مَّثْنَىٰ

Appears 1 times in Quran

Word Details

مَّثْنَىٰ

Meanings

📖 Lane's Lexicon (Root: ثني)

[1] ثَنَاهُ , (T, S, M, Mgh, Msb, K,) said in the K to be like سَعَى, implying that the aor. is ثَنَىَ , but this is a mistake, (MF, TA,) [for it is well known that] the aor. is ثَنِىَ , (Msb,) inf. n. ثَنْىٌ, (S, M, Msb, &c.,) He doubled it, or folded it; (T;) he turned one part of it upon another; (M, K;) he bent it; (T, S, Mgh, Msb, TA;) he drew, or contracted, one of its two extremities to [or towards] the other; or joined, or adjoined, one of them to the other; thus bending it; (Mgh;) namely, a stick, or branch, or twig, (Mgh,) or a thing, (T, S, M, Msb, K,) of any kind. (T.) One says of a man with the mention of whom one begins, in relation to an honourable or a praiseworthy quality, or in relation to science or knowledge, بِهِ تُثْنَى الخَنَاصِرُ, (T,) meaning With [the mention of] him, (T, and Msb in art. خصر,) among others of his class, (Msb ib.,) the little fingers are bent. (T, and Msb ubi suprá. [For the Arabs, in counting with the fingers, first bend the tip of the little finger down to the palm of the hand; then, the tip of the next; and so on; bending the thumb down upon the other fingers for five; and then continue by extending the fingers, one after another, again commencing with the little finger.]) And a poet says, فَإِنْ عُدَّ مَجْدٌ أَوْ قَدِيمٌ لِمَعْشَرٍ فَقَوْمِى بِهِمْ تُثْنَى هُنَاكَ لأَصَابِعُ [And if glory, or any old ground of pretension to honour, be reckoned as belonging to a body of men, it is my people, with the mention of them, in that case, the fingers are bent]; meaning that they are reckoned as the best; (IAar, M;) for the best are not many. (M.) One says also, ثَنَى وَرِكَهُ فَنَزَلَ [lit. He bent his hip, and alighted], meaning he alighted from his beast. (T.) And ثَنَى رِجْلَهُ عَنْ دَابَّتِهِ, meaning He drew up his leg to his thigh, and alighted. (M.) But قَبْلَ أَنْ يَثْنِىَ رِجْلَهُ, occurring in a trad., means Before he turned his leg from the position in which it was in the pronouncing of the testimony of the faith. (IAth.) ثَنَى صَدْرَهُ, aor. and inf. n. as above, [lit. He folded his breast, or bosom,] means (assumed tropical:) he concealed enmity in his breast, or bosom: or he folded up what was in it, in concealment. (TA.) It is said in the Kur [xi. 5], أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنَونَ صُدُورَهُمْ, meaning [Now surely] they infold and conceal [in their bosoms] enmity and hatred: (Fr, T:) or they bend their breasts, or bosoms, and fold up, and conceal, what is therein: (Zj, T:) I'Ab read, تَثْنَوْنِى ↓ صُدُورُهُمْ: you say, اِثْنَوْنَى صَدْرُهُ عَلَى البَغْضَآءِ, meaning his breast, or bosom, infolded, or concealed, vehement hatred: (T:) or the phrase in the Kur, accord. to the former reading, means they bend, or turn, their breasts, or bosoms, from the truth; they turn themselves away therefrom: or they incline their breasts, or bosoms, to unbelief, and enmity to the Prophet: or they turn their backs: (Bd:) [for] ― 2-b2- ثَنَاهُ, (T, S, Msb, TA,) aor. as above, (Msb,) and so the inf. n., (T, Msb, TA,) also signifies He turned him, or it, away or back. (T, S, Msb, TA.) Also He turned him, or turned him away or back, (Lth, T, S,) from the course that he desired to pursue, (Lth, T,) or from the object of his want: (S:) or you say, ثَنَاهُ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ, (Mgh,) and عَنْ حَاجَتِهِ, (TA,) and عَنْ مُرَادِهِ, (Msb,) he turned him, or turned him away or back, (Mgh, Msb, TA,) from his course, (Mgh,) and from the object of his want, (TA,) and from the object of his desire. (Msb.) One says also, فُلَانٌ لَا يُثْنَى عَنْ قِرْنِهِ وَلَا عَنْ وَجْهِهِ [Such a one will not be turned, or turned away or back, from his antagonist, nor from his course]. (T.) ― 2-b3- Also He tied it; or tied it in a knot or knots; or tied it firmly, fast, or strongly. (TA.) You say, ثَنَيْتُ البَعِيرَ بِثِنَايَيْنِ, meaning, accord. to As, as related by A'Obeyd, I bound both the fore legs of the camel with two bonds: but correctly, I bound the two fore legs of the camel with the two ends of a rope; the last word meaning a single rope: (T:) عَقَلْتُهُ بِثَنْيَيْنِ means I bound one of his fore shanks to the arm with two ties, or tyings. (T, M.) ― 2-b4- ثَنْىٌ [as inf. n. of ثَنَى] also signifies The act of drawing, or joining, or adjoining, one [thing] to another; (Lth, T, Mgh;) and so ↓ تَثْنِيَةٌ [inf. n. of ثنّى]. (Mgh.) ― 2-b5- [As ثَلَثَهُمْ signifies “ he took the third of their property, ” and “ he made them, with himself, three, ” and other verbs of number are used in similar senses, so] ثَنَاهُ signifies He took the half of their property: or he drew, or adjoined, to him what became with him two: (TA:) or ثَنَيْتُهُ, (S, Msb,) aor. and inf. n. as above, (Msb,) signifies I became (S, Msb) to him, (S,) or with him, (Msb,) a second; (S, Msb;) or I was a second to him, or it: (Er-Rághib:) or one should not say thus, but that AZ says, (M,) هُوَ وَاحِدٌ فَٱثْنِهِ (M, K [but in the latter, هٰذَا in the place of هُوَ, and in the CK, ↓ فأَثْنِه,]) he is one, and be thou a second to him. (M, K.) ― 2-b6- ثَنَى, aor. as above, also signifies He made eleven to be twelve. (T in art. ثلث.) ― 2-b7- ثَنَى الأَرْضَ, inf. n. as above, He turned over the land, or ground, twice for sowing, or cultivating: (Mgh, and A * and TA * in art. ثلث:) and ↓ تَثْنِيَةٌ [inf. n. of ثنّى] and ثُنُيَانٌ [app. another inf. n. of ثَنَى, and app. correctly written ثُنْيَانٌ] are often used by [the Imám] Mohammad in the sense of ثَنْىٌ: he who explains تَثْنِيَةٌ as signifying the turning over [the land, or ground,] for sowing, or cultivating, after the harvest, or as signifying the restoring land to its owner turned over for sowing, or cultivating, commits an inadvertence. (Mgh.) ― 2-b8- فَٱثْنِنِى, occurring in a poem of Kutheiyir 'Azzeh, is explained as meaning Then give thou to me a second time: (M, TA:) but this is strange: (TA:) [ISd says,] I have not seen it in any other instance. (M.) ― 2-b9- لَا يَثْنِى وَلَا يَثْلِثُ, (a phrase mentioned by IAar, M,) or لَا يُثَنِّى ↓ وَلَا يُثَلِّثُ, or لَا يُثْنِى ↓ وَلَا يُثْلِثُ: see 1 in art. ثلث.

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uthmani

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العربیّا عثمانی (Arabic Uthmani)

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

Occurrences in Quran

Found 1 verses containing "مَّثْنَىٰ".

35:2

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُو۟لِىٓ أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَٰثَ وَرُبَٰعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

All praise belongs to Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, Who employs the angels as messengers, having wings, two, three, and four. He adds to His creation whatever He pleases; for Allah has power over all things.

English - Five Volume Translation

All praise belongs to Allah, [b]the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who employs the angels as messengers, having wings, two, three, and four. He adds to His creation whatever He pleases; for Allah has power over all things.[3177]

6:15; 12:102; 14:11; 42:12.

Important Words:

اجنحة (wings) is the plural of جناح which is derived from جنح which means, he or it inclined, leaned or propended. They say جنح الطائر i.e. the bird contracted its wings to descend and approached like one falling and repairing to a place of refuge. جناحmeans, wing; hand; upper arm; edge; side; wing of an army; protection; refuge; power; inclination; assistant; a part or power of a thing. The Arabs say نحن علی جناح السفر i.e. we are on the wings of journey, i.e. we are about to start on journey (Lane & Aqrab). See also 17:25.

Commentary:

The reference in this verse may be to the creation of two universes; the physical and the spiritual. God, it says, is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and of all that is between them. He has created the angels to execute His will in the material universe. These angels are المدبرات أمرا i.e. regulators of the affairs of the world (79:6). To them is entrusted the control, management and supervision of affairs of the physical world. This is one duty and responsibility placed upon them. Their other and heavier duty is to carry God’s commandments and will to His Messengers who are the bearers of the Divine revelation.

The verse may also indicate that a new spiritual Dispensation is being created through the revelation that is being sent down to the Holy Prophet. The angels bearing this revelation manifest two, three, four, attributes of God at the same time, and there may be others manifesting an even larger number of Divine attributes.

The word فاطر (Originator) has been used in the verse to draw attention to the fact that the Great Maker Who has made full provision for the physical needs of man could not have omitted to provide for his spiritual sustenance and development, and just as He has entrusted the control and management of the physical universe to the care of the angels, so has He entrusted the regulation of the affairs of the spiritual world to them. They are the instruments to carry out God’s will in both the universes.

As shown under "Important Words" above, the word اجنحة is a symbol of power and ability. In view of this significance of the word the expression أولی أجنحة الخ shows that angels possess powers and qualities in varying degrees and in accordance with the importance of the work entrusted to each one of them. Some of the angels are endowed with powers and qualities greater than the others. The Archangel Gabriel is the chief of all the angels and, therefore, the most important work of carrying Divine revelation to God’s Messengers is entrusted to him and is done under his care and supervision.

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

6:15; 12:102; 14:11; 42:12.

3177

Important Words:

Commentary:

مَّثْنَىٰ