لِfor/because

Example sentences

• لأَنَّ النَّفْسَ مَحْبُوبَةٌ

  Because the self is beloved.

  لِأَنَّ — for indeed. li- = 'because, for'; anna = 'that, indeed' — together 'because'.

  From: Resisting Temptation →

• لأَنَّ الْبَهَائِمَ وَاقِفَةٌ مَعَ طِبَاعِهَا لَا نَظَرَ لَهَا إِلَى عَاقِبَةٍ وَلا فِكْرَ فِي مَآلٍ

  Because animals remain with their nature, without regard to consequences and without thinking of their fate.

  لَهَا — for them. A li- ('for, to') with 'them' attached; it supplies the 'they have' sense — 'no foresight belongs to them'.

  From: The Discipline of Foresight →

• توحيدًا يَنفي الشِّرك ويُثبتُ الألوهيةَ لله وحده،

  Monotheism that negates associating partners and affirms divinity solely for Allah,

  لِلَّهِ — for Allah. 'to, for Allah' — 'li' of entitlement plus the name in genitive. It assigns godhood as belonging by right to God.

  From: Words That Nourish the Heart →

• تُعرَض عليه الأعمال يوم القيامة لا كأرقام جافّة، بل كصورٍ ومعانٍ حية لها ثِقَلٌ وحضور

  Actions are presented on it on the Day of Judgment not as dry numbers, but as living images and meanings with weight and presence.

  لَهَا — for them. 'they have' — 'li' (to/for) plus 'them', in a 'there is for them...' frame meaning 'having'. The 'them' points to the images and meanings.

  From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →

• المؤمن له حسنات وسيئات

  The believer has good deeds and bad deeds.

  لَهُ — for him. 'he has' — 'li' (to/for) plus 'him', in a 'there is for him...' frame meaning 'having'. Arabic expresses 'has' with this preposition, not a verb.

  From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →

• وعلى الضدّ من ذلك مَن لم تبقَ له حسنةٌ معتبرة وقد قضاها على الباطل فلا يقوم له وزن؛ أعماله كالسراب أو الرماد في يومٍ عاصف

  And on the contrary: whoever has no significant good deeds left—having wasted them on falsehood—has no weight; his deeds are like a mirage or ashes on a stormy day.

  لَهُ — for him. 'for him' — 'li' plus 'him', in a 'there is for him...' frame: 'no good deed is left FOR him'.

  From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →

• وعلى الضدّ من ذلك مَن لم تبقَ له حسنةٌ معتبرة وقد قضاها على الباطل فلا يقوم له وزن؛ أعماله كالسراب أو الرماد في يومٍ عاصف

  And on the contrary: whoever has no significant good deeds left—having wasted them on falsehood—has no weight; his deeds are like a mirage or ashes on a stormy day.

  لَهُ — for him. 'for him' — 'li' plus 'him', in the 'there stands for him...' frame: he has no weight to his name.

  From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →

• فلايرى مِنْك طردا لَهُ

  So he sees no rejection from you.

  لَهُ — of him. 'Li-' fused with '-hu' (him) — 'for / of him', the thief. The 'li-' marks the one the expulsion would be aimed at.

  From: The Path to God's Love →

• فَقَالَ لَهُ رجل إِنِّي أَكثر الْبكاء

  A man said to him, 'I cry often.'

  لَهُ — to him. 'To him', the preposition fused with 'him', marking the one addressed. With verbs of speaking, this little 'to' points to the listener.

  From: Contentment with What God Wills →

• لكن له أن ينقل التفسير عن المعتمدين من أهله

  However, they may transmit interpretation from reliable authorities among its people.

  لَهُ — for him. 'to him' — but with 'that he transmit' ahead it forms an idiom 'it is allowed for him to...'. Arabic expresses 'he may' as 'there is, for him, [the option] to' — permission framed as something belonging to him.

  From: How Scholars Read Scripture →

• ٢ ومنهم من يقصد الدعاء إلى خير ويحتج بآية من غير أن تظهر له دلالة لما قاله

  2 - And among them are those who aim for good, and cite an Ayah without clear evidence for what they claim.

  لَهُ — for him. 'to him' — the one the (absent) proof would have become clear to. The appearing-verb takes this 'to' for the person who would perceive it: it never grew clear to HIM.

  From: How Scholars Read Scripture →

• وهو الذي خلقه من العدم وأنعم عليه بالنعم، وسخر له ما في السماوات والأرض

  He is the one who created him from nonexistence, bestowed blessings upon him, and subjugated for him what is in the heavens and the earth.

  لَهُ — for him. A preposition 'for' joined to an attached 'him', marking the man as the beneficiary: for him. One word carries the preposition and its object.

  From: A Path to Mercy →

• فكلما أكثر العبد من الذكر، صفا قلبه، واتضح له الحق

  The more a servant remembers, the purer his heart becomes and the clearer the truth appears to him.

  لَهُ — to him. A preposition 'to/for' with the pronoun 'him' attached, marking the person to whom the truth becomes clear. One short word does the work of English 'to him', and it points back to the servant whose heart was purified.

  From: A Sound Heart Knows →

• فليستعن العبد بربه، وليسأله التوفيق، وليصبر على تكاليف الشرع، فإن العاقبة له

  Let the servant seek assistance from his Lord, ask Him for guidance, and be patient with the duties of the law, for the outcome is in his favor.

  لَهُ — is in his favor. A preposition 'for' with the pronoun 'him' attached, doing the work of 'is his / in his favour'. Arabic expresses 'belongs to / goes to' by saying it is 'to' someone, so this short word carries the whole sense.

  From: Facing God's Tests →

• فقال جحا لو كنت تعلم أن الدواء يوضع في الفم ما أعطيتني إياه لعين

  Joha said, 'If you knew that the medicine should go in the mouth, why did you give it to me for the eye!'

  لِلْعَيْنِ — for the eye. A noun bundling the 'for' prefix with 'the', 'for the eye', naming the wrong purpose Joha mocks. The prefix governs it into the genitive.

  From: Reflections on Literal Obedience →

• نُودُوا أَنِ اصْرِفُوهُمْ عَنْهَا فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا نَصِيبَ لَهُمْ فِيهَا

  A voice called out: Turn them away from it, for they have no share in it.

  لَهُمْ — for them. A preposition 'for / to' carrying 'them' as an attached object, naming the people who have no share. It completes the 'no share for them' statement.

  From: Turned Away at the Gate →

• وَتَرَكْتُمْ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَمْ تَتْرُكُوا لِي

  You gave up things for people and did not give up anything for Me,

  لِلنَّاسِ — for people. A preposition 'for' fused to the definite noun 'the people', the preposition forcing its ending. It marks the beneficiaries for whose sake things were given up.

  From: Turned Away at the Gate →

• وَتَرَكْتُمْ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَمْ تَتْرُكُوا لِي

  You gave up things for people and did not give up anything for Me,

  لِيَ — for Me. A preposition 'for' carrying 'Me' as an attached object, marking God as the one for whose sake nothing was given up. It completes the contrast with the people.

  From: Turned Away at the Gate →

• قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من أصبح معافى في بدنه، آمنا في سربه عنده قوت يومه، فكأنما حيزت له الدنيا

  The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: Whoever wakes up healthy in his body, secure in his dwelling, having his day's provision, it is as if the world was gathered for him.

  لَهُ — to him. This is the preposition 'for/to' joined with 'him', marking the person who benefits. The pronoun points back to the one who woke up content; the preposition shows the gathering is done for his sake.

  From: Health as a Blessing →

• وَإِذَا سَبَقَ مَاءُهَا كَانَ الشَّبَهُ لَهَا

  And if her fluid came first, the resemblance was hers.

  لَهَا — for her. A preposition 'for/to' with an attached 'her', meaning the resemblance belongs to her. This 'to her' frame assigns possession in place of a 'have' verb, fixing the outcome as the woman's.

  From: What Was Created First →

• فَإِذَا لِقَاءُهُمْ فَأَخْفِضْ لَهُمْ جَنَاحَكَ وَذَلِّلْ لَهُمْ قَلْبَكَ وَلِسَانَكَ

  So when you meet them, then lower your wing for them and humble your heart and your tongue toward them.

  لَهُمْ — for them. This is the preposition 'for / on behalf of' with -hum, the 'them' pronoun, fused to its end, so one word means 'for them'. It marks the beneficiaries of the lowering, the ones it is done toward. The preposition governs the attached plural pronoun.

  From: Under God's Shield →

• فَإِذَا لِقَاءُهُمْ فَأَخْفِضْ لَهُمْ جَنَاحَكَ وَذَلِّلْ لَهُمْ قَلْبَكَ وَلِسَانَكَ

  So when you meet them, then lower your wing for them and humble your heart and your tongue toward them.

  لَهُمْ — for them. This is the preposition 'for / toward' with -hum, the 'them' pronoun, fused to its end, repeating 'for them' for this second command. It marks the same people as the ones the humbling is directed at. The preposition governs the attached plural pronoun, parallel to the earlier phrase.

  From: Under God's Shield →

• والضعيف فيكم القوي عندي حتى آخذ له الحق، أطيعوني ما أطعت الله فإذا عصيت الله فلا طاعة لي عليكم

  And the weak among you is strong to me until I take his right for him. Obey me as long as I obey Allah. If I disobey Allah, then you owe me no obedience.

  لَهُ — for him. A single word fusing li- (for / on behalf of) with the attached -hu (him), 'for him', the -hu pointing back to the weak one. The li- marks the beneficiary, contrasting with the earlier 'from him'.

  From: Obedience to God and Authority →

• والضعيف فيكم القوي عندي حتى آخذ له الحق، أطيعوني ما أطعت الله فإذا عصيت الله فلا طاعة لي عليكم

  And the weak among you is strong to me until I take his right for him. Obey me as long as I obey Allah. If I disobey Allah, then you owe me no obedience.

  لِي — to me. A single word fusing li- (to / owed to) with the attached -i (me), 'to me'. The li- marks who the obedience would be owed to, here denied: no obedience is owed to the ruler.

  From: Obedience to God and Authority →