Qur'anic Root “Ṭ M ʿ”
Expectation and inner inclination toward attaining a desired matter thought possible
1. Introduction to the Root
The root “Ṭ M ʿ” in Arabic denotes expectation and an inner inclination toward attaining something desired; something that has not yet been obtained, but the person sees reaching it as possible.
“طَمِعَ في الشيء” means he hoped for it, had expectation toward it, or stood in anticipation of attaining it. In this meaning there are three elements:
- a desired matter;
- the possibility of attaining it;
- the realization of it not being certain.
For this reason, “ṭamaʿ” in Qur'anic Arabic does not necessarily mean “greed,” “base covetousness,” or “excessive desire.” The word can express a sound hope for forgiveness, expectation of rain, expectation of being entered among the righteous, or an unfounded and excessive expectation.
The ethical direction of ṭamaʿ is determined by its object, the basis of the expectation, and the conduct of the one who has it.
2. Use in Pre-Islamic Arabic
Jahili poetry shows that before the revelation of the Qur'an, “ṭamaʿ” had a meaning broader than “greed.”
Laqit ibn Yaʿmur al-Iyadi, describing an uncertain relationship, says:
جَرَّتْ لِما بَيْنَنا حَبْلَ الشَّموسِ فَلا
يَأْسًا مُبينًا تَرى مِنْها وَلا طَمَعَا
In this line, “despair” and “ṭamaʿ” stand opposite one another: neither a clear sign of despair is seen from her, nor a firm ground for hope of union. “Ṭamaʿ” here is the expectation of the possibility of reaching.
Al-Nabighah al-Dhubyani also says, describing an animal that sees the way of escape as closed:
قالَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ إِنّي لا أَرى طَمَعًا
وَإِنَّ مَوْلاكَ لَمْ يَسْلَمْ وَلَمْ يَصِدِ
“لا أرى طمعاً” means: I no longer see any possibility or expectation of escape. Ṭamaʿ in this use is not greed, but hope of rescue.
These witnesses show that in pre-Islamic Arabic, “ṭamaʿ” could be:
- hope of rescue or union;
- something placed opposite despair;
- or expectation of attaining a possible benefit.
The Qur'an preserves this semantic field and uses it in positive, balanced, and blameworthy contexts.
3. Morphological Structure
“Ṭ M ʿ” is a basic triliteral and sound root. Its main verb is conjugated as follows:
- طَمِعَ يَطْمَعُ: he hoped, had expectation, or desired attainment;
- طَمَع: expectation, hope, or anticipation of attainment;
- طَماعَة and طَماعِيَة: inclination and expectation;
- طامِع and طَمِع: one who has expectation toward something;
- مَطْمَع: something or a situation toward which expectation is directed;
- مَطامِع: plural of maṭmaʿ, desired things and matters that are objects of expectation;
- أَطْمَعَهُ في الشيء: he made him hopeful of something or created the ground of his expectation;
- تَطامَعَ فيه: he directed ṭamaʿ toward him or it.
In the Qur'an, the forms used from this root are limited to the basic triliteral verb and the verbal noun “طَمَع.”
The Pattern “فَعِلَ يَفْعَلُ”
“طَمِعَ يَطْمَعُ” follows the pattern “فَعِلَ يَفْعَلُ.” This pattern is seen in a considerable number of verbs related to inner and psychological states, such as “فَرِحَ,” “حَزِنَ,” and “غَضِبَ.”
This feature fits the meaning of ṭamaʿ as an inner state; but the morphological pattern alone does not determine the exact definition of the word. The meaning of the root must be extracted from the totality of linguistic and Qur'anic uses.
Reference Cards for Qur'anic Derivatives
The basic triliteral verb: to hope, have expectation, or expect attainment of a desired matter.
The verbal noun: expectation, hope, or anticipation of attainment, paired in the Qur'an with fear.
First-person present from ṭamiʿa: “I hope,” not the form IV verb.
Collective hope and expectation, used in contexts of faith, forgiveness, and entering among the righteous.
Continuing expectation or hope; its value is determined by context.
The Qur'anic pairing of fear and hope: two future possibilities, harm and good, held together.
4. Morphological Note About “أَطْمَعُ”
Abraham says:
وَالَّذِي أَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ
“أَطْمَعُ” in this verse is the first-person present verb from the basic triliteral verb “طَمِعَ يَطْمَعُ”:
أَنا أَطْمَعُ: I hope.
The initial alif is the marker of the first-person present. This form should not be confused with the form IV verb “أَطْمَعَ,” meaning “he made another hopeful or covetous.”
5. Absence of a Fixed Material Image
For “Ṭ M ʿ,” there is no clear and fixed material image that can confidently be treated as the origin of all uses of the root. In early witnesses, the word is used directly for an inner state of hope, inclination, and expectation.
For explanation, ṭamaʿ may be compared to the eye being fixed on something or the hand stretching toward a desired object; but these are interpretive images, not a fixed meaning or proven origin of the root.
Therefore, “Ṭ M ʿ” is better understood among verbs that express an inner state of a person, without constructing a speculative bodily origin for it.
6. Semantic Core
The semantic core of “Ṭ M ʿ” can be stated as follows:
An inner inclination and expectation toward attaining a benefit or desired matter that is thought possible, while its realization is not yet certain.
Ṭamaʿ is not the desired thing itself, nor attainment of it, nor certainty that it will occur; rather, it is the person’s state in the distance between wanting and obtaining.
For this reason, ṭamaʿ is not identical with three things:
- mere desire, because in ṭamaʿ there is also expectation of attainment;
- certainty, because the result is still not certain;
- entitlement, because having expectation toward something does not prove that the person has a right to receive it.
7. The Ethical Range of Ṭamaʿ in the Qur'an
The root “Ṭ M ʿ” does not have a fixed ethical charge in the Qur'an. Ṭamaʿ can appear in three directions:
7.1. Acceptable Ṭamaʿ
Such as hope for forgiveness, mercy, and being placed among the righteous.
7.2. Balanced Ṭamaʿ
Such as “with fear and expectation,” where the possibility of good and harm are both considered at the same time.
7.3. Blameworthy Ṭamaʿ
Such as illegitimate expectation, a feeling of entitlement without action, or expecting an increase of blessing despite ingratitude and opposition to the signs.
Thus one cannot judge the ethical value of a derivative of “Ṭ M ʿ” merely by seeing it. That direction is obtained from the object, the structure of the sentence, and the context.
8. “خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا”
In the nominal uses of this root in the Qur'an, “طَمَعًا” is always joined with “خَوْفًا”:
وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
This is a real pattern in the Qur'anic use of the verbal noun “ṭamaʿ,” not a general rule for every use of this root in Arabic.
Fear and ṭamaʿ are not complete opposites. Both relate to a future that has not yet been realized:
- fear: attention to the possibility of an unpleasant matter;
- ṭamaʿ: attention to the possibility of attaining a desired matter.
9. Ṭamaʿ in Supplication
In two verses, fear and ṭamaʿ describe the state of those who supplicate:
وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
Supplication in this structure arises neither from despair nor from claimant-like certainty. The one who supplicates is aware of the possibility of deprivation and the consequence of error, but does not see the door of mercy as closed.
Ṭamaʿ here does not mean greed; it is hope that does not claim certainty of result and preserves the authority of granting for The God.
10. Ṭamaʿ in Seeing Lightning
About lightning, it says:
هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ الثِّقَالَ
And:
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا
Lightning can produce both fear and hope. The continuation of the verses, which speaks of heavy clouds, the sending down of water, and the revival of the earth, shows that ṭamaʿ here is connected with the expectation of rain and its benefits.
One phenomenon places two possibilities before the human being:
- the possibility of harm, deprivation, or danger;
- the possibility of rain, growth, and life.
Fear and ṭamaʿ are the human response to these two possibilities.
11. Hope of Being Placed Among the Righteous
In Surah Al-Maidah, those who have recognized the truth say:
وَمَا لَنَا لَا نُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا جَاءَنَا مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَنَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنَا رَبُّنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الصَّالِحِينَ
Ṭamaʿ here is hope of being accepted among the righteous. They accept the truth that has come to them and then hope to be counted among the righteous.
“نطمع” shows that they do not regard entry among the righteous as a guaranteed right independent of the judgment of The God. Their ṭamaʿ is joined with faith and acceptance of truth, not with an empty claim.
12. Hope for Forgiveness
12.1. The Speech of Those Who Came to Faith
After the magicians came to faith, it says:
إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا أَنْ كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
They do not deny their past, and they also do not count forgiveness as their certain right; rather, they hope for it.
In this context, ṭamaʿ is joined with a change of direction, faith, and acknowledgment of error. Therefore, it is not a hope without action or without ground.
12.2. The Speech of Abraham
Abraham says:
وَالَّذِي أَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ
Ṭamaʿ here is joined with recognition of the Day of Judgment and need for forgiveness. This expression does not show doubt in mercy; rather, it expresses humility before judgment.
Forgiveness is not something the human being guarantees for himself through claim or self-attachment. Ṭamaʿ is a hope that preserves both the desirability of forgiveness and its dependence on the granting of The God.
13. Hope of Entering the Garden
In the description of a group who have not yet entered the Garden, it says:
لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ
“وهم يطمعون” describes their state:
- entry has not yet been realized;
- they do not consider entry impossible;
- and they continue to hope for it.
This verse is among the clearest witnesses of ṭamaʿ meaning “having hope.” Translating it as “greed” or “covetousness” damages the meaning of the verse.
14. An Expectation That Does Not Fit Reality
In Surah Al-Baqarah it says:
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“أفتطمعون” is a challenging question: with the described behavior of a group among them, do you still expect them to accept your speech?
The criticism is not aimed at hope itself; the issue is an expectation that the behavioral evidence does not support. In addition, the verse speaks of “a group among them”; therefore, the behavior of one group should not be generalized to all individuals without evidence.
This use shows that ṭamaʿ must be measured against reality and existing evidence.
15. The Ṭamaʿ of a Diseased-Hearted Person
In Surah Al-Ahzab it says:
فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ
Ṭamaʿ here is the improper expectation of a person in whose heart there is disease. From a particular manner of speaking, he infers the possibility of an illegitimate response or access.
The root “Ṭ M ʿ” by itself does not express sexual desire or a specific act. Its unhealthy direction is understood from the context and the description “the one in whose heart is disease.”
In “فَيَطْمَعَ,” the verb after prohibition and the fa of causation is in the subjunctive. The structure of the sentence expresses a consequential relation: do not speak in such a way that the diseased-hearted person falls into an improper expectation.
Therefore, the ethical cause of this ṭamaʿ lies in the diseased heart; the word itself only expresses the arising of expectation.
16. Expectation of Entering the Garden Without a Worthy Basis
In Surah Al-Ma'arij it says:
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ
The question calls their expectation into question. The issue is not merely wanting the Garden; the issue is that a person expects a desired result without accepting its path and criteria.
This verse shows that even a desired matter like the Garden can become the object of unfounded ṭamaʿ. The positivity of the desired object alone does not make the expectation of its holder justified.
17. Insatiable Ṭamaʿ for Increase
In Surah Al-Muddaththir, after mentioning the blessings given to a person, it says:
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ
“ثم” shows a new stage after the previous blessings: despite what he has received, he still expects more to be added.
Wanting increase in itself is not always blameworthy. The negative direction of this ṭamaʿ is obtained from the context: the person acts stubbornly toward the signs and at the same time expects continuation and increase of blessing.
Here ṭamaʿ has been separated from gratitude and responsibility and has turned into endless expectation. The translation “he still has his eye on Me increasing him” is more precise than “he hopes.”
18. The Role of Sentence Structure in the Ethical Direction of Ṭamaʿ
The Qur'an uses the same root for positive and negative ṭamaʿ. Its ethical direction is often shaped with the help of sentence structure and context.
In acceptable uses we read:
وَنَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنَا
أَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لِي
وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ
But in blameworthy uses, interrogative or consequential structures are seen:
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ...
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ...
فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ
In “ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ,” the order of the sentence and the previous blessings also turn ṭamaʿ into excessive wanting.
Therefore, blame is not embedded in the essence of the verb “ṭamiʿa.” The rhetorical question, the object, the character of the one who has ṭamaʿ, and the background of the verse shape its ethical direction.
19. Important Grammatical Structures
19.1. “طَمِعَ أنْ”
The content of ṭamaʿ in most verbal uses of the Qur'an is expressed with “أن” and a present verb:
نَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنَا
نَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لَنَا
أَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لِي
أَيَطْمَعُ ... أَنْ يُدْخَلَ
يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ
The sentence after “أن” specifies the desired matter whose realization the person expects. This structure by itself does not determine whether the expectation is right or wrong.
19.2. “وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ”
In the phrase:
لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ
The sentence “وهم يطمعون” describes their state at the time of not having entered. There is still a distance between the present condition and the desired future, but hope of crossing that distance remains.
19.3. Rhetorical Question of Denial
In two verses, the verb of ṭamaʿ comes with the interrogative hamzah:
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ
The critical tone of these two phrases comes from the question and the context, not from the root “Ṭ M ʿ” alone. The same verb in a declarative structure can express an acceptable hope.
19.4. “خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا”
“خوفاً” and “طمعاً” in this combination are accusative and express the state or motive of the person: while fearful and hopeful, or out of fear and hope.
The precise object of fear and ṭamaʿ must be recognized from the context of the verse; grammar alone does not determine it.
20. Difference from Nearby Words
20.1. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and R J W (Rajā')
“Rajā'” and “ṭamaʿ” can both denote hope toward the future, and the boundary between them is not completely hard in every use.
“Ṭamaʿ” usually highlights a more palpable expectation of attaining a possible desired matter; “rajā'” has a broader meaning of hope and expectation.
Some lexical reports define ṭamaʿ as “strong rajā',” but one should not make from this expression an absolute hierarchy. Context can change the intensity of both.
20.2. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and R GH B (Raghbah)
“Raghbah” emphasizes desire and the orientation of will toward something. “Ṭamaʿ,” in addition to wanting, also contains expectation of attainment.
- raghbah: wanting and turning toward;
- ṭamaʿ: expectation that the desired thing may be attained.
A person may have raghbah toward something but regard the possibility of attaining it as very remote. In ṭamaʿ, the imagined possibility of attainment is more prominent.
20.3. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and A M L (Amal)
“Amal” is more connected with a wish extended into the future. Ṭamaʿ is not necessarily long-term and may become active upon seeing a near opportunity.
- amal: a wish that extends into the future;
- ṭamaʿ: expectation of attaining a desired matter thought possible.
20.4. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and M N Y (Tamannī)
“Tamanni” can be mere wishing and desiring, even if the real ground of its realization is weak.
In ṭamaʿ, the person usually imagines some possibility or opportunity for attaining, even if this imagining may be wrong. Therefore, ṭamaʿ too can be unfounded, but its holder usually thinks the desired matter is attainable.
20.5. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and Ḥ R Ṣ (Ḥirṣ)
“Ḥirṣ” emphasizes intense attachment and persistent pursuit. The greedy person is not only hopeful; he clings to the desired thing and does not easily let go of it.
Ṭamaʿ may remain at the level of an inner expectation and not yet reach persistent pursuit.
- ṭamaʿ: expectation of attaining;
- ḥirṣ: intense attachment and pursuit for attaining or preserving something.
Ṭamaʿ can turn into ḥirṣ, but the two are not complete synonyms.
20.6. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and SH H W (Shahwah)
“Shahwah” is an intense desire for something pleasurable and can relate to bodily, sexual, or other pleasures.
Ṭamaʿ is not necessarily sensual. A human being can have expectation toward forgiveness, rain, rescue, acceptance, or increase of wealth.
In Al-Ahzab: 32, the unhealthy direction of ṭamaʿ is understood from the context and the disease of the heart; not because “Ṭ M ʿ” in itself means sexual desire.
20.7. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and Y A S (Despair)
Ṭamaʿ in Arabic often stands opposite despair:
- ṭamaʿ: the possibility of attaining is still seen;
- despair: hope of attaining collapses.
Nevertheless, the absence of despair does not necessarily mean strong ṭamaʿ. Between the two there can be hesitation, waiting, or weak hope.
20.8. Ṭ M ʿ (Ṭamaʿ) and KH W F (Fear)
Fear is not the direct opposite of ṭamaʿ. Their pairing in the Qur'an shows two possible directions of the future:
- fear is attention to the possibility of harm or deprivation;
- ṭamaʿ is attention to the possibility of good and attainment.
In supplication, these two states stand together: neither complete despair nor claimant-like certainty.
21. The Restriction of the Meaning of Ṭamaʿ in Later Uses
In ethical and admonitory literature after the Qur'an, expressions such as “worldly ambitions” and “people of ṭamaʿ” became very common. In these uses, ṭamaʿ usually moved close to worldly desires, having one’s eye on the wealth and rank of others, and excessive wanting.
This tendency was strengthened in Persian as well, to the point that “ṭamaʿ” is almost always felt as a negative word.
This semantic development should not be carried back into the text of the Qur'an. The Qur'an itself uses this same root for Abraham’s hope of forgiveness and the believers’ hope of being placed among the righteous. Therefore, the negative meaning common in Persian is suitable only in some verses, not all of them.
22. Care in Translation
Depending on the context, these equivalents may be used:
- to hope;
- to be hopeful;
- to have one’s eye on;
- to have expectation;
- to expect attainment;
- to cast an eye of desire;
- to want excessively.
For example:
- “وَنَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنَا”: “we hope that He will enter us”;
- “وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ”: “while they are hopeful”;
- “خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا”: “with fear and hope”;
- “أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ”: “Do you expect them to believe you?”;
- “فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ”: “so that the one in whose heart there is disease does not fall into an improper expectation”;
- “أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ”: “Does each one of them expect...”;
- “ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ”: “Then he still has his eye on Me increasing him.”
A single translation, “to be greedy,” for all verses removes the difference between humble hope, ordinary expectation, and blameworthy excessive wanting.
23. Semantic Boundaries
To understand this root precisely, several points must be preserved at the same time:
- ṭamaʿ is not always negative;
- ṭamaʿ is not identical with certainty;
- ṭamaʿ by itself does not establish entitlement;
- the desirability of the object does not guarantee the rightness of the expectation;
- ṭamaʿ may be joined with faith, supplication, and action;
- ṭamaʿ may arise from opportunism, disease of the heart, or a feeling of entitlement;
- expectation of increase can be called excessive desire only by attention to context;
- the ethical direction of ṭamaʿ is determined by its object, the basis of expectation, the structure of the sentence, and the conduct of its holder.
The root itself only expresses the movement of the heart toward a desired matter thought possible.
24. Conclusion
The root “Ṭ M ʿ” in Arabic denotes an inner inclination and expectation toward attaining something desired; something that has not yet been realized, but the person sees reaching it as possible.
Jahili poetry shows that before the revelation of the Qur'an, ṭamaʿ could also mean hope of rescue or union and could stand opposite despair. Therefore, its original meaning was not “base greed” or “low covetousness.”
The Qur'an preserves this range. Ṭamaʿ in the Qur'an can be:
- hope for forgiveness;
- expectation of being placed among the righteous;
- hope of entering the Garden;
- expectation of rain and life;
- expectation that does not fit the evidence;
- improper expectation of a diseased-hearted person;
- expectation of the Garden without a worthy ground;
- or expectation of increase in blessing despite ingratitude and opposition.
In the nominal uses of the Qur'an, ṭamaʿ is joined with fear. This pairing places ṭamaʿ in a space of uncertainty: the person hopes for good, but does not regard the result as guaranteed or as his certain right.
On the other hand, in blameworthy uses, the Qur'an usually reveals the groundlessness and wrongness of it through rhetorical denial, description of the one who has ṭamaʿ, or the behavioral background. Thus the ethical direction of ṭamaʿ is not fixed in the word itself; context shapes it.
The basic meaning of the root can be summarized as follows:
Ṭamaʿ: expectation and inner inclination toward attaining a benefit or desired matter that is thought possible, while its realization is not yet certain.
And its practical definition in the Qur'an is as follows:
Qur'anic ṭamaʿ: hope or expectation oriented toward the future, which may be humble, balanced, or improper, and whose value is determined by its object, the basis of expectation, and the conduct of its holder.