Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

سَأَلَهُ (Ṣ, M, Ḳ) with كَذَا following it, and سَأَلَهُ عَنْ كَذَا and بِكَذَا, (Ṣ,* Ḳ,) aor. يَسْأَلُ, (M,) inf. n. سُؤَالٌ and مَسْأَلَةٌ, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) which latter is also pronounced مَسَلَةٌ, without the hemzeh, (TA,) and تَسْآلٌ and سَآلَةٌ, (M, Ḳ,) and سَأَلَةٌ or سَأْلَةٌ, (accord. to different copies of the Ḳ, the former of these two accord. to the TA, [and it appears from a statement that will be found below, voce سُؤْلٌ, that one of these is correct, but in an excel-lent copy of the M, in the place thereof, I find, andسَآءَلَهُ↓, as a verb, doubly trans., first thus by itself, and secondly by means of عَنْ, as shown by an ex. in a verse cited below, (see 3,) and this also is correct,]) all [sometimes] signify the same, (Ṣ,* Ḳ,) i. e. He asked him such a thing; or asked him, interrogated him, questioned him, or inquired of him, respecting such a thing: but عن كذا is more common than بكذا: when سَأَلَ means the asking, or demanding, of property, it is trans. [only] by itself or by means of مِنْ [so that you say سَأَلَهُ كَذَا and سَأَلَ مِنْهُ كَذَا meaning he asked, or demanded, of him such a thing]: (Er-Rághib, TA:) and one says also سَالَ, aor. يَسَالُ, (Akh, Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) like خَافَ, aor. يَخَافُ; (Mṣb, Ḳ;) which is of the dial. of Hudheyl; the medial letter of this being originally و, as is shown by the phrase, mentioned by AZ, هُمَا يَتَسَاوَلَانِ: (TA:) [respecting this dial. var., see what follows:] the imperative (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA;) of سَأَلَ (Ṣ, Mṣb, TA) is اِسْأَلْ; (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA;) and (Ṣ, Ḳ, &c.) that of سَالَ, (Ṣ, Mṣb, TA,) سَلْ, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) dual. سَلَا, and pl. سَلُوا, [these two being] irregular; (Mṣb;) and AAF mentions that Aboo-ʼOthmán heard one say اِسَلْ, [a form omitted in some copies of the Ḳ, but mentioned in the CK,] meaning اِسْأَلْ, suppressing the ء, and transferring its vowel to the preceding letter, like as some of the Arabs said لَحْمَرُ for الأَحْمَرُ [as many do in the present day]: (M:) accord. to ISd, (TA,) the Arabs universally suppress the ء in the imperative except when they prefix to it فَ or وَ; (M, TA;) saying فَٱسْأَلْ and وَٱسْأَلْ: (TA:) or when وَ [or فَ] is prefixed, it is allowable to pronounce the ء and also to suppress it, as in saying وَٱسْأَلُوا and وَسَلُوا: (Mṣb:) and for the pass. سُئِلَ, one may say سِيلَ, and سُيِلَ, in this instance making the kesreh to partake of the sound of ḍammeh, and سُولَ; and also سُيِلَ, in which the middle letter is pronounced with a sound between that of ء and that of ى, or resembling that of و. (IJ, TA.) As Er-Rághib says, سُؤَالٌ signifies The asking, or demanding, knowledge, or information, or what leads thereto: and the asking, or demanding, property, or what leads thereto. (TA.) سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الشَّىْءِ means I asked of him information respecting the thing: (IB, TA: [and the like is said in the Mṣb:]) and سَأَلْتُهُ الشَّىْءَ [is sometimes used in the same sense, as has been shown above, but generally] means I asked him to give me the thing: (IB, TA:) you say, سَأَلَهُ مَالًا He asked, demanded, or begged, of him property, and in like manner, سَأَلَ مِنْهُ and سَأَلَ إِلَيْهِ [followed by مَالًا]: (MA:) and سَأَلْتُ ٱللّٰهَ العَافِيَةَ, inf. n. سُؤَالٌ and مَسْأَلَةٌ, I begged, or sought, of God health, or freedom from disease,, &c. (Mṣb.) The saying in the Ḳur [lxx. 1], سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ means عَنْ عَذَابٍ [i. e. An asker asked respecting a falling punishment]: (Ṣ:) [for] one says, خَرَجْنَا نَسْأَلُ عَنْ فُلَانٍ and بِفُلَانٍ [meaning We went forth asking respecting such a one]: (Akh, Ṣ:) or the phrase in the Ḳur means a caller called [for a falling punishment]: (TA:) and some read سَالَ سَائِلٌ بعذاب واقع, (Bḍ, TA,) [likewise] from السُّؤَالُ: (Bḍ:) or this means سَالَ وَادٍ بعذاب واقع [i. e. a valley flowed with a falling punishment]; (Bḍ, TA;) so some say; (TA;) from السَّيَلَانُ. (Bḍ.) The saying, in a trad., نَهَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ السَّؤَالِ [He (Moḥammad) forbade much questioning or inquiring] is said to relate to subtile questions or inquiries, that are needless; like another trad., mentioned below, voce, مَسْأَلَةٌ: or to the begging, of men, their property needlessly. (TA.)

سَآءَلَهُ, (M, TA,) inf. n. مُسَآءَلَةٌ: (TA:) see 1, first sentence. Aboo-Dhu-eyb says,

* أَسَآءَلْتَ رَسْمَ الدَّارِ أَمْ لَمْ تُسَائِلِ *

* عَنِ السَّكْنِ أَمْ عَنْ عَهْدِهِ بِالأَوَائِلِ *

[Didst thou ask the remains of the dwelling, or didst thou not ask, respecting the inhabitants, or respecting their knowledge of the former occupants?]. (M, TA.)

In the saying of Bilál Ibn-Jereer,

* إِذَا ضِفْتَهُمْ أَوْ سَآيَلْتَهُمْ *

* وَجَدْتَ بِهِمْ عِلَّةً حَاضِرَهْ *

[When thou becomest their guest, or askest of them, thou findest with them a ready excuse], سَآيَلْتَهُمْ is a combination of two dial. vars.; the ء being in the original phrase سَآءَلْتُ زَيْدًا, and the ى being a substitute in the phrase سَايَلْتُ زَيْدًا; the measure of سَآيَلْتَهُمْ being فَعَايَلْتَهُمْ: (M, Ḳ:*) so said Aḥmad Ibn-Yaḥyà, [i. e. Th,] who had at first ignored the expression: (M:) and it is an instance of which we know not a parallel in the language. (M, Ḳ.*)

[Accord. to analogy, سَآءَلَهَ also signifies He asked him, &c., being asked by him,, &c.]

[And Freytag states that Reiske has explained سَآءَلَ as meaning He always demanded that another should express wishes for his health: but I know not any instance of its being used in this sense.]

أَسْأَلَهُ سُؤْلَهُ↓, (Ḳ,) orسُؤْلَتَهُ↓, (Ṣ,) andمَسْأَلَتَهُ↓, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) He accomplished for him his want. (Ṣ, Ḳ.)

[تسأّل, in the modern language, signifies He begged, or asked alms; as also تَسَوَّلَ: both probably post-classical.]

تَسَآءَلُوا They asked, or begged, one another. (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ.) You say, هُمَا يَتَسَآءَلَانِ, (M,) and also يَتَسَاوَلَانِ, (M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) and يَتَسَايَلَانِ. (TA.) In the Ḳur [iv. 1], some read وَٱتَّقُوا ٱللّٰهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَّآءَلُونَ بِهِ; and others, تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِ: in each case, originally تَتَسَآءَلُونَ: the meaning is, [And fear ye God,] by Whom ye demand [one of another] your rights, or dues: (M:) or by Whom ye ask, or demand, one of another; (Bḍ, Jel;) saying, I ask thee, or beg thee, by God; and I beseech thee, or adjure thee, by God. (Jel.)

One says also تَسَآءَلُوا القَوْمَ, meaning They [together] asked, or begged, the people. (Mgh in art. نقض.)

سُؤْلٌ, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ;) also pronounced سُولٌ, without ء, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) [A petition; or a request; meaning] a thing that people ask or beg; (Ṣ;) or a thing that one has asked or begged; (M, Ḳ;) as alsoسُؤْلَةٌ↓, (IJ, M, Ḳ,) which is likewise pronounced سُولَةٌ, without ء; (Ḳ;) andسُؤُولٌ↓; (Ḥar p. 422; [or this is app. pl. of سُؤْلٌ, like as بُرُوجٌ is of بُرْجٌ, and بُرُودٌ of بُرْدٌ, &c.;]) [andسَأْلَةٌ↓ or سَأَلَةٌ, as will be shown by what follows;] andمَسْؤُولٌ↓; (Mṣb;) [andمَسْأَلَةٌ↓:] see 4: the first of these said by Z to be of the measure فُعْلٌ in the sense of the measure مَفْعُولٌ; like عُرْفٌ and نُكْرٌ. (TA.) Thus in the Ḳur [xx. 36], قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يَا مُوسَى Thou hast been granted thy petition, or the thing that thou hast asked, O Moses. (Ṣ, M, TA.) In the saying اَللّٰهُمَّ أَعْطِنَا سَأَلَاتِنَا↓ [O God, grant Thou us our petitions], mentioned by Aboo-ʼAlee on the authority of AZ, the inf. n. is used as a subst., properly so termed, and is therefore pluralized. (M.)

سُؤَلَةٌ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) also pronounced سُوَلَةٌ, (TA,) A man (Ṣ) who asks, or begs, much; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) as alsoسَأّٓلٌ↓, andسَؤُولٌ↓: (TA:) such is improperly termed سَائِلٌ↓. (Durrat el-Ghowwáṣ, in De Sacy's Anthol. Gramm. Ar., p. 47 of the Ar. text.)

سُؤَالٌ an inf. n. of 1. (Ṣ, M, Ḳ, &c.)

[It is often used as a subst. properly so called; like مَسْأَلَةٌ; meaning A question; an interrogation; correlative of جَوَابٌ: and a demand, or petition: and as such has a pl., سُؤَالَاتٌ; perhaps post-classical.]

[سَائِلٌ i. e. Asking; meaning interrogating, questioning, or inquiring; and demanding, or begging;] has for its pl. سَأَلَةٌ and سُؤَّالٌ. (TA.) See سُؤَلَةٌ.

It also means [A beggar; i. e.] a poor man asking, or begging, a thing. (Er-Rághib, TA.) So it has been expl. as used in the Ḳur [xciii. 10], where it is said, وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ [And as for the beggar, thou shalt not chide him, or address him with rough speech]: or, accord. to El-Ḥasan, it here means the seeker of knowledge. (TA.)

مَسْأَلَةٌ, an inf. n. of 1, is tropically used in the sense of a pass. part. n. [with the noun qualified by it understood; meaning ‡ A thing asked; i. e. a question; a problem, or proposition; a matter, or an affair, proposed for decision or determination]: (TA:) and the pl. is مَسَائِلُ. (Mṣb, TA.) So in the saying, تَعَلَّمْتُ مَسْأَلَةً ‡ [I learned a question, or problem,, &c.]. (TA.) The saying, in a trad., كَرِهَ المَسَائِلَ وَعَابَهَا means † [He (Moḥammad) disliked and discommended] subtile questions, such as are needless. (TA.)

See also سُؤْلٌ:

and see 4.