[1]
كَادَ يَفْعَلُ كَذَا , (S, K, * &c,) [originally
كَوِدَ,] first pers. كِدْتُ, accord. to the usage of
most of the Arabs, (IKtt,) aor. يَكَادُ, (S, K, &c.,)
the form used by all the Arabs, (IKtt.) or يَكُودُ
[is also used, by some of those who make the
pret. to be originally كَوُدَ], (Lth,) inf. n. كَوْدٌ
(Lth, S, M, K, &c) and كَادٌ (M, IKtt) and مَكَادَةٌ
(Lth, S, M, K, &c.) and مَكَادٌ; (Lth, M, K;)
and كَادَ, originally كَوُدَ, deviating from constant rule, (MF,) first pers. كُدْتُ, (S, IKtt,
MF,) in the dial. of the Benoo-'Adee, (MF,)
mentioned by Sb as heard from some of the
Arabs, (S,) aor. يَكَادُ, (IKtt,) deviating from constant rule, (MF,) [and يَكُودُ, mentioned above,
agreeably with rule;] as also كَادَ, (Msb, K, art.
كيد,) originally كَيِدَ, first pers. كِدْتُ, aor.
يَكَادُ, (Msb, art. كيد,) inf. n. كَيْدٌ; (L, art.
كيد;) and كِيدَ, (S, K, &c.,) a form mentioned
by Abu-l-Khattáb to Sb, as used by some of the
Arabs, who in like manner said مَا زِيلَ يَفْعَلُ
كَذَا, for كَادَ and زَالَ; (S;) He was near to
doing so; he nearly, well nigh, or almost, did so;
he wanted but little of doing so; (Akh, S, M, K,
&c.;) he purposed, or intended, doing so; (Lth,
M, IKtt;) but did it not, [or did it not immediately]. (Akh, S, K, &c.) كَادَ is applied
to signify the being near to doing a thing
whether it be [afterwards] done or not done. (S.)
Without a negative, it enunciates the negation of
the action; and coupled with a negative, it enunciates the happening of the action. (S, K.) [This
will be explained in the course of the following
observations.] It is (as Es-Suyootee says in the
Itkán) an incomplete [i. e. a non-attributive]
verb, of which only the pret. and aor. are used.
It has a noun as the subject, in the nom. case;
and an aor., [generally] without أَنْ, as the predicate. (TA.) Sometimes they introduce أَنْ
after it, likening it to عَسَى; as, for ex., in the
saying of Ru-beh,
قَدْ كَادَ مِنْ طُولِ البِلَى أَنْ يَمْصَحَا
[It had nearly come to nought from length of
wear]. (S.) Used affirmatively, it is affirmative
of the being near [to doing a thing, &c.]; and
used negatively, it is negative thereof. It is a
well-known opinion of many, that, used affirmatively, it is negative; and used negatively, it
is affirmative: so that كَادَ زَيْدٌ يَفْعَلُ means
[Zeyd was near to doing; but] he did not [or did
not immediately]; as is shown by the expression
[in the Kur xvii. 75, where إِنْ is a contraction
of إِنَّ,] وَإِنْ كَادُوا لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ [And verily they
were near to seducing thee]: and مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ
means [He was not near to doing; but] he did;
as is shown by the expression [in the Kur ii. 66,]
وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ [And they were not near to
doing (it); but they afterwards did (it)]. I'Ab
is related to have said, that wherever كَادَ and
أَكَادُ and يَكَادُ occur in the Kur-án, they denote
a thing's never happening. Some say, that
كَادَ [with a negative] denotes an action's happening with difficulty. Some, again, say, that
the pret. preceded by a negative is affirmative
[of the action &c.]; as is shown by the expression
وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ [quoted above]: and that the
aor. preceded by a negative is negative; as is
shown by the expression [in the Kur xxiv, 40,]
لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا [He is not near to seeing it];
meaning that he sees not anything: [though this
phrase is said to bear a different meaning, which
see below]. But the correct opinion is the one
first mentioned; that, used affirmatively, it is
affirmative [of the being near to do a thing &c.];
and used negatively, it is negative [thereof]:
so that كَادَ يَفْعَلُ signifies He was near to
doing; but did not [or did not immediately]:
and مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ He was not near to doing;
much less did he do [or do immediately]; the
denial of the action [or of the immediate performance of the action] being necessarily understood from the denial of the being near to do it.
As to the expression in the Kur, وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
[quoted above], it enunciates the state of the
people to whom it relates in the beginning of
their case; for they were far from sacrificing the
cow; and the affirmation of the action is understood only from the [preceding] expression
فَذَبَحُوهَا. And as to the expression [in the Kur
xvii. 76,] لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ [Thou hadst
certainly been near to inclining to them], the
Prophet's not inclining to them little or much
is understood from لَوْلَا [preceding], which requires this inference. (TA.) [Often, however,
or (as some say) generally, with a negative
preceding or following it, it is affirmative of the
action's happening, but only after difficulty, or
delay.] Aboo-Bekr says, that مَا كَادَ فُلَانٌ يَقُومُ
means [Such a one hardly, or scarcely, or tardily,
rose; like لَمْ يَكَدْ يَقُومُ, and كَادَ لَا يَقُومُ; وَقَدْ قَامَ
being understood; or] he rose after being slow,
or tardy: (L:) and accord. to Az and others,
مَا كِدْتُ أَفْعَلُ means [I hardly, or scarcely, or
tardily, did; or] I did after being slow, or
tardy: but sometimes it means I was not near
to doing. (Msb, art. كيد.) It is said, that
كَادَ is sometimes a [mere redundant] connective
(صِلَة) of the members of a sentence; (Kutr,
Akh, AHát, K;) as in لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا [quoted
above], meaning, He does not see it: (K:)
or this means he is not near to seeing it: or,
as some say, he sees it after his having been not
near to seeing it by reason of the intenseness of
the darkness: [or he hardly, or scarcely, or
tardily, sees it:] and Fr says, with reference to
the verse in which this phrase occurs, that it is
allowable to say لَمْ يَكَدْ يَقُومُ [meaning, He
hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, rose] when one
has risen after difficulty. (TA.) [Thus it
appears, that, مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ and لَمْ يَكَدْ يَفْعَلُ
sometimes signify He hardly, or scarcely, or
tardily, did: and sometimes, he was not near to
doing; he never did; he did not at all: so that
it may be rendered he hardly or scarcely, or
nowise or in nowise or never, did: or he could
hardly do, or he could not at all, or could not
nearly, or he could nowise or in nowise, do.] ―
2-b2-
As asserts his having heard certain of the Arabs
say, لَا أَفْعَلُ ذٰلِكَ وَلَا كَوْدًا [I will not do that,
nor will I be near to doing it]. (S.) ―
2-b3- كَادَ also
signifies He desired; syn. أَرَادَ. (Akh, S, K.)
So in the verse
كَادَتْ وَكِدْتُ وَتِلْكَ خَيْرُ إِرَادَةٍ
لَوْ عَادَ مِنْ لَهْوِ الصَّبَابَةِ مَا مَضَى
[She desired, and I desired; and that were the
best of desire, if what hath passed, of the
diverting delight of tender love, returned]. (Akh,
S.) So, too, in the saying in the Kur [xx. 15,]
أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا I desire (S, K) to conceal it: or,
to manifest it: (Beyd:) for, like as it is
allowable to put أُرِيدُ in the place of أَكَادُ, as in
the saying in the Kur [xviii. 76,] جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ
أَنْ يَنْقَضَّ, so it is to use اكاد [in the place of
اريد]: Akh says, that the words of the verse
in question mean I will conceal it, أُخْفِيهَا: and
some say, that the meaning is I will manifest it:
(TA:) but most hold, that اكاد should here be
rendered in its original sense. (MF, TA.)
Some of the Arabs make كاد to denote certainty; like ظَنَّ, which primarily denotes doubt,
and secondarily certainty. (L, art. كيد.) ―
2-b4-
عَرَفَ مَا يُكَادُ مِنْهُ [is in like manner explained]
He hath become acquainted with that which is
desired of him. (S, K.) ―
2-b5- You say to him
who seeks of you a thing, when you do not desire
to give him it, لَا وَلَا مَكَادَةَ وَلَا مَهَمَّةَ, (Lth, S, *
L, K, *) and لَا كَوْدًا وَلَا هَمًّا, and لَا مَكَادًا وَلَا مَهَمًّا,
(Lth, L,) i. e. لَا أَكَادُ وَلَا أَهُمُّ [No, nor do I desire,
nor do I purpose, or intend]. (Lth, L, K.) ―
2-b6- You
also say, in the same sense, لَا مَهَمَّةَ لِى وَلَا مَكَادَةَ
[I have no purpose or intention, nor any desire].
(S) ―
2-b7- See also كَادَ in art. كيد.