ظلم

ظُلْمَةٌ ذ (T, S, M, Msb, K) and ↓ ظُلُمَةٌ (S, M, K) [accord. to the CK ظُلْمٌ and ظُلُمٌ, both of which are wrong,] and ↓ ظَلْمَاآءُ (S, M, Msb, K) Darkness; contr. of نُورٌ: (S, Msb:) or nonexistence of نُور [or light ]: or an accidental state that precludes the coëxistence therewith of نُور: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or the departure of light; as also ↓ ظَلَامٌ; (M, K;) which last has no pl.; (T, TA;) or this last signifies the beginning, or first part, of night, (S, M, Msb,) even though it be one in which the moon shines; and is said by Sb to be used only adverbially; one says, أَتَيْتُهُ ظَلَامًا, meaning I came to him at night, and مَعَ الظَّلَامِ i. e. at the time of the night: (M, TA:) the pl. of ظُلْمَةٌ is ظُلَمٌ and ظُلُمَاتٌ and ظُلَمَاتٌ (T, S, Msb) and ظُلْمَاتٌ, (S, Msb,) or, accord. to IB, the first of these pls. is of ظُلْمَةٌ and the second is of ظُلُمَةٌ. (TA.) One says, ↓ هُوَ يَخْبِطُ الظَّلَامَ [or فِى الظَّلَامِ, expl. in art. خبط], and الظُّلْمَةَ [which means the same] and ↓ الظَّلْمَاآءَ [which is also expl. in art. خبط]. (TA.) ― -b2- ظُلْمَةٌ is also [tropically] used as a term for (assumed tropical:) Ignorance: and (assumed tropical:) belief in a plurality of gods: and (assumed tropical:) transgression, or unrighteousness: like as نُورٌ is used as a term for their contraries: (Er-Rághib, TA:) and it is said in the A that الظُّلْمُ is ظُلْمَةٌ, like as العَدْلُ is نُورٌ. (TA.) ظُلُمَاتُ البَحْرِ means (assumed tropical:) The troubles, afflictions, calamities, or hardships, of the sea. (M.) -A2- And one says لَيْلَةٌ ظُلْمَةٌ, [using the latter word as an epithet, (in the CK, erroneously, ظَلِمَةٌ,)] and ↓ لَيْلَةٌ ظَلْمَاآءُ, both meaning A night intensely dark; (M, K;) or the latter means مُظْلِمَةٌ [i. e. dark, or black ]: (S:) and ↓ لَيْلٌ ظَلْمَاآءُ also, (M, K,) which is anomalous, (K,) mentioned by IAar, but [ISd says] this is strange, and in my opinion he has put لَيْلٌ in the place of لَيْلَةٌ, as in his mentioning لَيْلٌ قَمْرَاآءُ [q. v.]. (M.) ― -b2- See also ظُلَمٌ: ― -b3- and see the paragraph next preceding it.