لِیَکُوۡنَ لَہُمۡ عَدُوًّا

[𐎃𐎁𐎊𐎁 𐎀𐎈𐎎𐎄5]

Assalamu alaikum,

The Qur'an says فَالۡتَقَطَہٗۤ اٰلُ فِرۡعَوۡنَ لِیَکُوۡنَ لَہُمۡ عَدُوًّا وَّحَزَنًا ؕ اِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَہَامٰنَ وَجُنُوۡدَہُمَا کَانُوۡا خٰطِئِیۡنَ (Surah al Qasas)

What is the exact signification of the preposition li in liyakoona? It does not seem to mean purpose or intention, because would not make sense here.

Thanks.

 

[HotIcyDonut]

It's لام عاقبة, what comes after is unintended consequence of what comes before. The house of Pharaoh took him, and he unexpectedly turned to be/became their enemy and grief

 

[Ali Smith]

Is لام عاقبة used elsewhere in classical Arabic? This seems like a rare usage of the preposition لِ, which generally indicates either purpose or cause.

 

[HotIcyDonut]

Is لام عاقبة used elsewhere in classical Arabic? This seems like a rare usage of the preposition لِ, which generally indicates either purpose or cause.

Ibn Qayyim in شفاء العليل provides an example from Ibn Taymiyyah with a sentence: قدمت له العون لينكر الجميل

Since he felt necessary to provide a separate example for this kind of لام, one can figure out it was in use outside the Quran, but rarely.

Also, an interesting example with مصدر (see notes 3 and 4):

مؤسسة التقى الثقافية | 87- بحث ادبي نحوي: في لام التعليل ولام العاقبة، والفرق بينهما وآثارها العلمية

 

[Mahaodeh]

Is لام عاقبة used elsewhere in classical Arabic?

It’s used in a few other places in the Quran, as well as a few poems:

لِدّوا للموت وابنوا للخراب —— فكلكم يصير إلى ذهاب
أبو العتاهية

Having said that, the Basri school say that there is no لام العاقبة and the mentioned examples are of لام التعليل used figuratively (they didn’t actually raise him up in order for him to be an enemy, but that’s what happened, hence it’s figurative). I personally agree with them, but I’m not a grammarian so my opinion doesn’t count 🙂.

 

[Ali Smith]

Isn't the following an example of this type of لِ?

وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ (64) فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ (65) لِيَكْفُرُوا بِمَا آتَيْنَاهُمْ وَلِيَتَمَتَّعُوا ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ (66) أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا آمِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ النَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ (67) وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْكَافِرِينَ (68) وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (69)

(العنكبوت)

 

[𐎂𐎍𐎐𐎗 𐎃𐎐4]

Isn't the following an example of this type of لِ?

وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ (64) فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ (65) لِيَكْفُرُوا بِمَا آتَيْنَاهُمْ وَلِيَتَمَتَّعُوا ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ (66) أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا آمِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ النَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ (67) وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْكَافِرِينَ (68) وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (69)

(العنكبوت)

No, it seems to be laam ut-ta'leel.