زلف

زُلْفَةٌ ذ i. q. قُرْبَةٌ [i. e. Nearness, with respect to rank, degree, or station ]; (S, Mgh, O, Msb, K;) as also ↓ زُلْفَى, (S, Mgh, O, Msb,) and ↓ زَلَفٌ. (IDrd, O, K.) [It would seem that it means also Nearness with respect to place or situation: for SM immediately adds,] hence, in the Kur [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 also ↓ زُلْفَى, (S, O, K, TA,) and ↓ زَلْفٌ, (TS, K,) and ↓ زَلَفٌ: (K, TA:) pl. of the first زُلَفٌ: (S, * TA:) or (K) ↓ زُلْفَى is a quasi-inf. n.; (S, K;) and such it is in the saying in the Kur [xxxiv. 36], وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ بِا@لَّتِى تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِنْدِنَا زُلْفَى, as though meaning ا@زْدِلَافًا [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 ]: (S:) accord. to Ibn- 'Arafeh, 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.) ― -b2- Also A portion (S, K) of the first part (S) of the night, (S, K,) whether small or large: so accord. to Th: or, accord. to Akh, of the night absolutely: (TA:) pl. زُلَفٌ and زُلَفَاتٌ (S, K) 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: (K:) and its sing. is زُلْفَةٌ. (TA.) وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ, in the Kur [xi. 116], means And at sunset and nightfall (the مَغْرِب and the عِشَاآء): (Zj, TA:) some read ↓ زُلُفًا, 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 read ↓ زُلْفًا, which is a pl. [or rather coll. gen. n.] of زُلْفَةٌ, like as دُرٌّ is of دُرَّةٌ; (K, TA;) or pl. of ↓ زَلِيفٌ, like as قُرْبٌ is of قَرِيبٌ, and غُرْبٌ of غَرِيبٌ: (TA:) and some read ↓ زُلْفَى, in which the alif [written ى] is a denotative of the fem. gender. (K, TA.) -A2- See also the next paragraph.