أَلَا do not in Arabic

أَلا تَرَى أَنَّ الطِّفْلَ يُؤْثِرُ مَا يَهْوَى وَإِنْ أَدَّاهُ إِلَى التَّلَفِ

Do you not see that a child prefers what he desires, even if it leads to his ruin?

أَلَا do not

A particle fusing a question marker with 'not' to launch a rhetorical 'don't you...?' — it angles for agreement, not information.

From The Discipline of Foresight

وَقَوله أفضل كلمة قَالَهَا الشَّاعِر كلمة لبيد أَلا كل شَيْء مَا خلا الله بَاطِل

And his saying: "The best word said by a poet is the word of Labid: Behold, everything other than Allah is futile."

أَلَا behold

'lo, behold!' — an opening attention-particle that flags what follows as important. It rouses the listener before the famous line.

From The Declaration of Faith

أفضل كلمة قَالَهَا الشَّاعِر كلمة لبيد أَلا كل شَيْء مَا خلا الله بَاطِل

"The best phrase the poet Labid said: 'Indeed, everything besides Allah is false.'"

أَلَا Indeed

'lo, behold!' — an opening attention-particle flagging what follows as important.

From Small Deeds, Great Reward

أَلَا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى،

No doubt, every king has a sanctuary.

أَلَا no doubt

This opening particle rouses attention, 'truly, take heed'. It flags an important pronouncement to come, here a general principle about kings and their preserves.

From The Lawful, the Forbidden, and the Grey

أَلَا وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ،

No doubt, the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions.

أَلَا no doubt

The attention-rousing 'truly' again, heading the key application of the principle. It signals the punchline: what God's own preserve is.

From The Lawful, the Forbidden, and the Grey

أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ،

Indeed, in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it is sound, the whole body is sound,

أَلَا indeed

The attention-particle 'truly, take heed', opening the closing image of the hadith. It marks another weighty statement, now about the body.

From The Lawful, the Forbidden, and the Grey

أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ

No doubt, it is the heart.

أَلَا no doubt

The attention-particle one last time, building to the reveal. It caps the image: now the morsel will be named.

From The Lawful, the Forbidden, and the Grey

فقال ألا أعلمكم شيئًا تدركون به من سبقكم، وتسبقون به من بعدكم، ولا يكون أحد أفضل منكم إلا من صنع مثل ما صنعتم؟

He said: 'Shall I not teach you something by which you will catch up with those who have surpassed you, and you will surpass those after you, and no one will be better than you except those who do as you do?'

أَلَا Shall I not

This is an opening particle of attention and gentle prompting — 'now then / shall I not...?'. It rouses the listeners before a suggestion. Because it carries a built-in 'not', the 'yes' that answers it later will be the special contradicting 'yes'.

From Praises That Elevate the Poor

فيقول ألا تستجيبون؟

He will say, "Will you not respond?"

أَلَا Will you not

This is a particle of prompting that carries a built-in 'not' — 'will you not...?'. It urges them toward an answer. Because of its hidden negative, it pushes for assent.

From The Return of Jesus

فإن قيل فقد قال تعالى ﴿أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنْسَانُ أَلَّنْ نَجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ بَلَى قَادِرِينَ عَلَى أَنْ نُسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ﴾

Then if it is said, Allah, the Exalted, stated: 'Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes, We are able to proportion his fingertips.'

أَلَّنْ that not

This bundles several pieces: the conjunction 'that', the future-negating particle, and the 'we' subject of the coming verb. The future negation here is the emphatic kind that denies something will ever happen, and it also pushes the following verb into its subjunctive shape.

From Ten Proofs of Resurrection

أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ عَدَّ الشِّرْكَ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ مَعَ أَنَّ مُرْتَكِبَهُ مُخَلَّدٌ فِي النَّارِ وَلَا يُغْفَرُ لَهُ أَبَدًا؟

Do you not see that He counted associating partners with Allah among the major sins, even though its doer will remain eternally in the Fire and will never be forgiven?

أَلَا Do you not

An opener that fuses a question marker with a negation to form a rhetorical 'do you not...?'. It does not expect a real answer but presses the listener to agree with what follows.

From What Small Worship Erases

أَلا وَإِن لَك ملك حمى

Indeed, every king has a protected sanctuary.

أَلَا indeed

An opening alert-word, roughly 'now then, take note'. Its job is purely to flag that an important statement follows and to grab the listener's attention; it carries no subject or tense of its own.

From Patience in Hard Times

أَلا وَإِن حمى الله مَحَارمه

Indeed, the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions.

أَلَا indeed

The opening alert-word again, signalling an important statement is coming and calling for attention. It has no subject or tense; it simply heightens what follows.

From Patience in Hard Times

أَلا وَإِن فِي الْجَسَد مُضْغَة إِذا صلحت صلح الْجَسَد كُله

Indeed, in the body there is a piece of flesh that, if it is sound, the whole body is sound.

أَلَا indeed

The alert-opener once more, flagging that a weighty point follows and pulling the listener in. No subject or tense of its own.

From Patience in Hard Times

فَقُلْتُ أَلَا تُحَدِّثِينِي عَنْ مَرَضِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسِلْمِ

So I said, "Will you not tell me about the illness of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace?"

أَلَا will you not

A particle fusing a question marker with negation, used not to truly deny but to make a gentle invitation or request, 'won't you...?'. Its real job is softening the ask that follows, beyond anything its word-by-word gloss shows.

From Prayer During Illness

فَقَالَ يَا بُنَيَّةُ، أَلَا تُحِبِّينَ مَا أُحِبُّ،

He said, "My little daughter, do you not love what I love?"

أَلَا do you not

A rhetorical opener combining a softening particle with negation, used to pose a 'do you not...?' question that expects agreement. Its job is to frame the coming verb as a gentle, leading question rather than a real doubt.

From Wives of the Prophet

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَا تُجِيبُوا لَهُ

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Will you not answer him?"

أَلَا will you not

An attention-particle that turns the line into a prodding rhetorical question rather than a neutral yes/no query. Its real job is not to ask for information but to urge the listeners toward the answer the speaker already wants. It sets up the negated verb that follows, giving the sense 'come now, won't you...'.

From A Companion at Battle

فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَا تُجِيبُوا لَهُ

Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Will you not answer him?"

أَلَا will you not

An attention-particle that recasts the line as an urging rhetorical question, not a neutral query. Its purpose is to push the listeners toward responding rather than to seek information. It introduces the negated verb that follows, giving the prodding 'won't you...'.

From A Companion at Battle

أَلَا تُحَدِّثُنِي مَا الَّذِي أَقْدَمَكَ

Won't you tell me what brought you here?

أَلاَ Won't you

An inviting particle that softens a request into 'won't you…?', nudging rather than commanding. It opens the appeal and sets a gentle, coaxing tone over the verb that follows.

From A Stranger Finds the Prophet

وَهُمْ الَّذِينَ تَقُولُ لَهُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ أَلَا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا

They are the ones to whom the angels say at the time of death, Do not fear and do not grieve.

أَلَا do not

This particle opens the speech with an exhortation, the sense of 'come now' or simply flagging that an urging follows. Its job is to attract attention to the command coming next, softening the prohibition into reassurance.

From Three States of the Heart

فيقول الناس ألا ترون إلى ما أنتم فيه إلى ما بلغكم، ألا تنظرون من يشفع لكم إلى ربكم؟

Then the people will say: "Do you not see the state we are in and what has come upon us? Will you not look for someone to intercede with your Lord for us?"

أَلَا Do you not

A particle that turns the following statement into a rhetorical, urging question: 'do you not...?'. It blends a question with a nudge, expecting agreement rather than information, and colours the whole clause after it.

From The Prophet's Intercession

فيقول الناس ألا ترون إلى ما أنتم فيه إلى ما بلغكم، ألا تنظرون من يشفع لكم إلى ربكم؟

Then the people will say: "Do you not see the state we are in and what has come upon us? Will you not look for someone to intercede with your Lord for us?"

أَلَا Will you not

A particle that frames the next words as an urging, rhetorical question, 'will you not...?'. It expects agreement rather than facts and shifts the appeal toward a plea, setting the tone for the request that follows.

From The Prophet's Intercession

ألا تشفع لنا إلى ربك؟ ألا ترى ما نحن فيه، وما بلغنا؟

Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do you not see the state we are in and what has befallen us?

أَلَا Will you not

A particle framing the next words as an urging, rhetorical question, 'will you not...?'. It expects agreement rather than information and turns the clause into a plea, colouring the whole request that follows.

From The Prophet's Intercession

ألا تشفع لنا إلى ربك؟ ألا ترى ما نحن فيه، وما بلغنا؟

Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do you not see the state we are in and what has befallen us?

أَلَا Do you not

A particle reopening the rhetorical, urging question, 'do you not...?'. Repeated here, it stacks a second appeal onto the first, expecting agreement and keeping the pleading tone across the following clause.

From The Prophet's Intercession