لَام الأمر — The Command Lām
لَام الأمر (the lām of command) issues a command to a third person or first person plural — someone to whom a direct imperative form cannot be addressed. It makes the following muḍāriʿ majzūm.
When to Use It
| Address | Form |
|---|---|
| Second person (you) | Direct أَمر form: اكتُب |
| First person plural (let us) | لَام الأمر: لِنَكتُب |
| Third person (he/she/they) | لَام الأمر: لِيَكتُب / لِتَكتُب / لِيَكتُبُوا |
The Sukūn Rule
لَام الأمر normally carries kasra. But when preceded by وَ, فَ, or ثُمَّ, the lām takes سُكُون (sukūn):
فَلتَستَرِح — the lām has sukūn because of the preceding فَ
This is a phonological convenience, not a grammatical change.
Quranic Examples
Sūrat al-Ḥajj — Ibrāhīm's call to Ḥajj
لِيَقضُوا تَفَثَهُم وَلِيُوفُوا نُذُورَهُم وَلِيَطَّوَّفُوا بِالبَيتِ العَتِيقِ "So let them fulfil their vows and perform ṭawāf of the Ancient House." — three consecutive لَام الأمر commands, each with sukūn because of the preceding وَ.
Sūrat al-Ḥashr
وَلتَنظُر نَفسٌ مَا قَدَّمَت لِغَدٍ "And let every soul consider what it has sent ahead for tomorrow." — لَام with sukūn after وَ.
Connection to لَبَّيك
لَبَّيكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيك — the Ḥajj talbiyah. The word لَبَّيك is a response to a call (إِجَابَة النِّدَاء). In Ḥajj, we are answering the call of Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) from Sūrat al-Ḥajj 22:27 — a call made millennia ago that continues to be answered.
Session References
- Both These Lights Session 4: Introduction to لَام الأمر and the sukūn rule.
- Both These Lights Session 5: Quranic examples; لَبَّيك as a response to Ibrāhīm's call from Sūrat al-Ḥajj.