(a.), inf. of the verb istafhama “to interrogate”, a technical term in Arabic grammar signifying interrogation.
Interrogation can be indicated simply by the intonation of the sentence, particularly in prose that is close to the spoken language. Arabic generally uses two interrogative particles: a- (negative a-lā , a-mā , a-lam), hal . The second (hal) is more energetic than the first (a-), but is of more restricted use (Reckendorf, Arabische Syntax , 19, 10). Sībawayhi (i, 434, line 19-435, lines 1-2) represents the difference between a- and hal thus: “if you say: hal taḍribu Zaydan ? “d…