Lesson 84
Conditional Sentences Comprehensive
الشرط شامل
All conditional particles with their effects on verb mood: إِنْ, مَنْ, مَا, أَيْنَ, مَتَى, أَنَّى, كَيْفَمَا, إِذَ مَا. Quranic conditional sentences illustrate the full range.
All Conditional Particles
ParticleMeaningVerb moodQuranic example
إِنْif (possible/hypothetical)Both verbs jussiveإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا يُكَافِئْكُمُ اللَّهُ
مَنْwhoever (persons)Both verbs jussiveمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ يَرَهُ (99:7)
مَاwhatever (things)Both verbs jussiveمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ
أَيْنَمَاwhereverBoth verbs jussiveأَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكُكُمُ الْمَوْتُ (4:78)
إِذَاwhenever (expected/certain)Past in condition, answer variesإِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ (110:1)
لَوْif (hypothetical/counter-fact)Past in both clausesلَوْ دَرَسَ لَنَجَحَ
مَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ
Man yaʿmal mithqāla dharratin khayran yarah wa-man yaʿmal mithqāla dharratin sharran yarah
"Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." (99:7-8) Both يَعْمَلْ and يَرَهُ are jussive.
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكُكُمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُشَيَّدَةٍ
Aynamā takūnū yudrikukumu l-mawtu wa-law kuntum fī burūjin mushayyadah
"Wherever you may be, death will reach you, even if you were in fortified towers." (4:78) أَيْنَمَا with jussive; then لَوْ with past كُنتُمْ (hypothetical).
- All conditional particles (except لَوْ / لَوْلَا) put both the condition and the answer in the jussive mood.
- مَنْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْراً يَرَهُ (99:7): both verbs are jussive يَعْمَلْ and يَرَهُ the most memorised conditional verse in the Quran.
- إِذَا: for expected/certain events (إِذَا جَاءَ when He comes); إِنْ: for possible or uncertain events.
- If the جَوَاب الشَّرْط begins with a nominal sentence or a non-jussive verb, it must be preceded by فَ: إِنْ جَاءَ فَنَحْنُ مُسَافِرُون.
- لَوْ (hypothetical): both verbs in the past tense; the answer clause is introduced by لَـ: لَوْ دَرَسَ لَنَجَحَ (if he had studied, he would have passed).