Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

زلّفهُ, (O, TA,) inf. n. تَزْلِيفٌ, (O,) He did it previously, or beforehand; namely, a thing; (IAạr, O, TA;) as, for instance, an evil action; (O, TA;) and soزَلَفَهُ↓; (IAạr, TA;) syn. أَسْلَفَهُ, (O, TA,) and قَدَّمَهُ. (IAạr, O, TA.)

زلّف النَّاسَ, inf. n. as above, He disquieted, or agitated, the people, step by step: (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Z, O, TA:) accord. to Z, said of a guide. (TA.)

زلّف فِى حَدِيثِهِ, (inf. n. as above, Ḳ,) He added, or exaggerated, in his discourse, or narration; (IDrd, O, Ḳ;) as also ذرّف. (IDrd, O.)

ازلفهُ He made, brought, or drew, him, or it, (namely, a thing, TA,) near. (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb, TA.) Hence, in the Ḳur [xxvi. 90 and 1. 30], وَأُزْلِفَتِ ٱلْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ And Paradise shall be brought near to the pious: meaning, accord. to Zj, that their entrance thereinto shall become near, and their view thereof. (TA.) [ازدلف↓ بِهِ also signifies the same as ازلفه (agreeably with analogy); as is shown by what here follows:] it is said in a trad. of Moḥammad El-Bákir, مَا لَكَ مِنْ عَيْشِكَ إِلَّا لَذَّةٌ تَزْدَلِفُ بِكَ إِلَى حِمَامِكَ [i. e. There is not remaining to thee, of thy life, save a pleasure that brings thee near to thy predestined term]. (O, TA.) Andازدلفهُ↓ means He, or it, brought him near to destruction. (TA.)

Also He collected it together; (Mṣb, TA;) namely, a thing. (Mṣb.) Hence, in the Ḳur [xxvi. 64], وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الآخَرِينَ [And we collected there the others]. (TA.)

اِزْدَلَفَ, (Mgh, Mṣb,) originally اِزْتَلَفَ, (Mṣb,) or اِزْدَلَفُوا, andتزلّفوا↓, (Ṣ, O, L, Ḳ,) He, or they, approached, or drew near: (Mgh, O, L, Mṣb, TA: in the Ḳ, تَفَرَّقُوا is erroneously put for تَقَرَّبُوا: TA:) or (O, accord. to the Ḳ “and”) advanced; or went forward, or before: (Ṣ, O, Ḳ:) إِلَيْهِ [to him, or it], (Mgh, Ḳ,) and مِنْهُ [which means the same, as after دَنَا, &c.]: (TA, and Ḥar p. 452:) [andزَلَفَ↓ and زَلَفُوا, inf. n. app. زَلْفٌ and زَلَفٌ, signify the same: for] you say also,زَلَفَ↓ إِلَيْهِ He drew near to him, or it: andزَلَفْنَا↓ لَهُ We advanced, or went forward, to him, or it: (TA:) and زَلْفٌ signifies the act of advancing, or going forward, (AʼObeyd, Ṣ, TA,) from place to place; as also زَلَفٌ. (TA.) One says, ازدلف السَّهْمُ إِلَى كَذَا The arrow approached, or drew near, to such a thing. (Mṣb.) And it is said in a trad., فَإِذَا زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ فَٱزْدَلِفْ إِلَى ٱللّٰهِ فِيهِ بِرَكْعَتَيْنِ, meaning تَقَرَّبْ [i. e., When the sun declines from the meridian, then seek thou to draw near unto God therein by means of the prayers of two rek'ahs]. (TA.)

See also 4, in two places.

زِلْفٌ A meadow; syn. رَوْضَةٌ; (TṢ, Ḳ;) and soزَلَفَةٌ↓: (IB, TA:) thus the latter is expl. as occurring in a trad. relating to Ya-jooj and Ma-jooj, in which it is said, ثُمَّ يُرْسِلُ ٱللّٰهُ مَطَرًا فَيَغْسِلُ الأَرْضَ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهَا كَالزَّلَفَةِ [Then God will send rain, and it will wash the earth so that it will leave it like the meadow]: but in this instance, several other meanings are assigned to it: see زَلَفَةٌ below. (TA.)

زُلْفَةٌ i. q. قُرْبَةٌ [i. e. Nearness, with respect to rank, degree, or station]; (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ;) as alsoزُلْفَى↓, (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Mṣb,) andزَلَفٌ↓. (IDrd, O, Ḳ.) [It would seem that it means also Nearness with respect to place or situation: for SM immediately adds,] hence, in the Ḳur [lxvii. 27], فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً, [as though meaning But when they shall see it in a state of nearness: but] Zj says that the meaning is, but when they shall see it (i. e. the punishment) near (قَرِيبًا): and several authors say that زُلْفَةٌ is sometimes used in the sense of قَرِيبٌ, as is stated in the 'Ináyeh. (TA.) And Station, rank, grade, or degree; as alsoزُلْفَى↓, (Ṣ, O, Ḳ, TA,) andزَلْفٌ↓, (TṢ, Ḳ,) andزَلَفٌ↓: (Ḳ, TA:) pl. of the first زُلَفٌ: (Ṣ,* TA:) or (Ḳ) زُلْفَى↓ is a quasi-inf. n.; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) and such it is in the saying in the Ḳur [xxxiv. 36], وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ بِٱلَّتِى تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِنْدِنَا زُلْفَى, as though meaning ٱزْدِلَافًا [i. e. And neither your riches nor your children are what will bring you near to us in advancement: but here it may be well rendered, in station]: (Ṣ:) accord. to Ibn-ʼArafeh, زُلْفَى signifies the bringing very near: (TA:) the saying of Ibn-El-Tilimsánee that it is pl. of زُلْفَةٌ is very strange, and unknown; the correct pl. of this last word being زُلَفٌ. (MF, TA.)

Also A portion (Ṣ, Ḳ) of the first part (Ṣ) of the night, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) whether small or large: so accord. to Th: or, accord. to Akh, of the night absolutely: (TA:) pl. زُلَفٌ and زُلَفَاتٌ (Ṣ, Ḳ) and زُلُفَاتٌ and زُلْفَاتٌ: or زُلَفٌ signifies the hours, or periods, (سَاعَات,) of the night, commencing from the daytime, and the hours, or periods, of the daytime, commencing from the night: (Ḳ:) and its sing. is زُلْفَةٌ. (TA.) وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ, in the Ḳur [xi. 116], means And at sunset and nightfall (the مَغْرِب and the عِشَآء): (Zj, TA:) some readزُلُفًا↓, with two dammehs; which may be a sing., like حُلُمٌ; or a pl. of زُلْفَةٌ, like as بُسُرٌ is of بُسُرَةٌ, with damm to the س in each: [but this is not a parallel instance; for بُسُرٌ is a coll. gen. n. of which بُسُرَةٌ is the n. un., and the latter is not of the same measure as زُلْفَةٌ:] and some readزُلْفًا↓, which is a pl. [or rather coll. gen. n.] of زُلْفَةٌ, like as دُرٌّ is of دُرَّةٌ; (Ḳ, TA;) or pl. ofزَلِيفٌ↓, like as قُرْبٌ is of قَرِيبٌ, and غُرْبٌ of غَرِيبٌ: (TA:) and some readزُلْفَى↓, in which the alif [written ى] is a denotative of the fem. gender. (Ḳ, TA.)

See also the next paragraph.

زَلَفَةٌ A full [reservoir of water such as is called] مَصْنَعَة: (Ṣ, Ḳ:) pl. [or rather coll. gen. n.] زَلَفٌ↓: (Ṣ:) so, accord. to Sh, in the trad. mentioned voce زِلْفٌ: (TA:) orزَلَفٌ↓ signifies full watering-troughs, (Ḳ,) as pl. [or coll. gen. n.] of زَلَفَةٌ: (TA:) or a full watering-trough. (Ḳ.) Also A [bowl such as is called] صَحْفَة: (Ḳ;) and soزُلْفَةٌ↓; (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Ḳ;) of which the pl. is زُلَفٌ: (TA:) or a full صَحْفَة; and its pl. [or coll. gen. n.] is زَلَفٌ↓. (Lth, TA.) Also A green [vessel of the kind called] إِجَّانَة: (Ḳ:) so says AO: pl. [or coll. gen. n.] زَلَفٌ↓; andمَزَالِفُ↓ likewise signifies green أَجَاجِين [app. as an anomalous pl. of زَلَفَةٌ or of زَلَفٌ, like as مَشَابِهُ is of شَبَهٌ]; both, also, mentioned on the authority of AO. (TA.)

Also A mother-of-pearl-'shell, or an oyster-shell; syn. صَدَفَةٌ: (Ḳ:) Ḳṭ says that الزَّلَفَة in the trad. mentioned above voce زِلْفٌ has been expl. as meaning the مَحَارَة, i. e. the صَدَفَة; but he adds, I know not this explanation, unless a pool of water be called محارة because the water returns (يَحُورُ) to it and collects in it. (TA.)

Also A smooth rock: (Ḳ:) so, too, said to mean in the same trad.: and some read الزلقة. (TA.) And Rugged ground. (Ḳ.) And Swept ground. (Ḳ.) And An even part of a soft mountain. (Ḳ.) Pl. (Ḳ) [or rather coll. gen. n.] in all these senses (TA) زَلَفٌ↓. (Ḳ.)

See also زِلْفٌ.

Also A mirror: (O, Ḳ: [in the CK, المَرْأَةُ is put in the place of المِرْآةُ:]) [like زَلَقَةٌ:] mentioned by IB on the authority of Aboo-ʼAmr Ez-Záhid, and by Ṣgh on that of Ks: and so, too, it is said to mean in the trad. mentioned above; the earth being likened thereto because of its evenness and cleanness: (TA:) or the face thereof; (Ḳ;) as is said by IAạr. (TA.)

عُقْبَةٌ زَلُوفٌ [A stage of a journey] far-extending: (O, Ḳ:) so says IF. (O.) [In the CK, عَقَبَةٌ is erroneously put for عُقْبَةٌ.]

زَلِيفٌ Advancing; or going forward, or before. (O, Ḳ. [It is said in the TA that المُتَقَدِّمُ as the explanation of الزَّلِيفُ is erroneously put in the copies of the Ḳ for التَّقَدُّمُ: but this assertion is app. itself erroneous.]) See زُلْفَةٌ, near the end of the paragraph.

[أَزْلَفُ expl. by Golius as on the authority of the KL, and by Freytag after him, as meaning Parvo naso præditus ejusque recto ac parvo mucrone, is a mistake for أَذْلَفُ, thus written in my copy of the KL.]

[أَزْلَفَةٌ and أَزْلَفَى expl. by Freytag as meaning Copia parva, cœtus hominum parvus, as on the authority of El-Meydánee, are app. mistakes for أَزْفَلَةٌ and أَزْفَلَى.]

مَزْلَفَةٌ Any town (قَرْيَةٌ) that is between the desert and the cultivated land: pl. مَزَالِفُ: (Ṣ,* Ḳ:) the latter is syn. with بَرَاغِيلُ, signifying the towns (بِلَاد) that are between the cultivated land and the desert; (Ṣ;) or, between the desert and the بَحْر [i.e. sea or great river]; such as El-Ambár and El-Kádiseeyeh. (M, TA.)

[The pl.] مَزَالِفُ also signifies Places of ascent; or steps, or stairs, by which one ascends: (Ḳ:) because they bring one near to the place to which he ascends. (TA.)

For the pl. مَزَالِفُ, see also زَلَفَةٌ.