كيف

Root entry · 6 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the interrogative particle 'how' and its various grammatical treatments and meanings. It also extends to the concept of 'manner' or 'quality' and, in a less common usage, to the act of cutting or a piece cut off.

Derived headwords

كيفparticle

1.
how (interrogative)both
Used to inquire about the state or condition of something.
2.
how (exclamatory)both
Used to express astonishment or wonder, often in a rhetorical sense.

كيفnoun

1.
a piece cut offclassical
A piece of material, specifically mentioned as a patch for the front hem of a shirt.

الكيفةnoun

1.
a piece cut offclassical
A piece of material, specifically mentioned as a patch for the front hem of a shirt.

حيفةnoun

1.
a patchclassical
Specifically, the patch used for the back hem of a shirt.

الكيفيةnoun

1.
manner, qualityboth
The way or manner in which something is done or exists; the quality or nature of something.

كيفماparticle

1.
however, in whatever wayboth
Used to indicate that an action will be performed regardless of the manner in which something else is done.

Parallel reading

كيف الأديم: قطعه

To cut the hide: to cut it.

والكيفة: القطعة منه؛ كلاهما عن اللحياني

And the piece: the piece from it; both are from Al-Lihyani.

ويقال للخرقة التي يرقع بها ذيل القميص القدام: كيفة

And the rag used to patch the front hem of the shirt is called a 'kayfah'.

والذي يرقع بها ذيل القميص الخلف: حيفة

And that which is used to patch the back hem of the shirt is called a 'hayfah'.

وكيف: اسم معناه الاستفهام

And 'kayf': a noun meaning the interrogative.

هي مؤنثة وإن ذكرت جاز

It is feminine, although mentioning it as masculine is permissible.

فأما قولهم: كيف الشيء فكلام مولد

As for their saying: 'kayf al-shay'' (how the thing), that is a newly coined expression.

كيف تكفرون بالله وكنتم أمواتا

How do you disbelieve in Allah, when you were dead?

تأويل كيف استفهام في معنى التعجب

The interpretation of 'kayf' is an interrogation in the sense of astonishment.

هذا التعجب إنما هو للخلق والمؤمنين أي اعجبوا من هؤلاء كيف يكفرون وقد ثبتت حجة الله عليهم

This astonishment is for the creation and the believers, meaning: 'Be astonished at these people, how they disbelieve when Allah's proof has been established against them.'

والكيفية

And the quality/manner.

كيف اسم مبهم غير متمكن وإنما حرك آخره لالتقاء الساكنين

'Kayf' is an indefinite, uninflected noun, and its end is vocalized to avoid the meeting of two quiescent letters.

وبني على الفتح دون الكسر لمكان الياء وهو للاستفهام عن الأحوال

And it is constructed with a fatha, not a kasra, because of the yaa, and it is for inquiring about states.

وقد يقع بمعنى التعجب

And it may occur in the sense of astonishment.

وإذا ضممت إليه ما صح أن يجازي به تقول: كيفما تفعل أفعل

And if you attach to it what can be used for retribution, you say: 'Whatever you do, I will do.'

في هذا المكان لا يجازى بكيف ولا بكيفما عند البصريين

In this context, one does not use 'kayf' or 'kayfama' for retribution according to the Basrans.

ومن الكوفيين من يجازي بكيفما

And some of the Kufans use 'kayfama' for retribution.