أَلاَshall I

Example sentences

• فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَلاَ أَعْرِضُ عَلَيْكَ مَا حَدَّثَتْنِي عَائِشَةُ عَنْ مَرَضِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

  I said to him, "Shall I relate to you what Aisha told me about the Prophet's illness, may God bless him and grant him peace?"

  أَلاَ — Shall I. A particle fusing a question marker with negation, used not to deny but to offer or invite, 'shall I...?'. Its real job is framing the polite offer that follows, beyond its literal parts.

  From: Prayer During Illness →

• فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ أَلاَ أَرَاكَ تَطُوفُ بِمَكَّةِ آمِنًا،

  So Abu Jahl said to him, "Do I not see you moving about in Mecca in safety?"

  أَلاَ — do you not. A questioning particle that opens a rhetorical 'do I not...?' — it expects agreement and carries a tone of surprise or challenge rather than a genuine request for information.

  From: Warning Before the Battle of Badr →

• أَلاَ تَسَمَّعْنَا مِنْ هُنَيْهَاتِكَ،

  Will you not let us hear some of your short verses?

  أَلاَ — won't you. This opening particle is a gentle prompting marker, framing what follows not as a flat question but as an urging, 'won't you...?'. Its job is to soften a request into an invitation, setting the tone for the verb that follows.

  From: The Martyr's Reward →