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What is the meaning of "لعل وعسى" (perhaps/hoping that) when mentioned in the Holy Quran, especially "لعل" (perhaps/so that)? And are the meanings of hope befitting when directed towards Allah the Almighty? And does the intended meaning of words in the Quran have a special rule in the language?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Asa" (عسى) and "la'alla" (لعل) in the Arabic language both denote hope and anticipation. When "asa" is attributed to Allah Almighty, it indicates the certain realization of what it refers to, as in His saying: (And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you). And "asa" from Allah is binding.

As for "la'alla," it has several meanings in the language, including hope, compassion, causation, conjecture, interrogation, similitude, and prohibition.

When "la'alla" is attributed to Allah Almighty, it often comes to mean affirmation and certainty, similar to "asa."

"La'alla" can be interpreted according to its context in the Holy Quran; it may come to indicate causation, or hope related to the addressed parties, or prohibition, or similitude.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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