كَادَ يَفْعَلُ كَذَا
1.
, (S, K, * &c,) [originally كَوِدَ,] first pers. كِدْتُ, according to the usage of most of the Arabs, (IKtt,) aorist 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,) verbal noun 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 dialect of the Benoo-'Adee, (MF,) mentioned by Sb as heard from some of the Arabs, (S,) aorist يَكَادُ, (IKtt,) deviating from constant rule, (MF,) [and يَكُودُ, mentioned above, agreeably with rule;] as also كَادَ, (Msb, K, article كيد,) originally كَيِدَ, first pers. كِدْتُ, aorist يَكَادُ, (Msb, article كيد,) verbal noun كَيْدٌ; (L, article 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 aorist are used. It has a noun as the subject, in the nom. case; and an aorist, [generally] without أَنْ, as the predicate. (TA.) Sometimes they introduce أَنْ after it, likening it to عَسَى; as, for example, in the saying of Ru-beh,
[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 Qur'an, 17:75, 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 Qur'an, 2:66,] 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 Qur'an, 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 aorist preceded by a negative is negative; as is shown by the expression [in the Qur'an 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 Qur'an, 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 Qur'an, 17:76,] 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 according 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, article 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.]قَدْ كَادَ مِنْ طُولِ البِلَى أَنْ يَمْصَحَا
2.
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.)
3.
كَادَ also signifies He desired; synonym أَرَادَ. (Akh, S, K.) So in the verse
[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 Qur'an, 20:15,] 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 Qur'an, 18:76,] 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, article كيد.)كَادَتْ وَكِدْتُ وَتِلْكَ خَيْرُ إِرَادَةٍلَوْ عَادَ مِنْ لَهْوِ الصَّبَابَةِ مَا مَضَى
4.
5.
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.)
6.
You also say, in the same sense, لَا مَهَمَّةَ لِى وَلَا مَكَادَةَ [I have no purpose or intention, nor any desire]. (S)
7.
See also كَادَ in article كيد.