they] fear a Day whose evil will be widespread.

A fourth signification of كَانَ is to indicate a state that always existed and will always exist.17 For example:

  1. وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۢا [سورة الأحزاب 33:73]
    And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.

  2. وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةًۭ وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًۭا [سورة الإسراء 17:32]
    And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse.1 Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.

28.16 Significations of the u-state stateful verb يَكُونُ

28.16.1 يَكُونُ used for habitual is

Consider the sentence, The mother cooks the food. The verb cooks implies that the action is habitually done, not necessarily that it is being done at present. If we wished to say that the action is being done at present, we might instead say, The mother is cooking the food. English maintains this distinction between the present and the habitual for most verbs. But it does not for ther verb is. So if we say, The sky is blue, then it can mean both (i) that the sky is blue at present, or (ii) that it is habitually blue, not necessarily that it is blue at present.

In Arabic the situation is somewhat different. Arabic does not usually have a distinction between the present and the habitual for most verbs. So تَطْبُخُ الْأُمُّ الطَّعَامَ may mean both (i) that the mother is cooking the food at present, or (ii) that she habitually does.

But for the verb is, Arabic can distinguish between the present and the habitual. So if we say السَّمَاءُ زَرْقَاءُ, then this can, in general, mean both (i) that the sky is blue at present, and (ii) that it is habitually blue. If we wish to specify the habitual meaning, we may use the stateful verb يَكُونُ, thus:

  1. تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ زَرْقَاءَ
    The sky is (habitually) blue.

While we call this the habitual يَكُونُ, it can include a range of meanings, including continually, recurringly, regularly, typically, generally, often, sometimes, can, may, etc. Habitual يَكُونُ is negated using مَا or لَا, just like other u-state stateful verbs.

Here are some examples:

  1. قَالَ وَمَا الْبِتْعُ وَالْمِزْرُ؟ قُلْتُ شَرَابٌ يَكُونُ مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَالْمِزْرُ يَكُونُ مِنَ الشَّعِيرِ [سنن النسائي :5604]
    He said: ‘What is mead and beer?’ I said: ‘A drink that is from honey, and beer is from barley.’

  2. إِنَّهَا تَكُونُ الظُّلْمَةُ وَالسَّيْلُ [صحيح البخاري :667]
    [There] is [at times] darkness and flooding

28.16.2 قَدْ يَكُونُ for may be

When the meaning may be is desired, the the stateful verb يَكُونُ may be preceded by the particle قَدْ. For example,

  1. قَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاء يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ يَسْرِقُ الْمُؤْمِنُ قَالَ قَدْ يَكُونُ ذَلكَ [https://hadithunlocked.com/suyuti:401-5b]18
    Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “O Messenger of Allah, Can a believer steal?” He said, “That may be.”

28.16.3 يَكُونُ used for future will be

Another usage of the stateful verb يَكُونُ is for the future tense to mean will be. In this case, it is often preceded by سَ or سَوْفَ. سَ and سَوْفَ are optional and are commonly dropped, especially when the context indicates the future. Future يَكُونُ is negated by لَا. Here are some examples:

  1. فَقَدْ كَذَّبْتُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَكُونُ لِزَامًا [سورة الفرقان 25:77]
    For you [disbelievers] have denied, so it [i.e., your denial] is going to be adherent.

  2. لا يَكونُ اللَّعَّانُونَ شُفَعَاءَ وَلَا شُهَدَاءَ يَومَ القِيَامَةِ [رياض الصالحين :1553]
    The frequent cursers will be neither intercessors nor witnesses [on] the day of resurrection.
    (يَوْمَ is in the a-state because it is an adverb of time, see chapter @ref(adverb-of-time).)

  3. يَوْمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلْفَرَاشِ ٱلْمَبْثُوثِ [سورة القارعة 101:4]
    It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed,

  4. يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ دَجَّالُونَ كَذَّابُونَ [صحيح مسلم :7]
    There will be in the end of time charlatan liars

28.17 Significance of the a-state stateful verb يَكُونَ

Like a-state stateful verbs in general, يَكُونَ be expresses the meaning of purpose, wish, or expectation. It occurs after the particles أَنْ, لَنْ, لِ, كَيْ, حَتَّىٰ, and إِذَنْ. All this is consistent with what we have learned about a-state stateful verbs in chapter @ref(a-state-stateful-verbs). Here are some examples:

  1. نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ. عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنذِرِينَ [سورة الشعراء 26:193-194]
    The Trustworthy Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] has brought it down. Upon your heart, [O Muḥammad] - that you may be of the warners -

  2. لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ ٱلْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْدًۭا لِّلَّهِ وَلَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ [سورة النساء 4:172]
    Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allāh, nor would the angels near [to Him]

  3. أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ ٱلنَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا۟ مُؤْمِنِينَ [سورة يونس 10:99]
    Then, [O Muḥammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers?

28.18 The 0-state stateful verb يَكُنْ

As with other verbs, the 0-state stateful verb يَكُنْ is used for negative commands, indirect commands, and with لَمْ for negation, etc. Examples:

  1. وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌۭ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ [سورة آل عمران 3:104]
    And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong,1 and those will be the successful.

  2. ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ [سورة آل عمران 3:60]
    The truth is from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters.

  3. لَمْ يَكُنِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَبَّابًا وَلاَ فَحَّاشًا وَلاَ لَعَّانًا [صحيح البخاري :6031]
    The Prophet ﷺ was not one who would abuse (others) or say obscene words, or curse (others)

28.18.1 Deletion of ن

For the 0-state stateful conjugations of كَانَ that don’t have a و between ك and ن, the ن may optionally be deleted if certain conditions are satisfied. These conjugations are:

  • يَكُنْ which becomes يَكُ
  • تَكُنْ which becomes تَكُ
  • نَكُنْ which becomes نَكُ
  • أَكُنْ which becomes أَكُ

These are the conditions, all of whom must be satisfied19:

  1. The verb is not followed by a sukūn. Examples:

    1. ✗ لَمْ يَكُ الَّذِينَ …
      ✓ لَمۡ یَكُنِ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِینَ مُنفَكِّینَ حَتَّىٰ تَأۡتِیَهُمُ ٱلۡبَیِّنَةُ [سورة البينة 98:1]
      Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief]1 until there came to them clear evidence

    2. ✗ لَمْ يَكُ الرَّجُلُ حَاضِرًا
      ✓ لَمْ يَكُنِ الرَّجُلُ حَاضِرًا
      The man was not present.

  2. The verb is not followed by an attached pronoun. Example:

    1. ✗ إِنْ يَكُهُ فَلَنْ … وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُهُ …
      ✓ إِنْ يَكُنْهُ فَلَنْ تُسَلَّطَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْهُ فَلاَ خَيْرَ لَكَ فِي قَتْلِهِ [صحيح مسلم :2930a]
      If he is he (i.e. the Dajjāl), you would not be able to overpower him, and if he is not he there is no good for you in killing him

  3. The verb is not at the end of a sentence. Example:

    1. ✗ وَلَمْ أَكُ
      ✓ وَلَمۡ أَكُ بَغِیࣰّا [سورة مريم 19:20]
      and I have not been unchaste

Here are some more examples which satisfy the conditions so the ن is deleted. Examples:

  1. وَلَا تَكُ فِى ضَيْقٍۢ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ [سورة النحل 16:127]
    and do not be in distress over what they conspire.

  2. وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْـًۭٔا [سورة مريم 19:9]
    for I created you before, while you were nothing

  3. قَالُوا۟ لَمۡ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُصَلِّینَ ۝٤٣ وَلَمۡ نَكُ نُطۡعِمُ ٱلۡمِسۡكِینَ ۝٤٤ [سورة المدثر 74:43-44]
    They will say, “We were not of those who prayed, Nor did we used to feed the poor.

  4. أَلَمۡ یَكُ نُطۡفَةࣰ مِّن مَّنِیࣲّ یُمۡنَىٰ [سورة القيامة 75:37]
    Had he not been a sperm from semen emitted?

28.19 The verb of command كُنْ

The verb of command كُنْ is used to mean Be!. Examples:

  1. قُلْنَا يَـٰنَارُ كُونِى بَرْدًۭا وَسَلَـٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ [سورة الأنبياء 21:69]
    We [i.e., Allāh] said, O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham.

  2. فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ [سورة البقرة 2:65]
    “and We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised.’

The verb of command كُنْ followed by the name of a person in the a-state is used to express one’s guessing that the person whom one sees is the individual named. For example:

  1. كُنْ أَبَا ذَرٍّ [Wright 2/44C]
    I presume that the person approaching is Abū D͡harr

  2. كُنْ أَبَا زَيْدٍ [Wright 2/44C]
    I guess that you are Abū Zayd.

28.20 The perfect verb كَانَ combined with a stateful verb

In section (ref) above, we mentioned that the info كَانَ can be a complete sentence. The examples we gave were where the info of كَانَ were nounal sentences.

Instead of a nounal sentence as the info of كَانَ, the info is very often a verbal sentence. كَانَ combined with verbal sentences to express complex tenses. The most common combination is the perfect verb كَانَ with a stateful verb in its info.

Consider again example (2):

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا [Peled, Sentence types 171]
    Zayd was standing

The info of كَانَ is (as a single element) the doer participle قَائِمًا. Let’s try to replace the doer participle قَائِمًا with its stateful verb يَقُومُ. We get:

  1. كَانَ زَيْدٌ يَقُومُ
    Zayd used to stand.
    (literally: Zayd was – he stands.)

When كَانَ is combined with a following stateful verb, or its doer participle, it indicates an imperfect action that was occurring in the past. The tense is usually either:

  1. Past-continuous (he was doing), or
  2. Past-habitual (he used to do).

In general, كَانَ with a stateful verb can indicate either tense. Whereas كَانَ with a doer participle typically indicates the past-continuous tense. The exact difference in signification between the doer participle and its stateful verb is discussed in more detail in chapter (ref).

Let’s discuss the grammar of the new sentence (83) كَانَ زَيْدٌ يَقُومُ. The subject of كَانَ is زَيْدٌ. And the info of كَانَ is the complete verbal sentence يَقُومُ he stands. The doer of the stateful verb يَقُومُ is the latent pronoun [هُوَ] that refers back to the subject زَيْدٌ.

The word order of كَانَ, its subject, and the stateful verb

The sequence (كَانَ, subject, stateful verb) is a very commonly used word order. But there is also another word order which is also very frequently used. And that is (كَانَ, stateful verb, subject). For example:

  1. كَانَ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ
    Zayd used to stand.

There are two methods to anaylyze example (84) above20:

The first method is to consider زَيْدٌ the doer of the stateful verb يَقُومُ. The sentence يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ Zayd stands is then the info of كَانَ. And the subject of كَانَ is a latent state-of-affairs pronoun [هُوَ]. The state-of-affairs pronoun will typically go untranslated in this case.

The second method is to consider زَيْدٌ the subject of كَانَ. The sentence يَقُومُ he stands (with a latent doer pronoun) is then the info of كَانَ, but which is made to precede its subject. By the way, it seems that this second method is not used when the subject is dual or plural. This is because we typically always find the stateful verb in the singular when it precedes the subject, regardless of whether the subject is singular, dual, or plural. For example:

  1. ✓ كَانَ يَقُومُ الزَّيْدَانِ
    ✗ كَانَ يَقُومَانِ الزَّيْدَانِ
    The two Zayds were standing.

Both word orders (83) كَانَ زَيْدٌ يَقُومُ and (84) كَانَ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ. have, more or less, a similar meaning.

But choosing one of two word orders can affect the conjugation of the stateful verb for dual and plural subjects. Here is a table that compares conjugations for the two options:

كَانَ زَيْدٌ يَقُومُ كَانَ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ
كَانَتْ هِنْدٌ تَقُومُ كَانَتْ تَقُومُ هِنْدٌ
كَانَالزَّيْدَانِ يَقُومَانِ كَانَ يَقُومُ الزَّيْدَانِ
كَانَتِ الْهِنْدَانِ تَقُومَانِ كَانَتْ تَقُومُ الْهِنْدَانِ
كَانَ الزَّيْدُونَ يَقُومُونَ كَانَ يَقُومُ الزَّيْدُونَ
كَانَتِ الْهِنْدَاتُ يَقُمْنَ كَانَتْ تَقُومُ الْهِنْدَاتُ

When the subject of كَانَ is a dual or plural pronoun, then it seems that only the (كَانَ, subject, stateful verb) is used. And the (كَانَ, stateful verb, subject) is unused. For example:

  1. ✓ كَانُوا يَقُومُونَ
    ✗ كَانَ يَقُومُونَ
    They were standing.

Here are some more examples of كَانَ followed by a stateful verb:

كَانَ يَعْبُدُ مُشْرِكُو مَكَّةَ ٱلْأَصْنَامَ
or
كَانَ مُشْرِكُو مَكَّةَ يَعْبُدُونَ ٱلْأَصْنَامَ
The polytheists of Makkah used to worship idols.

كَانَتْ تُحِبُّ الصَّدَقَةَ [صحيح البخاري :1420]
She used to love [to practice] charity.

كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ [سورة التغابن 64:6]
their messengers used to come to them with clear evidences
(Sound plurals, even of rational beings, may be treated as grammatically singular feminine. See section @ref(sound-plurals-sing-fem).)

كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ بِالْبَنَاتِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَكَانَ لِي صَوَاحِبُ يَلْعَبْنَ مَعِي [صحيح البخاري :6130]
I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and I had companionsf playing with me.

Occasionally, the particle قَدْ precedes the combination of كَانَ and the stateful verb. Example:

قَالُوا هَذَا قَدْ كَانَ يَكْتُبُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ [صحيح مسلم :2781]
They said, ‘This [person] used to transcribe for Muḥammad ﷺ’

The following stateful verb may also be an passive verb. Example:

إِنَّ أُنَاسًا كَانُوا يُؤْخَذُونَ بِالْوَحْىِ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم [صحيح البخاري :2641]
Indeed people were (sometimes) judged (literally: held) by the [revealing of] divine inspiration in the lifetime of the Prophet.

28.20.1 One كَانَ suffices multiple stateful verbs

If the signification of an action ocurring continually in the past applies to more that one stateful verb, then it is sufficient to prefix كَانَ to only the first one. Example:

كَانَتْ تَعْمَلُ بِيَدِهَا وَتَصَدَّقُ [صحيح مسلم :2452]
She used to work with her hand and spend (that income) on charity.
(تَتَصَدَّقُ is abbreviated to تَصَدَّقُ. See section @ref(form-5-verbs-abbrev).)

28.20.2 Negation of كَانَ and a stateful verb

In order to negate the combination of كَانَ and the following stateful verb, multiple options are available. Using يَفْعَلُ as an example stateful verb, we can have:

  • مَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ
  • لَمْ يَكُنْ يَفْعَلُ
  • كَانَ لَا يَفْعَلُ

Examples:

مَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ يَبْدَأُ، أَوْ يَبْدُرُ، ابْنَ عُمَرَ بِالسَّلامِ [الأدب المفرد :982]
No one preceded or got ahead of Ibn Ɛumar with (giving) the greeting.

كَانُوا۟ لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَن مُّنكَرٍۢ فَعَلُوهُ [سورة المائدة 5:79]
They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did.

لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَسْأَلُونَ عَنِ الإِسْنَادِ [صحيح مسلم :introduction]
They would not ask about the chains of narration

In terms of the differences between these constructions مَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ imparts more emphasis in the denial than كَانَ لَا يَفْعَلُ.

There is also difference between the options مَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ and كَانَ لَا يَفْعَلُ in terms of when one would be used instead of the other.21. For example, if someone says to you: I thought I saw you writing yesterday. To reply in the negative, you would say: مَا كُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ instead of كُنْتُ لَا أَكْتُبُ to mean I was not writing.

The construction مَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ is also used when one wishes to say that one never used to do something due to one’s circumstances And also to mean that one did not know how to do something in the past. For example,

مَا كُنْتُ أَحْفَظُ شِعْرًا
I used to not memorize any poetry.

As for كَانَ لَا يَفْعَلُ, it connotes an intentional or purposeful lack of doing something. Whereas, with مَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ, the lack of action may be incidental. For example, كَانَ لَا يَقْرَأُ ٱلْقُرْآنَ “He used to not read the Qurʾān imparts that the person was intentionally not doing so. Whereas مَا كَانَ يَقْرَأُ ٱلْقُرْآنَ does not convey the intentionality of the lack of action. For example, the person may not have been reading the Qurʾān because he did not know how to.

28.20.3 The combination كَانَ يَكُونُ

Occasionally, كَانَ can be combined with its own stateful verb يَكُونُ This gives the meaning was being or used to be. يَكُونُ is, in this combination, often optional and may be dropped for no change in meaning. Examples:

كَانَ يَكُونُ فِي مِهْنَةِ أَهْلِهِ [صحيح البخاري :676]
and
كَانَ فِي مِهْنَةِ أَهْلِهِ [صحيح البخاري :6039]
He used to keep himself busy serving his family

قَدْ كَانَ يَكُونُ فِي الأُمَمِ مُحَدَّثُونَ [جامع الترمذي :2398]
There used to be in the nations inspired persons

رِجَالٌ كَانُوا يَكُونُونَ مَعَ ٱلْمُلُوكِ [Wright 2/21C]
men that used to be with the kings

كَانَ يَكُونُ فِي ٱلْبَيْتِ [Fischer 107]
He used to be in the house.

28.20.4 Possible occurrence

Sometimes كَانَ is used with a stateful verb to express an action that could, should, or would have occurred. Examples:

كَانَ يَكُونُ سُوءَ أَدَبٍ [Fischer 108]
It would have been a misbehavior.

فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ أَنْتَ كُنْتَ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ [صحيح مسلم :1788]
Ḥud͡hayfah said: ‘You might have done that.’

This meaning can also be for the future, for example in a question:

أَىَّ شَىْءٍ كُنْتَ تَصْنَعُ [سنن ابن ماجه :2606]
Which thing would you do?

28.20.5 Omission of كَانَ

If one or more perfect verbs precedes the stateful verb or if the context indicates that the action was occurring in the past, then كَانَ can be omitted, and the stateful verb is used by itself.22 For example:

قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنۢبِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ [سورة البقرة 2:91]
Say,Then why did you kill the prophets of Allāh before”
(No كُنْتُمْ before تَقْتُلُونَ.)

وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَا تَتْلُوا۟ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ ۖ [سورة البقرة 2:102]
And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon
(No كَانَتْ before تَتْلُو.)

28.20.6 كَانَ followed by a doer participle or doee participle instead of a stateful verb

Instead of a stateful verb after كَانَ, its doer participle or doee participle may be used instead. And this can give the effect of a state of being rather than an action being done. For example:

كَانَ سَاكِنًا [Wright 2/198A]
He was dwelling

كَانَتِ ٱلْعُصِيُّ مَرْكُوزَةً فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ [Wright 2/198A]
The staffs were sticking in the ground.
(كَانَتْ تُرْكَزُ would imply that they were being stuck.)

When the verbal noun refers to an action taking place in the future, the idea of futurity is transferred to a past time. For example:

أَمْرٌ كَانَ مَفْعُولًا [Wright 2/196A]
a matter which was to be done

28.21 The perfect verb كَانَ combined with a perfect verb

كَانَ is combined with a following perfect verb to denote an action completed prior to some past (specified or implied) point in time. Example:

مَاتَ ٱلرَّشِيدُ بِطُوسَ وَكَانَ خَرَجَ إِلَىٰ خُرَاسَانَ لِمُحَارَبَةِ رَافِعِ بْنِ ٱللَّيْثِ

[Wright 2/5C]

al-Ras͡hīd died at Ṭūs after (literally: and) he had set out for K͡hurāsān to combat Rāfiɛ ibn al-Layt͡h.

The particle قَدْ is often used when كَانَ is combined with a perfect verb. قَدْ may be placed either between كَانَ and the following perfect verb, or before كَانَ. Examples:

كُنْتُ قَدْ رَبَّيْتُ جَارِيَةً [Wright 2/5C]
I had brought up a girl

قَدْ كَانَتْ فَرَغَتْ مِنْ عَمَلِهَا
She had been done with her work.

When their are multiple perfect verbs, and one (or more) of them occurred farther in the past than the others, it is indicated with قَدْ, the others having merely كَانَ. We re-use a previous example here and extend it:

مَاتَ ٱلرَّشِيدُ بِطُوسَ وَكَانَ خَرَجَ إِلَىٰ خُرَاسَانَ لِمُحَارَبَةِ رَافِعِ بْنِ ٱللَّيْثِ. وَكَانَ رَافِعٌ هَـٰذَا قَدْ خَرَجَ وَخَلَعَ ٱلطَّاعَةَ وَتَغَلَّبَ عَلَىٰ سَمَرْقَنْدَ.

[Wright 2/6A]

“al-Ras͡hīd died at Ṭūs after he had set out for K͡hurāsān to combat Rāfiɛ ibn al-Layt͡h. And this Rāfiɛ had already rebelled and cast off his allegiance and taken forcible posession of Samarqand.”
(Note how قَدْ is only used before Rāfiɛ’s action of rebelling.)

28.21.1 Negation

This combination may, again, be negated in multiple ways. Examples:

لاَ يَأْتِي ابْنَ آدَمَ النَّذْرُ بِشَىْءٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ قَدَّرْتُهُ [صحيح البخاري :6609]
Vowing does not bring to the son of Adam anything I have not already written in his fate,

وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَكُنْ خَرَجْتُ الْعَامَ [سنن أبي داود :1778]
I wish I had not come out (for Ḥajj) this year

وَمَا كَانَ قَدْ أَتَاهَا بِشَيْءٍ [A report narrated in إحياء علوم الدين لأبي حامد الغزالي 3/139 without a chain]
And he had not brought her anything

28.22 The stateful verb يَكُونُ combined with a perfect verb

The stateful verb يَكُونُ is compined with a perfect verb (often with an interposed قَدْ) to express that the action is conceived of having been completed in the future. Examples:

يَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْكَ صَدَقَةٌ [مشكاة المصابيح :1793]
Charity will have been incumbent upon you

فَلْنَأْخُذْهُ فَنَكُونُ قَدْ أَخَْذْنَا عِوَضًا [Fischer 108]
Let us take him for (then) we will have taken a substitute

28.22.0.1 The a-state verb يَكُونَ combined with a perfect verb

An a-state يَكُونَ is combined with a perfect verb to express being in a state of an action having occurred or that might have occurred. For example:

خَافَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَخْطَأَ [Fischer 110]
He feared that he could have erred.

وَيَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا سُبِقُوا [المهذب فيما وقع في القرآن من المعرب للسيوطي p. 59]
And that they might have been preceded is possible

يَشْتَرِطُ فِي ٱلنَّائِبِ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ حَجَّ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ
It is conditional for the deputy that he be in as state of already having performed the Ḥajj for himself.

28.23 The verb of command كُنْ combined with a stateful verb

Ocassionally, the verb of command كُنْ is combined with a stateful verb, thus:

كُنْ أَنْتَ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ [Fischer 121]
You be speaking to them!

28.24 كَانَ with the ل of denial

One special use of كَانَ is what is termed the ل of denial. This is a negative كَانَ (either مَا كَانَ or لَمْ يَكُنْ with the appropriate suffixes or prefixes for the subject) followed by لِ and then an a-state stateful verb. This expresses the meaning of:

  1. to deny being the one to do something, or
  2. to deny going to do something

Here are some examples:

لَمْ تَكُنْ زَيْنَبُ لِتَضْرِبَ وَلَدَهَا
Zaynab was not one to beat her child.
or
Zaynab was not going to beat her child.

وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ [سورة الأنفال 8:33]
But Allāh would not punish them while you, [O Muḥammad], are among them

فَقَالَ أَتَخْشَيْنَ أَنْ أَقْتُلَهُ مَا كُنْتُ لأَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ [سنن أبي داود :3112]
He said: Do you fear that I shall kill him ? I am not going to do that.

قَالَ لَمْ أَكُنْ لأَفْعَلَ [سنن ابن ماجه :1503]
He said: I was not going to do that.

28.25 كَانَ with the ل of deserving

Closely related, yet distinct from, the use of كَانَ with the ل of denial (above) is the use of كَانَ with a ل that signifies deserving, behooving, appropriateness, or possibility. This is, again, a negative كَانَ followed by the preposition لِ and a following i-state noun, and then أَنْ followed by an a-state stateful verb. This signifies that the action of the verb does not behoove, or is not appropriate or desrving or possibly for the person denoted by the noun after لِ.23 For example:

فَأَنۢبَتْنَا بِهِۦ حَدَآئِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍۢ مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنۢبِتُوا۟ شَجَرَهَآ ۗ [سورة النمل 27:60]
causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof

مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُؤْتِيَهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحُكْمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا۟ عِبَادًۭا لِّى مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ [سورة آل عمران 3:79]
It is not for a human [prophet] that Allāh should give him the Scripture and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, ‘Be servants to me rather than Allāh,’

قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَا كَانَ لاِبْنِ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم [سنن أبي داود :940]
Abū Bakr said ; it was not befitting for the son of Abū Quḥāfah to lead the prayer in the presence of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ

28.26 FINI

28.27 TODO:

كان زيد آكلا طعامك

See شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 1/280–284

كانت الحمى تأخذ زيدا [الجملة العربية لفاضل السامرائي 66]

أن المصدرية as subject or info of kaana. Both permitted but subject more worthy. [basit 714–715A]

شرح جمل الزجاجي لأبن عصفور p 411

info of kaana is a pronoun

  1. See also Peled, Sentence types 171↩︎

  2. This is according to the classification of the Baṣrans. The Kūfans considered the a-state governee of كَانَ its ḥāl. See شرح ألفية ابن مالك للشاطبي 2/137↩︎

  3. Wright 2/100B↩︎

  4. There is some difference of opinion regarding the permissibility of some of the combinations. See شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 1/280; الأشباه والنظائر للسيوطي 2/59; الهمع للسيوطي 1/432.↩︎

  5. الهمع للسيوطي 1/432↩︎

  6. inferred from الهمع للسيوطي 1/433↩︎

  7. شرح ابن عقيل على الألفية 1/104, النحو الوافي 1/275↩︎

  8. التذييل والتكميل لأبي حيان 2/245↩︎

  9. القراءات العشر من الشاطبية والدرة — دار الصحابة for سورة الأنعام 6:23↩︎

  10. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 715; الدر المصون للسمين الحلبي for سورة آل عمران 3:147↩︎

  11. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 683↩︎

  12. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 745, 746 footnote 1↩︎

  13. See the analysis of the reading فَكانَ أبَواهُ مُؤْمِنانِ in البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة الكهف 18:80↩︎

  14. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 694↩︎

  15. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 693↩︎

  16. البسيط لابن أبي الربيع 682; But see the tafsīrs of أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا [سورة يونس 10:2] for a possible exception to this rule.↩︎

  17. البحر المحيط لأبي حيان for سورة آل عمران 3:110↩︎

  18. See https://islamqa.info/ar/answers/264450 for the tak͡hrīj of this ḥadīt͡h.↩︎

  19. Conditions and examples taken from https://github.com/zahidsyed/learning-nahw-analytically↩︎

  20. For details on the dispute amongst the grammarians on the parsing of this word order, see حاشية الصبان على شرح الأشمونى لألفية ابن مالك 2/137; التذييل والتكميل لأبي حيان 4/184; الدر المصون للسمين الحلبي for سورة الأعراف 7:137 for مَا كَانَ یَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ; الدر المصون للسمين الحلبي for سورة التوبة 9:117 for مَا كَادَ یَزِیغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِیقࣲ مِّنۡهُمۡ↩︎

  21. معاني النحو 1/222↩︎

  22. Wright 2/21C↩︎

  23. البحر المحيط لأبي حيان and تفسير ابن عاشور for سورة آل عمران 3:79↩︎