PROHIB: Prohibition

    From The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric

    النهي
    PROHIB: Prohibition
    CategorySentence Construction & Syntactical Stylistics
    (‘ilm al-ma‘ānī)
    SubcategorySentence-Type Switches
    Built upon8 sources
      
    Annotation Unit
    ARDT CodePROHIB
    Level1
     Has 17 Level2 subunits
      
    Included in Taxonomy
    ARDTv0.1.1
    v0.1.0
      
    External Identifiers
    BALAGHAScoreA-4
    BalaghaBaseQ45
    OpenAlexW4415329565
      
    Cite this page
    🔗 Live DOI10.64393/balagha.Q45
     
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    Definition

    Prohibitive (النهي) is an Arabic rhetorical device where the communicator demands restraint from an act, or abstention from it, in a manner of superiority and obligation (al-istiʿlāʾ wa-l-ilzām).[1][2][3][4] The Prohibitive has a single form: the present tense verb in the jussive mood preceded by the prohibitive particle lā (lā al-nāhiya).[1][5][2][6][3][4]

    Note on source divergence: Funūn and Nāṣif define the Prohibitive using al-istiʿlāʾ alone, omitting the al-ilzām clause.[5][6] ʿĀtiq, ʿAkkāwī, al-Hāshimī and al-Ghanī all require both conditions.[1][2][3][4] As the majority and narrower formulation, الاستعلاء والإلزام is adopted above; this divergence is flagged rather than silently resolved.

    Linguistic Operations

    • The Prohibitive departs from its literal meaning (طلب الكفّ) to convey secondary meanings that are understood from context and situational indicators (qarāʾin al-aḥwāl).[1][5][4][6][3]
    • The literal Prohibitive itself carries no rhetorical value; its sole aim is restraint and prevention (الكفّ والمنع).[4]
    • The relative status of the communicator and addressee helps determine which secondary purpose is intended: e.g. a Prohibitive directed from a lower party to a higher one (such as a servant to God) indicates supplication, one directed between parties of equal standing indicates entreaty, and one directed to something incapable of rational response indicates a wish.[4]
    • In this encyclopedia, the mechanism is described as: the grammatical form of the Prohibitive (jussive verb + لا) remains constant, while its illocutionary force shifts from a literal demand for restraint to one of the attested secondary purposes below, signalled by contextual and relative-status indicators rather than by any change in morphology.

    Recognition

    Prohibitive may be present when:

    • the clause consists of a present-tense verb in the jussive mood preceded by the particle لا.[1][5][2][6][3][4]
    • it is directed from a lower-status speaker to a higher one within a human relationship (e.g. son to father, student to teacher), suggesting hope/expectation rather than a literal command.[4]
    • it is directed from a lower party to a higher one such as a servant to God, suggesting supplication.[4]
    • it is directed between two parties of equal standing, suggesting entreaty.[1][2][6][3][4]
    • it is directed towards something incapable of rational understanding (non-sentient or inanimate), suggesting a wish.[1][5][2][6][3][4][7][8]

    Diagnostic Communicative Enhancements

    The Prohibition can have a wide range of pragmatic effects as described in the "Prohibition" section.

    Applying the Recognition Framework

    The information on this page can be used to evaluate whether this device is present in a candidate lexical item using the Specific Device Recognition part of the Universal Framework for Identifying Arabic Rhetorical Devices:

    • Use the Definition, Mechanism, and Recognition sections of this page in Step 1.
    • Apply the substitution test in Step 2.
    • Consider contextual indicators in Step 3.
    • Use the Diagnostic Communicative Enhancements section of this page in Step 4.

    Types of Prohibition

    • The rhetorical purposes of the Prohibitive become apparent through the psychological climate governing the addressee's feelings and through the surrounding context and situational indicators.[4]
    • The Prohibitive carries the same rhetorical benefits as the Imperative (فعل الأمر), achieved by changing the imperative form (افعل) into the prohibitive form (لا تفعل).[4]
    • The Prohibitive's rhetorical purposes are not limited to those enumerated by any one source; further purposes may be understood from the context of speech.[4]

    PROHIB-SU: Supplication (al-duʿāʾ)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive is directed from a lower party to a higher one, such as a servant addressing God.[4][3]

    رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا

    "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred." (Qur'an 2:286)

    Explanation
    The communicator addresses God using the Prohibitive form as a supplication rather than as a literal prohibition.[9]

    رَبِّ لَا تُخَيِّبْ رَجَائِي

    My Lord, do not disappoint my hope.

    Explanation
    A speaker of lower standing (a human) addresses God with the Prohibitive form, following the same lower-to-higher structure attested in the sourced example.

    PROHIB-EN: Entreaty (al-iltimās)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive is directed from one person to another of equal standing or rank.[1][2][6][3][4]

    لَا تَتَكَلَّمْ أَثْنَاءَ كَلَامِ الْأُسْتَاذِ يَا طَارِقُ

    Do not speak while the teacher is speaking, Ṭāriq.

    Explanation
    Addressed by one student to another of equal standing, illustrating entreaty as distinct from a superior's command.[10]

    لَا تُغَادِرْ مَكَانَكَ حَتَّى أَعُودَ يَا صَدِيقِي

    Don't leave your place until I come back, my friend.

    Explanation
    Spoken between two friends of equal status, matching the equal-standing structure attested in the sources.

    PROHIB-PE: Hope/Expectation (al-rajāʾ)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive is directed from a lower party to a higher one, such as a pupil to a teacher or a subject to a ruler.[4]

    لَا تُهْمِلْ شَعْبَكَ يَا سِيَادَةَ الرَّئِيسِ

    Do not neglect your people, Mr. President.

    Explanation
    A citizen (lower status) addresses a president (higher status), expressing hope rather than a binding command.[10]

    لَا تَنْسَ مَوْعِدَنَا يَا أُسْتَاذِي

    Don't forget our appointment, teacher.

    Explanation
    A student addresses a teacher, a lower-to-higher relationship matching the sourced example.

    PROHIB-WI: Wish (al-tamannī)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive is directed towards something non-rational (ghayr ʿāqil).[1][5][2][6][3][4][7]

    أَعَيْنَيَّ جُودَا وَلَا تَجْمُدَا / أَلَا تَبْكِيَانِ لِصَخْرِ النَّدَى

    My two eyes, be generous [with tears] and do not run dry — will you not weep for Ṣakhr al-Nadā? (al-Khansāʾ)

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive ولا تجمدا is addressed to the poet's own eyes, a non-rational object, marking the departure into wish.[11][12]

    يَا لَيْلُ لَا تَنْقَضِ

    O night, do not come to an end.

    Explanation
    Night, a non-sentient entity, cannot obey or disobey; the form expresses a wish for the night to last, following the same structure as the sourced examples.

    PROHIB-AG: Advice and Guidance (al-naṣḥ wa-l-irshād)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys advice and guidance (al-naṣḥ wa-l-irshād).[1][5][2][6][3][4]

    لَا تَسْأَلُوا عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ إِن تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ

    Do not ask about things which, if made known to you, would cause you distress.
    Quran 5:101

    Explanation
    The verse counsels restraint from a harmful line of questioning, exemplifying guidance rather than a strict prohibition on a servant's behalf.[13][14][15]

    لَا تُؤَجِّلْ عَمَلَ الْيَوْمِ إِلَى الْغَدِ

    Do not put off today's work until tomorrow.

    Explanation
    A generalised piece of counsel phrased as a Prohibitive, following the advisory function attested in the sources.

    PROHIB-TH: Threat (al-tahdīd)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys threat (al-tahdīd) rather than literal prohibition.[1][5][6][3][4][7][8]

    لَا تُذَاكِرْ وَلَا تَحْفَظْ وَلَا تُصَلِّ وَلَا تَأْخُذْ دَوَاءَكَ

    Do not study, do not memorise, do not pray, and do not take your medicine. (a father to his son)

    Explanation
    In this example, the father's Prohibitives conflict with what he actually wants his son to do, thereby conveying threat rather than literal prohibition.[16]

    لَا تَحْتَرِمْ مَوَاعِيدَكَ، وَسَتَرَى النَّتِيجَةَ

    Don't keep to your appointments, and you'll see the result.

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive is not meant literally but as a warning of the consequences of the behaviour described, matching the source pattern.

    PROHIB-RB: Rebuke (al-tawbīkh)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys rebuke (al-tawbīkh) rather than literal prohibition.[1][5][2][3][4][7][8]

    لَا تَنْهَ عَنْ خُلُقٍ وَتَأْتِيَ مِثْلَهُ / عَارٌ عَلَيْكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ عَظِيمُ

    Do not forbid a conduct while committing its like — great is the shame upon you if you do so. (Abū al-Aswad al-Duʾalī)

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive rebukes the addressee for forbidding conduct while committing the same conduct themselves.[17]

    لَا تَلُمْ أَخَاكَ عَلَى التَّأْخِيرِ وَأَنْتَ دَائِمًا مُتَأَخِّرٌ

    Don't blame your brother for being late while you yourself are always late.

    Explanation
    The speaker rebukes the addressee for a fault they themselves exhibit, following the mechanism above.

    PROHIB-BL: Belittlement (al-taḥqīr)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys belittlement (al-taḥqīr).[1][2][3][4]

    دَعِ الْمَكَارِمَ لَا تَرْحَلْ لِبُغْيَتِهَا / وَاقْعُدْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الطَّاعِمُ الْكَاسِي

    Leave noble deeds — do not journey in pursuit of them — and sit, for you are [content to be] merely fed and clothed. (al-Ḥuṭayʾa)

    Explanation
    The addressee is mockingly told to abandon a noble pursuit as being beyond them, diminishing their standing.[17][18]

    لَا تَحْلُمْ بِالرِّئَاسَةِ فَلَسْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا

    Don't dream of leadership — you are not fit for it.

    Explanation
    The addressee's capability is belittled through the Prohibitive form, following the source pattern.

    PROHIB-RH: Rendering Hopeless (al-tayʾīs)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys the rendering of the addressee hopeless (al-tayʾīs).[1][5][6][3][7]

    لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ

    Make no excuses; you have rejected faith after you had believed. (Qur'an 9:66)

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive forecloses any possibility of the excuse succeeding, rendering the pursuit hopeless.[19][7][20]

    لَا تَنْتَظِرِ اعْتِذَارَهُ، فَقَدْ فَاتَ الْأَوَانُ

    Don't wait for his apology — the time for it has passed.

    Explanation
    The addressee is told to give up hope of an outcome that can no longer be achieved.

    PROHIB-CO: Clarifying the Outcome (bayān al-ʿāqiba)

    Occurs to convey the true outcome of a matter, contrary to how it may appear.[6][3]

    وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ

    Do not think of those slain in the way of God as dead; rather, they are alive. (Qur'an 3:169)

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive corrects an apparent perception (death) by clarifying the true state of affairs (life).[13][14]

    لَا تَحْسَبْ صَمْتَهُ ضَعْفًا بَلْ هُوَ حِكْمَةٌ

    Do not think his silence is weakness; rather, it is wisdom.

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive corrects a mistaken impression by clarifying the true underlying reality, following the source pattern.

    PROHIB-CP: Consolation and Bearing Patiently (al-tasliya wa-l-taṣabbur)

    Occurs to console the addressee and encourage patient endurance.[5]

    لَا تَجْزَعِي إِنْ مُنْفِسًا أَهْلَكْتُهُ / فَإِذَا هَلَكْتُ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ فَاجْزَعِي

    Do not grieve over a precious thing I have lost — grieve only when I myself perish. (al-Namir ibn Tawlab)

    Explanation
    The addressee is urged towards patient endurance rather than distress, the defining feature of this category.[21]

    لَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَى مَا فَاتَ، فَالْأَيَّامُ الْقَادِمَةُ خَيْرٌ

    Do not grieve over what has passed; the coming days are better.

    Explanation
    The speaker consoles the addressee and encourages patience, following the sourced example.

    PROHIB-PM: Permanence (al-dawām)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys permanence (al-dawām).[3]

    وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ

    Do not think that God is unaware of what the wrongdoers do.

    Explanation
    Al-Hāshimī gives this verse as an example of the Prohibitive conveying permanence.[14]

    لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ عِنَايَتِي بِكَ تَنْقَطِعُ

    Do not think that my care for you ever stops.

    Explanation
    Affirms the continuous, unbroken nature of a state, following the source pattern.

    PROHIB-AV: Aversion (al-karāha)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys aversion (al-karāha).[3]

    لَا تَلْتَفِتْ وَأَنْتَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ

    Do not turn around while you are praying.

    Explanation
    Al-Hāshimī gives this as an example of the Prohibitive conveying aversion.[18]

    لَا تَتَحَدَّثْ وَأَنْتَ تَأْكُلُ

    Do not talk while you are eating.

    Explanation
    Expresses a discouraged rather than strictly forbidden act, following the source pattern.

    PROHIB-RA: Reassurance (al-īʾtinās)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys reassurance (al-īʾtinās).[3]

    لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا

    Do not grieve; indeed God is with us. (Qur'an 9:40)

    Explanation
    The Prohibitive is used to comfort and reassure rather than to forbid an act.[18]

    لَا تَقْلَقْ، سَأَبْقَى بِجَانِبِكَ

    Don't worry, I will stay by your side.

    Explanation
    Offers comfort and reassurance to the addressee, following the sourced example.

    PROHIB-RI: Rendering Incapable (al-taʿjīz)

    Occurs when the Prohibitive conveys rendering incapable (al-taʿjīz).[4]

    لَا تَتَنَفَّسْ يَوْمَيْنِ

    Do not breathe for two days.

    Explanation
    Commands an impossible feat, exposing the addressee's inherent incapacity.[16]

    لَا تَنَمْ أُسْبُوعًا كَامِلًا

    Do not sleep for an entire week.

    Explanation
    An impossible demand, following the same mechanism as the sourced example.

    PROHIB-SC: Sarcasm

    Abdul-Raof identifies sarcasm as a rhetorical signification of the Prohibitive.[8]

    لَا تَدْرُسْ فَأَنْتَ لَسْتَ بِحَاجَةٍ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ

    Do not study, because you do not need knowledge.

    Explanation
    Abdul-Raof gives this Prohibitive as an example of sarcasm.[9]

    لَا تَعْتَذِرْ، فَأَنْتَ لَمْ تُخْطِئْ قَطُّ

    Don't apologise — you've never made a mistake.

    Explanation
    A manifestly false pretext produces the same mocking effect as the sourced example.

    PROHIB-CH: Challenge

    Abdul-Raof identifies challenge as a rhetorical signification of the Prohibitive.[8]

    لَا تُحَاوِلْ أَنْ تُقَلِّدَ سِيبَوَيْهِ فِي النَّحْوِ

    Do not try to imitate Sībawayhi in grammar.

    Explanation
    The addressee is dared to attempt something acknowledged as very difficult, the defining feature of challenge.[9]

    لَا تُحَاوِلْ أَنْ تُبَارِيَ الْمُتَنَبِّي فِي شِعْرِهِ

    Do not try to rival al-Mutanabbī in his poetry.

    Explanation
    Dares the addressee to an acknowledged feat of great difficulty, following the sourced example.

    Notes

    Technical

    • Al-Ghanī states explicitly that the literal Prohibitive (النهي الحقيقي) has no rhetorical value of its own — its function is restricted to restraint and prevention (الكفّ والمنع) — and that its rhetorical purposes are not limited to those he enumerates.[4]
    • Definitions diverge on whether الإلزام (obligation) is a necessary condition alongside الاستعلاء (superiority): Funūn and Nāṣif omit it, while ʿĀtiq, ʿAkkāwī, al-Hāshimī and al-Ghanī include it.[5][6][1][2][3][4]
    • وبيان العاقبة ("Clarifying the Outcome") is attested independently in both Nāṣif and al-Hāshimī using the same Qur'anic verse (Qur'an 3:169).[6][3]
    • Several rhetorical purposes are attested in only a single reviewed source: hope/expectation (الرجاء) and rendering incapable (التعجيز) in al-Ghanī; permanence (الدوام), aversion (الكراهة) and reassurance (الائتناس) in al-Hāshimī; consolation and bearing patiently (التسلية والتصبير) in Funūn; and sarcasm and challenge in Abdul-Raof.

    References

    1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Atīq, ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2006), 65-69, ISBN 9773440764.
    2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Inʿām Fawwāl ʿAkkāwī, Al-Muʿjam al-Mufaṣṣal fī ʿUlūm al-Balāgha: Al-Badīʿ wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Maʿānī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1996), 668-669.
    3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 85-87, ISBN 9781527316386.
    4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 336-339.
    5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Faḍl Ḥasan ʿAbbās, Al-Balāgha: Funūnuhā wa-Afnānuhā - ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Irbid: Dār al-Furqān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 1997), 154-155.
    6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ḥafnī Nāṣif, Muḥammad Diyāb, Sultan Muḥammad and Muṣṭafā Ṭammām, Durūs al-Balāgha (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2012), 32-33, ISBN 9786144162798.
    7. ↑ a b c d e f Basil Hatim, Arabic Rhetoric: The Pragmatics of Deviation from Linguistic Norms, LINCOM Studies in Communication 04 (Munich: Lincom Europa, 2010), 159-161, ISBN 9783929075731.
    8. ↑ a b c d e Hussein Abdul-Raof, Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic Analysis (Oxford: Routledge, 2006), 118-119, ISBN 9780415386098. DOI: 10.4324/9780203965399
    9. ↑ a b c Hussein Abdul-Raof, Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic Analysis (Oxford: Routledge, 2006), 118, ISBN 9780415386098. DOI: 10.4324/9780203965399
    10. ↑ a b Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 337.
    11. ↑ ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Atīq, ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2006), 67, ISBN 9773440764.
    12. ↑ Basil Hatim, Arabic Rhetoric: The Pragmatics of Deviation from Linguistic Norms, LINCOM Studies in Communication 04 (Munich: Lincom Europa, 2010), 159-160, ISBN 9783929075731.
    13. ↑ a b Ḥafnī Nāṣif, Muḥammad Diyāb, Sultan Muḥammad and Muṣṭafā Ṭammām, Durūs al-Balāgha (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2012), 33, ISBN 9786144162798.
    14. ↑ a b c Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 85, ISBN 9781527316386.
    15. ↑ Faḍl Ḥasan ʿAbbās, Al-Balāgha: Funūnuhā wa-Afnānuhā - ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Irbid: Dār al-Furqān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 1997), 154.
    16. ↑ a b Ayman Amin Abd Al-Ghani, Al-Kāfī fī al-Balāgha: Al-Bayān, wa al-Badiʿ wa al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Tawfīqiyya lil-Turāth, 2011), 338.
    17. ↑ a b ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Atīq, ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2006), 68, ISBN 9773440764.
    18. ↑ a b c Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 86, ISBN 9781527316386.
    19. ↑ ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Atīq, ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Cairo: Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2006), 69, ISBN 9773440764.
    20. ↑ Basil Hatim, Arabic Rhetoric: The Pragmatics of Deviation from Linguistic Norms, LINCOM Studies in Communication 04 (Munich: Lincom Europa, 2010), 161, ISBN 9783929075731.
    21. ↑ Faḍl Ḥasan ʿAbbās, Al-Balāgha: Funūnuhā wa-Afnānuhā - ʿIlm al-Maʿānī (Irbid: Dār al-Furqān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 1997), 155.



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