اما

أَمَا ذ , used to denote an interrogation, is a compound of the interrogative hemzeh and the negative مَا: (M:) it is a mere interrogative [respecting a negative, like أَلَا]; as in the saying, أَمَا تَسْتَحْيِى مِنَ اللّٰهِ [ Art not thou ashamed for thyself, or of thyself, with respect to God? ]. (Lth, T.) ― -b2- [IHsh says, after explaining two other usages of أَمَا which we have yet to mention,] El-Málakee adds a third meaning of أَمَا, saying that it is a particle denoting عَرْضٌ [or the asking, or requiring, a thing in a gentle manner], like [أَلَا (q. v.) and] لَوْلَا; and is connected peculiarly with a verb; as in أَمَا تَقُومُ [ Wherefore wilt not thou do stand? ], and أَمَا تَفْعَلُ [ Wherefore wilt not thou do such a thing?]; which may be explained by saying that the hemzeh is used as an interrogative to make one confess, or acknowledge, a thing, as it is in أَلَمْ and أَلَا, and that مَا is a negative. (Mughnee.) ― -b3- It is also an inceptive word, used in the manner of أَلَا: (M:) followed by أَلَا, it is syn. with أَلَا: (S:) [meaning Now: or now surely: or] both of these meaning verily, or truly; i. c. حَقًّا: and for this reason Sb allows one's saying, أَمَا اـنَّه مُنْطَلقٌ and أَمَا أَنَّهُ مُنْطَلقٌ [ Verily, or truly, he is going away ]; with kesr after the manner of أَلَا اـِنَّهُ, and with fet-h after the manner of حَقًّا أَنَّهُ: and هَمَا وَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ كَانَ كَذَا is mentioned as meaning أَمَا وَ اللّٰهِ [&c., i. e. Verily, or truly, by God, such a thing did indeed happen ]; the ه being a substitute for the hemzeh: (M:) so too حَمَى واللّٰه [or حَمَا واللّٰه]: (Sgh and K in art. حمى:) it denotes the truth of the words which follow it; as when you say, أَمَا اـِنَّ زَيْدًا عَاقِلٌ, meaning Truly, or properly speaking, not tropically, Zeyd is intelligent; and أَمَّا و اللّٰه قَد ضَرَبَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا [ Truly, &c., by God, Zeyd beat, or struck, Amr ]: (S in art. امو:) [in other words,] it corroborates an oath and a sentence; as in أَمَا وَ اللّٰه لَئِنْ سْهَرْتُ لَكَ لَيْلَةً لَأَ دَعَنَّكَ نَادِمًا [ Verily, or now surely, by God, if I remain awake for thee a night, then will I indeed leave thee repenting ]; and أَمَا لَو عَلِمْتُ مَكَانَكَ لَأَزْعَجْتُكَ مِنْهُ [ Verily, or now surely, if I had known thy place of being, then had I unsettled thee, or removed thee, from it ]; and أَمَا اـِنَّهُ لَرَجُلٌ كَرِيمٌ [ Verily, or now surely, he is (emphatically) a generous man ]: (T:) or it is an inceptive particle, used in the manner of أَلَا; [meaning now: or now surely: ] (Mughnee:) or a particle used to give notice of what is about to be said: only put before a proposition [as in exs. mentioned above]: (TA:) and often occurring before an oath [as in exs. mentioned above]: and sometimes its hemzeh is changed into ه or ع, before the oath; each with the ا remaining; [written هَمَا or عَمَا;] and with the ا elided; [written هَمَ or عَمَ;] or with the ا elided, but without the substitution; [written أَمَ;] and when انَّ occurs after أَمَا, it is with kesr, as it is after أَلَا: and it also means حَقًّا [ verily, or truly ]: or أَحقًّا [ verily? or truly? ]: accord. to different opinions: and in this case, انَّ after it is with fet-h, as it is after حَقَّا: accord. to Ibn-Kharoof, this is a particle: but some say that it is a noun in the sense of حَقًّا: and others, that it consists of two words, namely, the interrogative hemzeh and مَا as a noun in the sense of شَىْءٌ; i. e. أَذالِكَ الشَّىْءُ حَقٌّ [ is that thing ture? ]; so that the meaning is أَحَقًّا: [if so, أَمَا أَنَّه مُنْطَلقٌ means Verily, or truly, is he going away? ] and this, which is what Sb says, is the correct opinion: مَا is virtually in the accus. case, as an adverbial noun, like as حَقًّا is literally: and أَنَّ with its complement is an inchoative, of which the adverbial noun is the enunciative: but Mbr says that حَقًّا is the inf. n. of يَحِقُّ, which is suppressed, and that أنَّ with its complement is an agent. (Mughnee.)