مَا

when following كُلّ or إِنَّ or أَيْنَ or أَىّ, if having the signification of الَّذِى, is written separately. (El-Hareeree, in De Sacy's Anthol. Gram. Ar., p. 67 of the Ar. text.)

مَا added to certain adverbial nouns is not merely redundant, but gives to them a conditional and general signification; as in أَيْنَمَا Wherever; and حَيْثُمَا Wherever, and whenever; &c.: see Qur'an, 2:143, 145, &c.: and see De Sacy's Gram., i. 537 and 538.

مَا While; as in مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا: and as much as; see Qur'an, 64:16.

بِمَا Because بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ Because they did transgress; or for that they did transgress. (Qur'an.)

إِنَّكَ مَا وَخَيْرًا, for مَعَ خَيْرٍ. See خَيْرٌ.

مَا is also added to a noun to denote the littleness of that which is signified by the noun; as in أَرَبٌ مَّا Some little want. (IAth in TA, article ارب.)

مَا in أَمَّا and إِمَّا (of which latter إِمَّا لَا is an instance) I have mentioned in arts. أَمَّا and إِمَّا.

بَالِغًا مَا بَلَغَ: see بَلَغَ.

مَا أَنْتَ [What art thou?] means what are thy qualities, or attributes? (Har, p. 155.) مَا رَبُّ العَالَمِينَ, in the Qur'an, 26:22, means أَىٌّ شَىْءٍ هُوَ. (Jel.) See also an example voce فَىّ.

مَا لَكَ signifies أَىُّ شَىْءٍ ثَبَتَ لَكَ (IbrD) and may be rendered What aileth thee?

شَىْءٌ مَّا Some particular thing: something. (See إِيهِ.) Also, Any particular thing? (IbrD.) See an example cited voce صَبَاحٌ.

فَتًى مَّا فُلَانٌ An excellent youth is such a one. (IbrD.) See Kull, p. 336. See also Bd, middle p. 42.

مَا is sometimes put for مَا دَامَ, مَا دَامُوا, and the like; i. e. As long as: see an example voce كَاظَّ, and التُّرْكُ, and جَلَّ.

الشَّكْلُ إِلَى الطُّولِ مَا هُوَ The form inclines somewhat to length; agreeably with a rendering voce عُقْرٌ: see De Sacy's Gr., sec. ed., i. 543 and 539: see also شَىْءٌ مَّا above: in the Qur'an, 38:23, ما is redundant, (Bd,) denoting vagueness and wonder, (Ksh, Bd,) or a corroborative of fewness: (Jel:) it means somewhat whether great or little in degree or importance.

-A2- مَا, the negative particle, followed by a pret., often requires the latter to be rendered in English by the preterperfect: example مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ يَوْمَان I have not seen him for two days. See De Sacy's Anthol. Gram. Ar., p. 253.