The Multifunctionality of the Grammatical Lām: New Insights from Contemporary Linguistic Studies

Mahmud Hambali; Fachrul Ghazi; Syaripudin Basyar

doi:10.58223/al-irfan.v8i1.587

Authors

Mahmud Hambali Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung
Fachrul Ghazi Raden Intan Islamic University
Syaripudin Basyar Raden Intan Islamic University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58223/al-irfan.v8i1.587

Keywords:

Lam, Arabic grammar, semantic function

Abstract

The Arabic letter “Lām (ل)” is considered one of the most significant and versatile particles in Arabic grammar due to its wide range of syntactic and semantic functions. Its meanings vary among ownership, specification, causation, emphasis, and oath, making it one of the most complex yet richest particles in the Arabic linguistic system. This study aims to identify the types, functions, and meanings of Lām to facilitate understanding among learners and teachers of Arabic and to promote accurate usage in interpreting Qur’anic, prophetic, and rhetorical texts.The research adopts a library-based qualitative method, collecting data from classical grammatical references such as Mughnī al-Labīb by Ibn Hishām, al-Jin al-Dānī by al-Murādī, and modern linguistic works addressing the semantics of particles. The findings show that Lām is divided into operative (ʿāmilah) types—such as the genitive Lām, Lām of command, and Lām of purpose—and non-operative (ghayr ʿāmilah) types—such as Lām of initiation, Lām al-muzahlaqah, Lām al-fāriqah, and others. Its function shifts according to sentence structure and context, expressing possession, causation, emphasis, or oath. This research highlights the precision and richness of Arabic syntax and underscores Lām as a key element in understanding grammatical relationships and subtle meanings within Arabic discourse.

References

‘Abbās, Ḥ. (2018). Al-Naḥw al-Wāfī (3rd ed.). Dār al-Ma‘ārif.

Al-‘Azīz, Kh. ‘A. (2019). Al-Naḥw al-Taṭbīqī (al-ṭab‘ah al-thālithah). Dār al-Lu’lu’ah.

Al-Anṣarī, A. H. (2018). Mughnī al-Labīb ‘an Kutub al-A‘ārib (1st ed.). Dār al-Lubāb.

Al-Astarābādhī, R. A. M. B. A. (1998). Sharḥ Kāfiyah Ibn al-Ḥājib (al-juz’ al-rābi‘). Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.

Al-Daqqar, ‘A. A. (1982). Mu‘jam al-Qawā‘id al-‘Arabiyyah fī al-Naḥw wa al-Taṣrīf (1st ed.). Dār al-Qalam.

Al-Murādī, A. b. Q. (1992). Al-Jinā al-Dānī fī Ḥurūf al-Ma‘ānī (al-ṭab‘ah al-ūlā). Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.

Al-Rājihī, ‘A. (2012). Al-Taṭbīq al-Naḥwī. Dār al-Ma‘ārif.

Al-Sāmarā’ī, F. Ṣ. (2000). Ma‘ānī al-Naḥw (al-juz’ al-thālith). Dār al-Fikr.

Al-Samarā’ī, M. F. (2014). Al-Naḥw al-‘Arabī: Aḥkām wa Ma‘ānī (al-juz’ al-thānī). Dār Ibn Kathīr.

Al-Zajjāj, I. (2001). Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān. Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.

Baalbaki, R. (1990). Dictionary of Arabic Grammar. Librairie du Liban.

Bohas, G., Guillaume, J.-P., & Kouloughli, D. (1990). The Arabic Linguistic Tradition. Routledge.

Fakih, A. H., Alzubi, A. A. F., & Algouzi, S. (2024). The morpho-syntax of question particles in Standard Arabic. PLoS ONE, 19(5), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299710

Fassi Fehri, A., & Alrawi, M. (2024). Motivating a fine-grained syntax of Arabic prepositional phrases. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/flang.2024.1360562

Holilulloh, A., Nisai, L., & Ahmed, E. M. (2025). Al-Lām li-Ta‘līl and Lām al-Amr on I‘rāb of Present Tense and Its Relationship to Arabic Language Proficiency. Al-Bayān, 17(1), 38–62. https://doi.org/10.24042/albayan.v17i1.25945

Ibn Hishām, J. (2009). Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā wa Ball al-Ṣadā. Dār al-Ḥadīth.

l-Ghalāyinī, M. (2005). Jāmi‘ al-Durūs al-‘Arabiyyah. Dār al-Fikr.

Owens, J. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics. Oxford University Press.

Pusti, K. M., & Renajaya, K. S. (2024). Analisis Makna Lām dalam Surat Al-Qalam. Jurnal ..., 16(1), 61–77.

Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic. Cambridge University Press.

Sulaymān, ‘A. J. (2003). Mawsū‘at Ma‘ānī al-Ḥurūf al-‘Arabiyyah. Dār Usāmah.

Versteegh, K. (2014). Arabic Language. Edinburgh University Press.

Watson, J. C. E. (2002). The Phonology and Morphology of Arabic. Oxford University Press.

Yāqūt, M. S. (1996). Al-Naḥw al-Ta‘līmī wa al-Taṭbīq fī al-Qur’ān al-Karīm. Maktabat al-Manār al-Islāmiyyah. ب. (2001). شرح المفصل للزمخشري (الجزء الخامس) (1st ed.). دار الكتب العلمية..