ظ ل م

Root entry · 25 derived lemmas

The root ظ ل م (ẓ-l-m) primarily concerns the concept of injustice, wrongdoing, and placing something in its wrong place. It extends to notions of harm, deprivation, and darkness, both literal and metaphorical. The root also encompasses the idea of deficiency or reduction.

Derived headwords

الظلمnoun

1.
injusticeboth
Acting in a way that infringes upon the property of another or exceeds established limits. It is defined as placing something in its improper position, often involving addition or subtraction, or deviation from the appropriate time or place.
2.
wrongdoingboth
A sin or transgression, encompassing both major and minor offenses, as well as disbelief, polytheism, and hypocrisy.
3.
darknessboth
The absence of light, metaphorically representing ignorance, evil, or sin.

ظلمverb

1.
to wrongboth
To act unjustly towards someone, to deprive them of their rights, or to place something in an inappropriate position.
2.
to be unjustboth
To commit an act of injustice or transgression.
3.
to be darkboth
To become dark, referring to the onset of night.

ظالمadjective

1.
unjustboth
One who commits injustice or wrongdoing.
2.
oppressiveboth
Characterized by injustice or cruelty.

مظلومadjective

1.
wrongedboth
One who has been subjected to injustice or oppression.
2.
oppressedboth
Suffering from injustice or cruelty.

ظلومadjective

1.
very unjustboth
One who is extremely unjust or oppressive, often implying a habitual or severe degree of wrongdoing.

ظلمnoun

1.
injustice (masdar)both
The act or instance of injustice, wrongdoing, or transgression.

ظلمهverb

1.
to deprive someone ofboth
To unjustly take away someone's right or due.

تظلمهverb

1.
to be wrongedboth
To suffer injustice or to have one's property unjustly taken.
2.
to complain of injusticeboth
To express grievance about being wronged.

تظلمverb

1.
to complain of injusticeboth
To seek redress or express grievance about being wronged.
2.
to attribute injustice to oneselfclassical
To admit or claim responsibility for an act of injustice.

انظلمverb

1.
to endure injusticeclassical
To bear injustice willingly or passively, especially when one has the power to resist.

اظلمverb

1.
to endure injusticeclassical
To bear injustice willingly or passively, especially when one has the power to resist.
2.
to become darkboth
The onset of darkness, particularly at night.

المظلمةnoun

1.
injusticeclassical
An act of injustice or oppression; a grievance.
2.
grievanceclassical
A complaint or demand for redress of a wrong.

الظلامةnoun

1.
grievanceclassical
A wrong that is sought to be redressed; a claim of injustice.
2.
what was taken unjustlyclassical
That which was unjustly taken from someone, which they seek to recover.

المظالمnoun

1.
injusticesclassical
Plural of مظلمة, referring to acts of injustice or grievances.

ظلمةnoun

1.
darknessboth
The absence of light; obscurity.
2.
gloomboth
Metaphorical darkness, representing ignorance, sin, or hardship.

الظلماءnoun

1.
darknessboth
Intense darkness, often used to describe a very dark night.

الظلامnoun

1.
darknessboth
A collective noun for darkness, similar to ظلمة and ظلماء.

أظلمverb

1.
to enter darknessboth
To become dark, especially when night falls.
2.
to make darkclassical
To cause something to become dark.

مظلمadjective

1.
darkboth
Lacking light; obscure.
2.
gloomyboth
Metaphorically dark, representing hardship, evil, or uncertainty.
3.
very darkboth
Intensely dark, often used to describe a night or a day of great hardship.

مظلامadjective

1.
very darkclassical
Extremely dark, often used metaphorically for a day of great trouble or a difficult situation.

مظلومةadjective

1.
wronged (feminine)both
A female who has been subjected to injustice or oppression.
2.
unplowed landclassical
Land that has not been dug or cultivated, or land where a well or basin has been dug for the first time.

ظليمnoun

1.
milk drawn prematurelyclassical
Milk drawn from a vessel before it has curdled or produced its cream, often considered improper.

ظليمةnoun

1.
milk drawn prematurelyclassical
Milk drawn from a vessel before it has curdled or produced its cream.

المظلومnoun

1.
milk drawn prematurelyclassical
Milk drawn from a vessel before it has curdled or produced its cream.

ظلمverb

1.
to be darkboth
To become dark, referring to the onset of night.

Parallel reading

التصرف في ملك الغير ومجاوزة الحد.

Acting in the property of another and exceeding the limit.

هو عند أكثر أهل اللغة: (وضع الشيء في غير موضعه)

It is, according to most linguists, (placing something in its improper place).

زاد الراغب: المختص به إما بزيادة أو بنقصان، وإما بعدول عن وقته ومكانه.

Al-Raghib added: pertaining to it either by addition or subtraction, or by deviating from its time and place.

((من أشبه أباه فما ظلم))

((Whoever resembles his father has not wronged)).

أي: ما وضع الشبه في غير موضعه.

Meaning: he did not place the resemblance in its improper place.

ويقال أيضا: ((من استرعى الذئب فقد ظلم))

It is also said: ((Whoever entrusts a wolf with guardianship has wronged)).

ويقال في مجاوزة الحد الذي يجري مجرى نقطة الدائرة، ويقال فيما يكثر، وفيما يقل من التجاوز، ولهذا يستعمل في الذنب الكبير، وفي الذنب الصغير، لذلك قيل: لآدم عليه السلام في تعديه: ظالم، وفي إبليس: ظالم، وإن كان بين الظلمين بون بعيد.

It is used for exceeding the limit which runs like the circumference of a circle, and for what is excessive and what is deficient in transgression. For this reason, it is used for a great sin and a small sin. Therefore, it was said: Adam, peace be upon him, was a wrongdoer in his transgression, and Iblis was a wrongdoer, even though there is a great distance between the two wrongdoings.

أن الظلم في أصل اللغة: النقص، واستعمل في كلام الشارع لمعان منها: الكفر، ومنها الكبائر.

That injustice, in its original linguistic sense, means deficiency, and it was used in the language of the Law for meanings including: disbelief, and among them, major sins.

الظلم ثلاثة: الأول: ظلم بين الإنسان وبين الله تعالى، وأعظمه الكفر والشرك والنفاق، ولذلك قال عز وجل: {إن الشرك لظلم عظيم}.

Injustice is of three types: The first: injustice between a person and God Almighty, the greatest of which is disbelief, polytheism, and hypocrisy. Therefore, God Almighty said: {Indeed, associating others with Allah is a great injustice}.

والثاني: ظلم بينه وبين الناس، وإياه قصد بقوله: {إنما السبيل على الذين يظلمون الناس}، وبقوله: {ومن قتل مظلوما فقد جعلنا لوليه سلطانا}.

And the second: injustice between a person and people. This is what was intended by His saying: {The blame is only upon those who wrong people}, and by His saying: {And whoever is killed unjustly - We have given his heir authority...}.

والثالث: ظلم بينه وبين نفسه، وإياه قصد بقوله تعالى: {فمنهم ظالم لنفسه ومنهم مقتصد}، وقوله تعالى: {ولا تقربا هذه الشجرة فتكونا من الظالمين} أي: أنفسهم، وقوله: {ومن يفعل ذلك فقد ظلم نفسه}.

And the third: injustice between a person and himself. This is what was intended by His saying: {So of them are those who wrong themselves, and of them are those who are moderate}, and His saying: {And do not approach this tree and become of the wrongdoers}, meaning: their own souls, and His saying: {And whoever does that has wronged himself}.

وما ظلمهم الله ولكن كانو أنفسهم يظلمون.

And Allah did not wrong them, but they were wronging themselves.

ولم يلبسوا إيمانهم بظلم.

And they did not mix their faith with injustice.

فقد قيل: هو الشرك.

It has been said: it is polytheism.

ظلمت وفي ظلمي له عامدا أجر...

I wronged, and in my intentional wronging of him, I gain...

ظلم يظلم ظلما، بالفتح

ẓalama - yaẓlimu - ẓulman, with fathah.

فهو ظالم، وظلوم

So he is ẓālim, and ẓalūm.

إذا هو لم يخفني في ابن عمي ... وإن لم ألقه الرجل الظلوم

If he does not fear me regarding my cousin... And if I do not meet him, he is the oppressive man.

وأظلم بعضا أو جميعا مؤربا

And I wronged some or all of them, making them suffer.

فظلموا بها

So they wronged by them.

حمل على معنى الكفر في التعدية؛ لأنهما من باب واحد، ولأنه بمعنى الكفر مجازا، أو تضمينا، أو لتضمنه معنى التكذيب.

It was interpreted as meaning disbelief in the transitive usage, because they are of the same category, and because it metaphorically means disbelief, or by inclusion, or because it implies denial.

وتظلمني فلان، أي: ظلمني مالي، ومنه قول الشاعر:

So-and-so wronged me, meaning: he wronged me of my wealth. And from it is the poet's saying:

تظلم مالي هكذا ولوى يدي ... لوى يده الله الذي هو غالبه

You unjustly take my wealth like this and twist my hand... May God twist the hand of him who overcomes you.

وتظلم الرجل: أحال الظلم على نفسه

And taẓallama the man: he attributed the injustice to himself.

كانت إذا غضبت علي تظلمت

When she was angry with me, she complained of injustice.

و) تظلم (منه: شكا من ظلمه

And taẓallama (from him): he complained of his injustice.

فهو متظلم: يشكو رجلا ظلمه.

So he is mutaẓallim: complaining of a man who wronged him.

إذا احتمله بطيب نفسه وهو قادر على الامتناع منه

If he endured it willingly while capable of preventing it.

عفوا ويظلم أحيانا فيظلم

Freely, and sometimes he oppresses, so he is oppressed.

أي: يسأل فوق طاقته، ويروى: فينظلم، أي: يتكلفه

Meaning: he asks beyond his capacity, and it is narrated: fa-yanẓalimu, meaning: he undertakes it.

ومنهم من يدغم الظاء في الطاء فيقول: اطلم، وهو أكثر اللغات

And among them are those who assimilate the ẓāʼ into the ṭāʼ, saying: iṭallama, which is the more common pronunciation.

والمظلمة، بكسر اللام

And al-maẓlamah, with kasrah on the lām.

هو ما تطلبه عند الظالم، وهو اسم ما أخذ منك.

It is what you seek from the oppressor, and it is the name of what was taken from you.

الظلامة: اسم مظلمتك التي تطلبها عند الظالم، يقال: أخذها منه ظلامة.

Al-ẓalāmah: the name of your grievance which you seek from the oppressor. It is said: he took it from him as a grievance.

هو حقه الذي ظلمه، وجمع المظلمة: المظالم

It is his right that was unjustly taken, and the plural of al-maẓlamah is al-maẓālim.

متى تجمع القلب الذكي وصارما ... وأنفا حميا تجتنبك المظالم

When do you combine a sharp mind and a resolute sword... And a proud spirit, so that injustices avoid you?

وأراد ظلامه، بالكسر، ومظالمه: أي: ظلمه

And he intended his grievance, with kasrah, and his injustices: meaning: his injustice.

وهن على الظلام مطلبات ... قواتل كل أشجع مستلينا

And they are demands upon the darkness... killing every brave, disarmed warrior.

سقيتها قبل التفرق شربة ... يمر على باغي الظلام شرابها

I gave her to drink before parting, a draught... whose drink passes over the seeker of darkness.

ولو أني أموت أصاب ذلا ... وسامته عشيرته الظلاما

And if I were to die, I would meet with humiliation... and his kin would impose darkness upon him.

كلتا الجنتين آتت أكلها ولم تظلم منه شيئا

Each of the two gardens yielded its fruit and did not withhold anything from it.

أي: ولم تنقص، وشيئا جعله بعض المعربين مصدرا، أي: مفعولا مطلقا، وبعضهم مفعولا به

Meaning: and did not decrease. And 'shay'an' (something) was made by some grammarians a masdar, i.e., an absolute object, and by others, a direct object.

وما ظلمونا ولكن كانوا أنفسهم يظلمون.

And they did not wrong Us, but it was themselves they were wronging.

أي: ما نقصونا شيئا بما فعلوا، ولكن نقصوا أنفسهم

Meaning: they did not diminish Us in anything by what they did, but they diminished themselves.

إذا حفرها في غير موضع حفرها

If he dug it in a place other than where it should be dug.

وتلك الأرض يقال: لها المظلومة.

And that land is called: al-maẓlūmah.

الأرض المظلومة: التي لم تحفر قط، ثم حفرت، وفي الأساس: أرض مظلومة: حفر فيها بئر أو حوض، ولم يحفر فيها قط.

Al-arḍ al-maẓlūmah: land that was never dug before, then was dug. And in Al-Asas: maẓlūmah land: a well or basin was dug in it, and it was never dug before.

إذا نحره من غير داء وهو التعبيط

If he slaughtered it without illness, which is al-taʻbīṭ.

عاد الأذلة في دار وكان بها ... هرت الشقاشق ظلامون للجزر

The humiliated returned to a dwelling where... the throats were ready for slaughter.

أي: وضعوا النحر، في غير موضعه.

Meaning: they placed the slaughter, in its improper place.

إذا بلغ الماء منه موضعا لم يكن بلغه قبله ولا ناله فيما خلا

If the water reached a place in it that it had not reached before and had not attained in the past.

يكاد يطلع ظلما ثم يمنعه ... عن الشواهق فالوادي به شرق

It almost rises with injustice, then it is prevented... from the heights, so the valley is flooded.

ظلم السيل البطاح: بلغها ولم يبلغها قبل.

The flood wronged the lowlands: it reached them, and had not reached them before.

ظلم السيل الأرض: إذا خدد فيها في غير موضع تخديد

The flood wronged the land: if it carved into it in a place other than where it should carve.

ظلم البطاح بها انهلال حريصة ... فصفا النظاف بها بعيد المقلع

The lowlands were wronged by the pouring of a determined flood... so the clear pools became distant from the source.

إذا سقى منه اللبن قبل ان يروب وتخرج زبدته

If he drew milk from it before it curdled and its cream separated.

وقائلة ظلمت لكم سقائي ... وهل يخفى على العكد الظليم

And a woman saying, 'You have wronged me of your drink'... Does the thick milk remain hidden from the discerning?

إذا سفدها قبل وقتها وهي حامل

If he mounted her before her time while she was pregnant.

إذا سقاهم اللبن قبل إدراكه

If he gave them milk before it was ready.

والظلمة، بالضم وبضمتين

And al-ẓulmah, with dammah and with two dammas.

و كذلك الظلماء بمعنى: الظلمة

And likewise al-ẓalmāʼ meaning: darkness.

ذهاب النور

The absence of light.

عدم النور

Absence of light.

ويعبر بها عن الجهل، والشرك، والفسق، كما يعبر بالنور عن أضدادها

And it is used to express ignorance, polytheism, and wickedness, just as light is used for their opposites.

الظلم ظلمة، كما أن العدل نور.

Injustice is darkness, just as justice is light.

ويقال: هو يخبط الظلام والظلمة والظلماء.

And it is said: he stumbles in the dark, the darkness, and the deep darkness.

وليلة ظلمة - على طرح الزائد - و) ليلة (ظلماء

And a dark night - by omitting the extra letter - and a (ẓalmāʼ) night.

ليل ظلماء

A dark night.

هو شاذ، وضع الليل مكان الليلة، كما حكى ليل قمراء أي: ليلة.

It is irregular, using 'layl' for 'laylah', just as 'layl qumraāʼ' is narrated, meaning: a night.

وقد أظلم الليل وظلم - كسمع - بمعنى الأخيرة عن الفراء.

And the night has become dark, and it became dark - like samiʻa - meaning the latter, according to Al-Farraʼ.

وإذا أظلم عليهم قاموا

And when darkness fell upon them, they stood.

فهو لازم في اللغتين، وبذلك صرح ابن مالك وغيره.

So it is intransitive in both languages, and Ibn Malik and others have stated this.

احتمال أنه متعد في قوله تعالى: {وإذا أظلم عليهم} بدليل قراءة يزيد بن قطيب: ((أظلم)) مجهولا، وتبعه البيضاوي، وفي نهر أبي حيان.

It is possible that it is transitive in the Almighty's saying: {And when darkness fell upon them}, based on the narration of Yazid bin Qutayb: ((aẓlama)) in the passive voice, followed by Al-Baydawi, and in the river of Abu Hayyan.

المحفوظ أن أظلم لا يتعدى، وجعله الزمخشري متعديا بنفسه

What is preserved is that 'aẓlama' is intransitive, and Al-Zamakhshari made it transitive by itself.

وجزم ابن الصلاح بوروده لازما ومتعديا، وكأنه قلد الزمخشري في ذلك

And Ibn Al-Salah asserted its occurrence as both intransitive and transitive, as if he followed Al-Zamakhshari in that.

يوم مظلم، كمحسن

A dark day, like muḥsin.

أي: كثير شره

Meaning: full of its evil.

فأقسم أن لو التقينا وأنتم ... لكان لكم يوم من الشر مظلم

So I swear that if we met and you were present... you would have a day of evil, dark.

أمر مظلم ومظلام

A dark matter and a very dark matter.

أي: لا يدرى من أين يؤتى له

Meaning: it is not known from where it is approached.

في يوم نحس ذي عجاج مظلام ...

On an unlucky day of dusty, very dark...

العرب تقول لليوم الذي تلقى فيه الشدة: يوم مظلم، حتى إنهم يقولون: يوم ذو كواكب، أي: اشتدت ظلمته حتى صار كالليل

The Arabs say about a day in which you face hardship: a dark day, to the extent that they say: a day with stars, meaning: its darkness intensified until it became like night.

بني أسد هل تعلمون بلاءنا ... إذا كان يوم ذو كواكب أشهب

Sons of Asad, do you know our affliction... when it was a day with bright stars.

شعر مظلم

Dark hair.

أي حالك

Meaning: intensely black.

نبت مظلم

Dark vegetation.

أي ناضر، يضرب إلى السواد من خضرته

Meaning: lush, tending towards black from its greenness.

فصبحت أرعل كالنقال ... ومظلما ليس على دمال ...

So I reached Arʻal like the moving ones... and dark vegetation not on a barren patch...

وأظلموا: دخلوا في الظلام.

And they entered darkness.