Lesson 11: Negation (النفي)

Negation in Arabic (النفي)

The Quran uses several particles to negate statements:

لَا (Lā) — "No / Not"

Used for general negation. Example: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — There is no god except Allah.

مَا (Mā) — "Not / Did not"

Often used to negate past actions. Example: مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ — The heart did not lie. (Quran 53:11)

لَمْ (Lam) — "Did not" (past tense negation)

Example: لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ — He did not beget, nor was He begotten. (Quran 112:3)

لَيْسَ (Laysa) — "Is not"

Example: لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ — There is nothing like Him. (Quran 42:11)