نحل

Root entry · 13 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the concept of giving, bestowing, or gifting, often without expectation of return. It extends to related ideas of emaciation, becoming thin, and also to the act of falsely attributing something, like poetry or a belief, to oneself or another.

Derived headwords

النَّحْلnoun

1.
honeybeesboth
The collective noun for honeybees, with 'naḥlah' being the singular.
2.
honeycombclassical
The structure or dwelling of honeybees, also referring to the honey itself.
3.
giving, giftboth
The act of bestowing something, often without compensation or expectation of return.
4.
emaciationboth
The state of being thin or wasted away.

النحل: ذباب العسل، واحدته نحلة — Honeybees: the flies of honey, its singular is naḥlah.

وأوحى ربك إلى النحل — And your Lord inspired the bee.

نَحْلَةnoun

1.
honeybeeboth
A single honeybee.
2.
gift, dowryboth
A gift, specifically referring to the dowry given to a woman, often implying it's a divine bestowal.
3.
thinness, leannessboth
The state of being thin or emaciated.

واحدته نحلة — its singular is naḥlah

آتوا النساء صدقاتهن نحلة — And give the women their due of marriage gifts as an obligation.

نَحَلَverb

1.
to give, bestowboth
To give something as a gift or bestowal, often without expecting anything in return.
2.
to attribute falselyboth
To falsely attribute something, such as poetry or a belief, to someone.
3.
to become thinboth
To become emaciated or thin, often due to illness or travel.

نحلته إياه — he bestowed it upon him

نحل فلان فلانا إذا سابه — So-and-so 'naḥala' so-and-so if he insults him

نَحَلَverb

1.
to become thinboth
To become emaciated or thin, often due to illness or travel.

نحل جسمه ونحل ينحل وينحل نحولا — His body became thin, and he became thin, becoming thin with thinness.

أَنْحَلَverb

1.
to make thin, emaciateboth
To cause someone or something to become thin or emaciated.
2.
to bestow, grantboth
To bestow or grant something, especially wealth.

أنحله الهم — worry emaciated him

وأنحل ولده مالا — and he bestowed wealth upon his son

نَحُولnoun

1.
thinness, emaciationboth
The state of being thin, gaunt, or emaciated.

النحول: الهزال — Thinness: emaciation.

نَاحِلadjective

1.
thin, emaciatedboth
Describing someone or something that is thin or gaunt.

فهو ناحل — so he is thin

جمل ناحل: مهزول دقيق — a thin camel: emaciated and slender.

نَحِيلadjective

1.
thin, slenderboth
Describing someone or something that is thin or slender.

ورجل نحيل من قوم نحلى — and a thin man from a group of thin people

نُحَلَىnoun

1.
gift, bestowalclassical
A gift or bestowal.

والنحلى: العطية، على فعلى — And 'nuḥlā': the gift, on the pattern of 'fuʿlā'.

نَوَاحِلnoun

1.
thin swordsclassical
Swords whose edges have become thin and worn from frequent use.

والنواحل: السيوف التي رقت ظباها من كثرة الاستعمال — And 'nawāḥil': the swords whose edges have become thin from frequent use.

انْتَحَلَverb

1.
to claim falselyboth
To claim something, like poetry or a belief, as one's own when it belongs to another.
2.
to adopt a beliefboth
To adopt or profess a particular belief, doctrine, or affiliation.

انتحل فلان شعر فلان — So-and-so claimed the poetry of so-and-so.

وفلان ينتحل مذهب كذا وقبيلة كذا إذا انتسب إليه — And so-and-so 'yantaḥilu' such-and-such a doctrine and such-and-such a tribe, meaning he affiliates himself with it.

انْتِحَالnoun

1.
false attributionboth
The act of falsely attributing something, especially poetry, to oneself or another.
2.
adoption of a beliefboth
The act of adopting or professing a belief or affiliation.

فانتحالي القوافي — and my claiming of the verses

نَحْلَةnoun

1.
claim, pretenseclassical
A claim or assertion, often one that is false or unfounded.

والنحلة: الدعوى — And 'naḥlah': the claim.

Parallel reading

أن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، نهى عن قتل النحلة والنملة والصرد والهدهد

That the Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade the killing of the bee, the ant, the shrike, and the hoopoe.

إنما نهى عن قتلهن لأنهن لا يؤذين الناس

He only forbade killing them because they do not harm people.

وهي أقل الطيور والدواب ضررا على الناس

And they are the least harmful of birds and beasts to people.

وهي أقل الطيور والدواب ضررا على الناس، ليس هي مثل ما يتأذى الناس به من الطيور الغراب وغيره

And they are the least harmful of birds and beasts to people; they are not like the crow and others from whom people suffer harm.

قال: النملة لا تعض إنما يعض الذر

He said: The ant does not bite; only the small ant bites.

وهي أقل الطيور والدواب ضررا على الناس، ليس هي مثل ما يتأذى الناس به من الطيور الغراب وغيره، قيل له: فالنملة إذا عضت تقتل؟ قال: النملة لا تعض إنما يعض الذر، قيل له: إذا عضت الذرة تقتل؟ قال: إذا آذتك فاقتلها

And they are the least harmful of birds and beasts to people; they are not like the crow and others from whom people suffer harm. It was said to him: Does the ant kill if it bites? He said: The ant does not bite; only the small ant bites. It was said to him: Does the small ant kill if it bites? He said: If it harms you, then kill it.

جائز أن يكون سمي نحلا لأن الله عز وجل نحل الناس العسل الذي يخرج من بطونها

It is permissible that it be called 'naḥl' because Allah, the Exalted, bestowed upon people the honey that comes out of their bellies.

وقد أنثها الله عز وجل فقال: أن اتخذي من الجبال بيوتا

And Allah, the Exalted, feminized it, saying: 'Take from the mountains houses.'

مثل المؤمن مثل النحلة

The likeness of the believer is like the bee.

والمؤمن له آفات تفتره عن عمله: ظلمة الغفلة وغيم الشك وريح الفتنة ودخان الحرام وماء السعة ونار الهوى

And the believer has afflictions that distract him from his work: the darkness of heedlessness, the cloud of doubt, the wind of sedition, the smoke of the forbidden, the water of abundance, and the fire of desire.

النحل والنحلة الدبر، يقع على الذكر والأنثى حتى تقول يعسوب

Al-naḥl and al-naḥlah refer to the rear, and it applies to the male and female until one says 'yaʿsūb' (king bee).

يدعن الجلس نحلا قتالها

They leave the sitting place thin, their fighting is deadly.

ذهب من مرض أو سفر

It went away from illness or travel.

فهو ناحل: ذهب من مرض أو سفر، والفتح أفصح

So he is thin: he went away from illness or travel, and the open vowel is more eloquent.

ورجل نحيل من قوم نحلى وناحل، والأنثى ناحلة، ونساء نواحل ورجال نحل

And a thin man from a group of thin people and a thin man, and the female is thin, and women are thin, and men are thin.

لم تعبه نحلة أي دقة وهزال

She did not find fault with it for thinness, meaning thinness and leanness.

لم أسمع بالنحل في غير هذا الموضع إلا في العطية

I have not heard 'al-naḥl' in any context other than this one, except for 'the gift'.

وأنحله الهم

And worry emaciated him.

جمل ناحل: مهزول دقيق

A thin camel: emaciated and slender.

والنواحل: السيوف التي رقت ظباها من كثرة الاستعمال

And 'nawāḥil': the swords whose edges have become thin from frequent use.

وهو جمع ناحل، جعل كل جزء منها ناحلا؛ قال ابن سيده: وهو عندي اسم للجمع لأن فاعلا ليس مما يكسر على فعل، قال: ولم أسمع به إلا في هذا البيت

And it is a plural of 'nāḥil', considering each part of it as 'nāḥil'; Ibn Sīdah said: In my opinion, it is a noun for the plural because 'fāʿil' is not something that breaks down into 'fuʿūl'. He said: And I have not heard it except in this verse.

والسيف الناحل الذي فيه فلول فيسن مرة بعد أخرى حتى يرق ويذهب أثر فلوله

And the thin sword is one that has nicks and is sharpened again and again until it becomes thin and its nicks disappear.

مضاربها، من طول ما ضربوا بها، ومن عض هام الدارعين، نواحل

Their striking surfaces, from the length of time they were struck with, and from the biting of the helmets of the armored men, are thin.

وقمر ناحل إذا دق واستقوس

And a thin moon when it becomes slender and curved.

بالضم: إعطاؤك الإنسان شيئا بلا استعاضة

With dammah: your giving a person something without receiving a substitute.

وقيل: هو الشيء المعطى، وقد أنحله مالا ونحله إياه

And it was said: It is the thing given, and He bestowed wealth upon him and gave it to him.

والاسم النحلة، تقول: أعطيتها مهرها نحلة، بالكسر، إذا لم ترد منها عوضا

And the noun is 'naḥlah', you say: I gave her her dowry as a 'naḥlah', with kasrah, if you did not want compensation for it.

آتوا النساء صدقاتهن نحلة

And give the women their due of marriage gifts as an obligation.

قد قيل فيه غير هذا القول، قال بعضهم: فريضة، وقال بعضهم: ديانة، كما تقول فلان ينتحل كذا وكذا أي يدين به

Other opinions have been stated about it; some said: an obligation, and some said: a religion, just as you say so-and-so 'yantaḥilu' such-and-such, meaning he adheres to it.

وهي نحلة من الله لهن أن جعل على الرجل الصداق ولم يجعل على المرأة شيئا من الغرم، فتلك نحلة من الله للنساء

And it is a gift from Allah to them, in that He made the dowry obligatory on the man and did not make anything of the cost obligatory on the woman; so that is a gift from Allah to women.

ونحلت الرجل والمرأة إذا وهبت له نحلة ونحلا

And you gave a man and a woman as a 'naḥlah' if you gifted them a 'naḥlah' and 'naḥlan'.

والصداق فرض لأن أهل الجاهلية كانوا لا يعطون النساء من مهورهن شيئا، فقال الله تعالى: وآتوا النساء صدقاتهن نحلة ، هبة من الله للنساء فريضة لهن على الأزواج

And the dowry is an obligation because the people of the Jahiliyyah used to give nothing of their dowries to women, so Allah the Almighty said: 'And give the women their due of marriage gifts as an obligation,' a gift from Allah to women, an obligation upon husbands.

فجعل الله الصدقة للنساء فأبطل فعلهم

So Allah made the dowry for women and invalidated their practice.

النحل، بالضم، مصدر قولك نحلته من العطية أنحله نحلا، بالضم

Al-naḥl, with dammah, is the masdar of your saying 'naḥaltuhu' from the gift, 'unḥiluhu naḥlan', with dammah.

والنحلة، بالكسر: العطية

And 'al-naḥlah', with kasrah: the gift.

والنحلى: العطية، على فعلى

And 'al-nuḥlā': the gift, on the pattern of 'fuʿlā'.

أعطاها مهرها نحلة، بالكسر؛ وقال أبو عمرو: هي التسمية أن يقول نحلتها كذا وكذا ويحد الصداق ويبينه

He gave her her dowry as a 'naḥlah', with kasrah; and Abu Amr said: It is the naming, that he says 'I gave her such-and-such as a naḥlah' and specifies and clarifies the dowry.

ما نحل والد ولدا من نحل أفضل من أدب حسن

What gift has a father given a child of gifts better than good manners?

النحل: العطية والهبة ابتداء من غير عوض ولا استحقاق

Al-naḥl: the gift and bestowal from the beginning without compensation or entitlement.

إذا بلغ بنو أبي العاص ثلاثين كان مال الله نحلا

When the descendants of Abi al-ʿĀṣ reach thirty, the wealth of Allah becomes a bestowal.

أراد يصير الفيء عطاء من غير استحقاق على الإيثار والتخصيص

He meant that the spoils of war become a grant without entitlement, based on preference and selection.

وأنحل ولده مالا ونحله خصه بشيء منه

And he bestowed wealth upon his son, and 'naḥalahu' means he singled him out with something from it.

والنحل والنحلان اسم ذلك الشيء المعطى

And 'al-naḥl' and 'al-naḥlān' are the names of that given thing.

والنحلة: الدعوى

And 'al-naḥlah': the claim.

انتحل فلان شعر فلان. أو قول فلان إذا ادعاه أنه قائله

So-and-so claimed the poetry of so-and-so. Or the saying of so-and-so if he claimed to be its author.

وتنحله: ادعاه وهو لغيره

And 'tanḥalahu': he claimed it, and it belongs to someone else.

إنكم لتنتحلون عائشة لابن الزبير انتحال من لا يرى لأحد معه فيها نصيبا

You are claiming Aisha for Ibn al-Zubayr with a claim of one who sees no one else having a share in her.

ولم أتنحل الأشعار فيها، ولم تعجزني المدح الجياد

And I did not claim poetry in it, and excellent praises did not fail me.

ونحله القول أنحله نحلا، بالفتح: إذا أضفت إليه قولا قاله غيره وادعيته عليه

And 'naḥalahu' the saying, 'unḥalahu naḥlan', with fatha: if you attribute to him a saying that someone else said and claim it against him.

وفلان ينتحل مذهب كذا وقبيلة كذا إذا انتسب إليه

And so-and-so 'yantaḥilu' such-and-such a doctrine and such-and-such a tribe, meaning he affiliates himself with it.

نحل الشاعر قصيدة إذا نسبت إليه وهي من قيل غيره

The poet 'naḥala' a poem if it is attributed to him and it is by someone else.

فكيف أنا وانتحالي القوافي، بعد المشيب، كفى ذاك عارا

So how about me and my claiming of the verses, after graying hair, that is enough of a shame.

تنحلها ابن حمراء العجان

Ibn Ḥamrā' al-ʿAjjān claimed it.

معناه قد ألزمه نفسه وجعله كالملك له، وهي الهبة والعطية يعطاها الإنسان

Its meaning is that he has bound it to himself and made it like ownership for him, and it is the gift and the bestowal that a person is given.

وينحله بعض العرب أي ينسبه إليهم من النحلة وهي النسبة بالباطل

And he attributes it to some of the Arabs, meaning he attributes it to them from 'al-naḥlah', which is a false attribution.

ما نحلتك أي ما دينك؟

What is your 'naḥlah'? Meaning, what is your religion?

فدع ذا، وانحل النعمان قولا كنحت الفأس، ينجد أو يغور

So leave that, and 'inḥal' al-Nuʿmān a saying like the striking of an axe, it goes up or down.

نحل فلان فلانا إذا سابه باطل، وهو تصحيف لنجل فلان فلانا إذا قطعه بالغيبة

'Naḥala' so-and-so so-and-so if he insults him falsely, and it is a misspelling of 'najala' so-and-so so-and-so if he cuts him down by backbiting.

من نجل الناس نجلوه أي من عاب الناس عابوه ومن سبهم سبوه

Whoever backbites people, people will backbite him; meaning whoever criticizes people, people will criticize him, and whoever insults them, people will insult them.