فءل

Root entry · 16 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the concept of an omen or augury, particularly a good omen (fa'l) as opposed to a bad one (tuyrah). It extends to the act of seeking or interpreting omens, and related concepts like divination and fortune-telling. It also includes less common meanings related to abundance and children's games.

Derived headwords

الفألnoun

1.
good omenboth
An omen, especially a favorable one, that portends good fortune or a positive outcome.
2.
omen (general)both
An omen, which can be either good or bad, or relate to something pleasant or unpleasant.

تفاءلتverb

1.
to take as an omenboth
To interpret something heard or seen as a good omen, especially when seeking something.
2.
to seek an omenboth
To seek an omen, either good or bad, by listening to what people say or by observing events.

تفاؤلاnoun

1.
omen-seekingboth
The act of seeking or interpreting omens, as in hearing someone call out a good name or a prayer for success.

أفؤلnoun

1.
omensclassical
The plural of fa'l, referring to omens or auguries.

تفاءل بهverb

1.
to take it as an omenboth
To consider something as an omen, often used with a pronoun referring to the omen itself.

تفأل بهverb

1.
to take it as an omen (variant)both
A variant form of taking something as an omen, sometimes pronounced without the hamza for ease of pronunciation.

الافتئالnoun

1.
omen-takingclassical
The act of taking an omen, derived from the root.

افتألت الرأيverb

1.
to take counselclassical
To seek advice or counsel, with the original form possibly not using a hamza.

التفئيلnoun

1.
divinationclassical
A form of divination or seeking omens, possibly related to trickery or misdirection.

التأفيلnoun

1.
sorceryclassical
Interpreted as sorcery or magic, possibly by distorting or inverting the truth.

فأل عليكphrase

1.
no harm to youclassical
A phrase meaning 'no harm, no ill omen, or no evil shall befall you'.

فئل اللحمadjective

1.
abundant meatclassical
Describing meat that is plentiful or abundant.

الفئالnoun

1.
children's gameclassical
A game played by children where they hide something in the dirt and then divide it, guessing its location.

فيأل اللحمadjective

1.
abundant meat (variant)classical
A variant form describing abundant meat.

المفائلnoun

1.
player of al-fi'alclassical
One who plays the game al-fi'al.

الفالانيname

1.
Al-Falanimodern
A surname of a modern scholar, Shams al-Din ibn al-Falani.

Parallel reading

الفأل: ضد الطيرة، وهو فيما يستحب، والطيرة لا تكون إلا فيما يسوء

Al-fa'l is the opposite of at-tuyrah; it is in what is desirable, while at-tuyrah is only in what is unpleasant.

كأن يسمع مريض آخر يقول: يا سالم، أو يكون طالب ضالة فيسمع آخر يقول: يا واجد فيقول: {تفاءلت بكذا

It is like a sick person hearing another say: 'O healthy one,' or someone looking for a lost item hearing another say: 'O finder,' and then saying: 'I took this as an omen.'

وفي الحديث: كان يحب الفأل ويكره الطيرة

And in the Hadith: He used to like the omen (al-fa'l) and dislike the ill omen (at-tuyrah).

قال أبو زيد: تفاءلت تفاؤلا، وذلك أن تسمع الإنسان وأنت تريد الحاجة يدعو يا سعيد، يا أفلح، أو يدعو باسم قبيح

Abu Zayd said: 'I sought an omen (tafa'altu tafaa'ulan), which is when you hear someone, while you desire something, call out 'O happy one,' 'O successful one,' or call out an unpleasant name.'

وفي الحديث: لا عدوى ولا طيرة، ويعجبني الفأل الصالح

And in the Hadith: There is no contagion and no ill omen, and I like the good omen.

والفأل الصالح: الكلمة الحسنة

And the good omen is the good word.

ومن العرب من يجعل الفأل فيما يكره أيضا

And some Arabs consider the omen to be in what is disliked as well.

قال الجوهري: جمعه أفؤل، وأنشد للكميت: (ولا أسأل الطير عما تقول ... ولا تتخالجني الأفؤل)

Al-Jawhari said: its plural is af'ul, and he recited for Al-Kumait: (And I do not ask the birds what they say... nor do the omens cross my mind).

وقد تفاءل به، بالهمز ممدودا على التخفيف والقلب، وتفأل به، بالهمز مشدودا

And it is said 'tafa'ala bihi,' with a lengthened hamza for lightness and inversion, and 'tafa''ala bihi,' with a stressed hamza.

قال ابن الأثير: وقد أولع الناس بترك همزه تخفيفا

Ibn al-Athir said: And people have become accustomed to omitting its hamza for ease.

والافتئال: افتعال منه

And al-ifti'al is the masdar (verbal noun) from it.

وقال الفراء: افتألت الرأي بالهمز، وأصله غير الهمز

And Al-Farra' said: 'I sought counsel (afta'altu ar-ra'ya)' with a hamza, and its origin is without the hamza.

والتفئيل: تفعيل منه

And at-taf'eel is the masdar (verbal noun) from it.

قال رؤبة: لا يأخذ التفئيل والتحزي فينا ولا قذف العدا ذو الأز

Ru'bah said: Divination and trickery do not take hold of us, nor the slander of the enemy with its falsehoods.

وروى أبو عمرو: لا يأخذ التأفيل، وفسره بالسحر، لأنه قلب الشيء عن وجهه

And Abu Amr narrated: 'At-ta'feel is not taken,' and he interpreted it as sorcery, because it inverts things from their true course.

يقال: لا فأل عليك: أي لا ضير عليك، ولا طير عليك، ولا شر عليك

It is said: 'La fa'la 'alayk': meaning no harm to you, no ill omen to you, and no evil to you.

ورجل فئل اللحم، ككتف، أي كثيره

And a man is fa'il al-lahm, like 'katif', meaning having abundant meat.

والفئال، ككتاب: لعبة للصبيان

And al-fi'al, like 'kitab': a game for children.

والمفائل: الذي يلعب بالفئال

And al-mufa'il: one who plays al-fi'al.

وشمس الدين بن الفالاني من المحدثين

And Shams al-Din ibn al-Falani is among the modern scholars.