كَادُوا۟

Appears 4 times in Quran

Word Details

كَادُوا۟

Meanings

they are
they had
well nigh

📖 Lane's Lexicon (Root: كود)

[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.

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uthmani

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العربیّا عثمانی (Arabic Uthmani)

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

Occurrences in Quran

Found 4 verses containing "كَادُوا۟".

2:72

قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِى ٱلْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْـَٰٔنَ جِئْتَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

He answered: ‘God says, it is a cow not broken in to plough the earth or water the tilth; one without blemish; of one colour.’ They said: ‘Now hast thou brought the truth.’ Then they slaughtered her, though they would rather not do so.

English - Five Volume Translation

He answered: ‘God says, it is a cow [a]not broken in to plough the earth or water the tilth; one without blemish; of one colour.’ They said, ‘Now hast thou brought the truth’. Then they slaughtered her, though they would rather not do so.[78]

67:16.

Commentary:

The Israelites had lived for a long time among the Egyptians who had great veneration for the cow. Thus reverence for the cow had crept into the minds of the Israelites as well. This is why, when they made an idol for themselves, they made it in the shape of a calf (Quran 2:52 & Exod. 32:4). It was, therefore, quite in the fitness of things that, in order to root out this evil inclination from the hearts of the Israelites, they should have been repeatedly commanded to sacrifice the cow. And this was actually the case (Num. 19:1-9; Lev. 4:1-21; 16:3, 11; etc.) A nation which freely slaughters an animal can never think of deifying it.

In the verses under comment, i.e. vv. 68 to 72, mention is made of Moses having ordered the Israelites to sacrifice a cow. It appears that at first they were bidden to sacrifice an ordinary cow, but it seems they had a particular cow which served as a pet among them and they had a natural misgiving that the order pertained to that cow. So they repeatedly asked Moses to specify the cow which God meant to be slaughtered, and as a result of their questionings some conditions were added to specify the animal. Finally, when the description given by Moses corresponded to the particular cow which they had in view, they had perforce to say, Now hast thou brought the truth, the words showing that from the very beginning they had in their mind some particular cow to which they thought the command pertained. Caught in their own net, they were guided aright and had to slaughter the very cow which served as a pet among them and thus a great step was taken to uproot the evil from their hearts.

This incident finds mention in the Bible also (Num. 19:1-9). The Quranic version, however, differs slightly from that of the Bible. According to the Quran, the Israelites were at first ordered to slaughter an ordinary cow, and it was only on their repeated questioning that descriptions were added to specify it. On the other hand, the Biblical version makes no mention of this questioning, but tells us that at the very outset the Israelites were ordered to slaughter a cow answering a particular description. Again, the narrative of the Quran, shows that it was with great reluctance that the Israelites finally complied with the command, but the Bible throws no light on the manner in which the divine behest was carried out. It is not difficult to see on which side the truth lies. It is too much to believe that the Israelites, who were ever ready to quarrel with Moses on receipt of an injunction against their wishes, should have carried out, without question, the order relating to the slaughter of a cow.

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

67:16.

Commentary:

17:74

وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ لِتَفْتَرِىَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُۥ ۖ وَإِذًا لَّٱتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلًا

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

And they had well-nigh caused thee severest affliction on account of what We have revealed to thee, that thou mightest invent against Us something other than that; and then they would have certainly taken thee for a special friend.

17:77

وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُخْرِجُوكَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَإِذًا لَّا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَٰفَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

And indeed they are near to unsettling thee from the land that they might expel thee therefrom; but in that case they themselves would not have stayed after thee save a little.

72:20

وَأَنَّهُۥ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا۟ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًا

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

And when the Servant of Allah stands up praying to Him, they crowd upon him, well nigh suffocating him.

كَادُوا۟

كَادُوا۟

Meanings

Stem

Lemma

Root

📖 Lane's Lexicon (Root: كود)

Occurrences in Quran

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