Dictionary of The Holy Quran — Page 308
ربص both these affixes together. Of these the most common are رُبَّ and رُبَّمَا ,and رُبَّتْ is the most common of the forms that have the affix رُبَّ . ت may be rendered "few" and "some" and with ما affixed "sometimes" or "seldom" or it may mean "many" and affixed "many times", "many a time", "often" or "frequently". As the context may indicate. رُبَّ رَجُلٍ قَائِمٌ : Few or many men stood. وَذِي وَلَدٍ لَمْ يَلِدْهُ أَبَوَانِ الا رُبَّ مُوْلُوْدٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ اَبْ رب Now surely scarce an instance is there of any one born having no father and of one having offspring whom two parents have not procreated (meaning Jesus and Adam( يَا رُبَّ كَاسِيَةٍ فِى الدُّنْيَا عَارِيَةٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ : )a) tradition), O many a female having dress in the present life will be naked on the day of Resurrection. ما is affixed to رُبَّ in order that verb may follow it, and the verb that follows it is generally a preterite as to the letter and the meaning as in رُبَّمَا جَاءَ نِي فُلانٌ i. e seldom or often such a one has come to me. sometimes the verb is a future but only when it expresses an event of which one is certain as in رُبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ : Often do the disbelievers wish that they were Muslims (15:3). رَبِّحَ ]aor. يَرْبَحُ inf. noun رِبْحٌ and رَبِّحٌ and رَبَاحٌ[ : He gained or made profit in his traffic. فَمَا رَبِّحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ : But their traffic has brought them no gain )2:17( رَبَّحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُ : His traffic brought him gain or profit. الْبِرُّ خَيْرُ تِجَارَةٍ رَبَاحًا : Righteousness is the best traffic in respect of gain or profit. رَبَصَ ]aor. يَرْبُصُ inf. noun رَبَصَ بِهِ رَبِّصٌ : He waited for good or evil to befall him. رَبَصَنِي أَمْرٌ : A thing or an affair or an event put me in expectation. تَرَبَّصَ الْأَمْرَ : He looked for, expected or waited for the event to come about. تَرَبَّصَ بِهِ الْاَمْرَ : He expected or waited for the event to befall him. تُطَلَّقُ يَوْمًا أَوْ يَمُوْتُ حَلِيْلُهَا تَرَبَّصْ بِهَا رَيْبَ الْمَنُوْنِ لَعَلَّهَا Wait thou for the vicissitudes of time to befall her, perhaps she might be divorced some day or her husband may die. 308