مهما

Possibly univerbation of مَا (mā) + مَا (mā). Compare مَهْمَن (mahman), لَوْمَا (lawmā), أَيُّمَا (ʔayyumā), مِمَّا (mimmā), and Ugaritic 𐎎𐎅 (mh).

• IPA^(key): /mah.maː/

مَهْمَا • (mahmā) m

1. (conditional) whatever, no matter what often followed by a past tense or jussive verb

   مَهْمَا يَكُنِ ٱلْأَمْرُ ― mahmā yakuni l-ʔamru ― be it as it may

   • 6th century, Imru' al-Qais, أفاطم مهلا:

     أَغَرَّكِ مِنِّي أَنَّ حُبَّكِ قَاتِلِي
     وَأَنَّكِ مَهْمَا تَأْمُرِي القَلْبَ يَفْعَلِ

     ʔaḡarraki minnī ʔanna ḥubbaki qātilī
     waʔannaki mahmā taʔmurī l-qalba yafʕali

     Has it deceived you that my love for you is killing me,
     and that no matter what you order, my heart obeys?

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:132:

     وَقَالُوا مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِين

     waqālū mahmā taʔtinā bihi min ʔāyatin litasḥaranā bihā famā naḥnu laka bimuʔminīn

     English - Mohsin Khan/Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali: They said [to Musa (Moses)]: "Whatever Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) you may bring to us, to work therewith your sorcery on us, we shall never believe in you."

   • 2012, “Jewelpet”‎^[1]performed by Rasha Rizk:

     لَا تَقُولُوا مَهْمَا يَكُنْ / عِنْد الْمِحَن / ضَاعَ الْأَمَل / لَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا أَبَدًا / بَلِ ٱجْعَلُوا مِنَ الصِّعَابِ حَبْلًا / يَجْمَعُ شَمْلَكُمْ / وَيُقَوِّي مَا بَيْنَكُمْ

     lā taqūlū mahmā yakun / ʕind al-miḥan / ḍāʕa l-ʔamal / lā tatafarraqū ʔabadan / bali jʕalū mina ṣ-ṣiʕābi ḥablan / yajmaʕu šamlakum / wayuqawwī mā baynakum

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)