لو

Core meaning

Unreal condition: لَوْ sets a hypothesis that reality has already ruled out, and its sequel says what would have followed.

Uses

1. وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ, فَلَوْ شَآءَ → "had God willed" : fixed formula: what God did not will, and what would have followed.

   • «وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟» — "And had God willed, they would not have fought one another" (2:253)
   • «فَلَوْ شَآءَ لَهَدَىٰكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ» — "Had He willed, He would have guided you all" (6:149)

2. لَوْ, لَوْ أَنَّ → "had" : a condition that was not fulfilled; the answer often takes لَـ.

   • «وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَأَدْخَلْنَٰهُمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ» — "And had the people of the Scripture believed and guarded themselves, We would indeed have covered their evil deeds" (5:65)
   • «وَلَوْ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًۭا لَّأَسْمَعَهُمْ» — "Had God known any good in them, He would certainly have made them hear" (8:23)

3. أَوَلَوْ → "even if" : concession set within a question.

   • «أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ» — "Even if I brought you something explicit?" (26:30)

Evidence from the text

لَوْ refers to what did not take place. "And had God willed, they would not have fought one another" (2:253) supposes that they did; "Had God known any good in them" (8:23) supposes there was none. The translation renders the condition by the pluperfect and the answer by the past conditional.

The particle completes إِن, the open hypothesis, and إِذَا, what will happen. With أَ and وَ, أَوَلَوْ sets a concession as a question: "Even if I brought you something explicit?" (26:30).

Distinctions

• ان — the open hypothesis
• اذا — what will happen