منن

Core meaning

To grace: to grant a benefit and let it be known, as one says "this is what I did for you". From God, it is the grace that decides a fate; from man, it is the gift he holds over the one obliged.

Uses

1. مَنَّ + عَلَى (God as subject) → "to grace" : God grants a benefit that decides a fate.

   • «وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ» — "but God graces whom He wills among His obedient ones" (14:11)
   • «فَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا» — "God has graced us" (52:27)
   • «وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ» — "And We wanted to grace those who had been kept weak in the land" (28:5)

2. يَمُنُّونَ, تَمُنُّ (man as subject) → "to think one graces" : man poses as benefactor and holds his gift over the other.

   • «يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟» — "They think they grace you by having become true to God alone" (49:17)
   • «وَتِلْكَ نِعْمَةٌۭ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَىَّ» — "And this blessing with which you think you grace me" (26:22)

3. ٱلْمَنّ, مَنًّا (after giving) → "to hold over" : to hold the gift over the one obliged, which renders charity vain.

   • «لَا تُبْطِلُوا۟ صَدَقَٰتِكُم بِٱلْمَنِّ وَٱلْأَذَىٰ» — "Do not render your acts of charity vain by holding them over others and by causing nuisance" (2:264)

4. غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ → "never held over them" : under negation: the reward God will never hold over those who receive it.

   • «أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍۭ» — "a reward never held over them" (84:25)
   • «وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍۢ» — "And you shall surely have a reward never held over you" (68:3)

5. ٱلْمَنّ → "manna" : the gift sent down upon the Sons of Israel, with the quails.

   • «وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ» — "and sent down upon you manna and quails" (2:57)

6. ٱلْمَنُون → "fate" : in the expression رَيْبَ ٱلْمَنُونِ, "the blows of fate".

   • «نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِهِۦ رَيْبَ ٱلْمَنُونِ» — "we anticipate for him the blows of fate" (52:30)
   • Written exception: مَنًّا in 47:4 (the fate of captives) stays "grace", release without ransom.

Evidence from the text

The value of the word follows its subject. When God graces, the gift decides a fate: He graces the weakened (28:5), whom He wills among His obedient ones (14:11), those whom others despise (6:53), the believers by raising a messenger among them (3:164). When man graces, he holds his gift over the other: charity becomes vain (2:262, 2:264); Fir'awn thinks he graces Moussa with a blessing that is none (26:22).

In 49:17 the same verb returns three times: "They think they grace you", "Do not think you grace me", then "it is God who graces you by having guided you to faith".

Hence غَيْرُ مَمْنُون (41:8, 68:3, 84:25, 95:6): the reward God gives will never be held over those who receive it.

Distinctions

• نعم — the benefit itself; منن is the act of granting it, or of holding it over the other
• فضل — favor, the surplus granted
• ذكر — to remind so as to keep in memory; منن holds a gift over the one obliged