أَفعَال المُقَارَبَة والرَّجَاء والشُّروع — Verbs of Proximity, Hope, and Inception
This group of verbs — sometimes listed separately from the kāna sisters, sometimes included with them — are nāqiṣ verbs that take ism + khabar like kāna. They are separated because of their distinct meanings and certain unique grammatical rules.
They fall into three semantic sub-groups:
Sub-group 1: أَفعَال المُقَارَبَة — Verbs of Proximity
These verbs convey that something almost happened or came very close to happening.
| Verb | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| كَادَ يَكَادُ | Form I | almost; was about to |
| كَرَبَ يَكرُبُ | Form I | was on the verge of |
Kāda in Use
كِدتُ أَمُوتُ — I almost died (but did not — proximity without completion)
Important rule for kāda: The khabar of kāda is a muḍāriʿ verb. Unlike the kāna sisters, kāda's khabar-muḍāriʿ should not be preceded by an. And the absence of lā before the muḍāriʿ indicates a positive near-event.
Sub-group 2: أَفعَال الرَّجَاء — Verbs of Hope
These verbs express that someone hopes something will happen.
| Verb | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| عَسَى | perhaps; hopefully | Fiʿl jāmid — no muḍāriʿ or amr; khabar is always أَن + muḍāriʿ |
| حَرَى | it is fitting / hoped for | |
| اِخلَولَقَ | it is hoped |
Quranic: ʿAsā
عَسَى أَن يَكُونُوا خَيرًا مِّنهُم (Al-Ḥujurāt 49:11) "Perhaps they are better than them."
See عَسَى — Hope and Fear; Nāqiṣ and Tāmm for full treatment of ʿasā.
Sub-group 3: أَفعَال الشُّروع — Verbs of Inception
These verbs indicate that someone began doing something.
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| أَخَذَ | began (lit. took) |
| جَعَلَ | started; set about |
| أَنشَأَ | began; commenced |
| طَفِقَ | set about; started |
| بَدَأَ | began |
Inception in Use
أَخَذَ يَكتُبُ — He began to write.
Grammatical Classification Debate
Some classical grammarians include this group entirely within the kāna sisters (since they are all nāqiṣ). Others separate them because: 1. The meaning is distinct (proximity / hope / inception vs. simple time reference) 2. Kāda has specific rules (e.g., regarding lā and an before the khabar-muḍāriʿ) not shared with kāna
Both classifications appear in different grammar books; knowing both prevents confusion.
Relationship to Nawāsikh
These verbs are one of the three categories of النَّواسِخ — The Abrogating Agents — agents that enter upon a jumla ismiyyah and alter the mubtadaʾ/khabar relationship.
Session References
- Surah Yusuf Session 4: Introduced as the second category of nawāsikh; distinguished from kāna sisters and af'āl al-qulūb; kāda example with proximity meaning.