Core sense — the lowest part, or root, of a thing; an origin, or stock; a fundamental principlegenerated
1the lower, or lowest, part of a thing; its root, bottom, or foot—يَأْصُولٌ
So of a mountain; and of a wall, its foundation or base; and of a tree or plant, its stem, trunk, or stock, the part from which the branches are broken off. Mentioned in art. كسر.
The سَاق of a tree is said to be the part between its أَصْل and the place where its branches shoot out. Mentioned in art. سوق.
[And a stump of a tree; and hence, a block of wood: see the examples under نَقِيرٌ.]
Plural أُصُولٌ, and plural of paucity آصُلٌ. ISd says the former is its only plural; but the latter occurs in a verse of Lebeed, quoted below, as cited by AHn.
he sat at the lowest part of the mountain—قَعَدَ فِى أَصْلِ جَبَلِ
at the lowest part of the wall—فِى أَصْلِ الحَائِطِ
he pulled it up, or out, from its root, or lowest part—قَلَعَهُ مِنْ أَصْلِهِ
with its roots, or lowest parts; that is, utterly, entirely—بأُصُولِهِ
Given in explanation of استأصلهُ, which see.
he pulled up the lowest part, stem, or stump, of the tree—قَلَعَ أَصْلَ الشَّجَرَةِ
Lebeed says, of a wild cow: [She enters into the midst of the stems of trees with high branches, apart from other trees, in the hinder parts of sand-hills, the fine loose sand inclining upon her]
shāhidتَجْتَافُ آصُلَ قَالِصٍ مُتَنَبِّذٍبِعُجُوبِ أَنْقَآءٍ يَمِيلُ هَيَامُهَا
. But as some relate it, أَصْلًا قَالِصًا. [See EM, p. 161.]
1.1a thing having root, or a foundation; rooted, fixed, immoveable, stable, or permanent—شَىْءٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ
A thing upon which another thing is built or founded, properly or figuratively.
Er-Rāghib: the foundation, or basis, of a thing, which, if it is imagined to be taken away, the rest of the thing is taken away with it.
That upon which the existence of anything rests, or depends: so the father is اصل to the offspring, and the river is اصل to the streamlet that branches off from it.
real, or immoveable, property—مَالٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ
Or a thing upon which another thing depends as a branch, as the father in relation to the son: that is, the origin, source, or beginning of a thing; the origin, root, race, or stock from which a man springs.
real, or immoveable, property—مِلْكٌ ثَابِتٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ
real, or immoveable, property—مَا لَهُ أَصْلٌ
That is, property such as consists in a house or land yielding a revenue; or such as a house and palm-trees; or such as land and a house. The first of these expressions is given under عَقَارٌ.
a source of wealth or profit; a stock, fund, capital, or principal—أَصْلٌ مَالٍ
I took it for myself as a source of wealth or profit, for breeding, not for trade—اِتَّخَذْتُهُ لِنَفْسِى أَصْلَ مَالٍلِلنَّسْلِ لَا لِلِتِّجَارَةِ
Mentioned in art. قنو.
he sold the fundamental property, that is, the property itself, of his land—بَاعَ أَصْلَ أَرْضِهِ
Given under عِكْرٌ. [See also an example in Form 4 in art. بقَى, and another in the first paragraph of art. حبس.]
he took it as it were with its root; meaning, entirely—أَخَذَهُ بِأَصْلِهِ
[See أَصِيلَةٌ.]
he cut off their root, race, or stock; he extirpated them—قَطَعَ أَصْلَهُمْ
such a one is of an excellent origin, race, or stock—فُلَانٌ فِى أَصْلِ صِدْقِ
such a one is of a bad origin, race, or stock—فِى أَصْلِ سُوْءٍ
Here اصل is synonymous with ضِنْء and مَعْدِن; the first phrase is given in art. ضنأ.
such a one is of a race that is the source of generosity, or nobleness—فُلَانٌ فِى أَصْلِ الكَرَمِ
Here اصل is synonymous with بُؤْبُؤ. Mentioned in art. بأ.
he has no rank or nobility, nor tongue—لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ وَ لَا فَصْلَ
Here حَسَب means grounds of pretension to respect or honour, or rank or nobility, and “tongue” means eloquence.
Or: he has no intellect, nor eloquence (IAar, Msb, El-Munáwee); or he has no lineage, nor tongue; or he has no father, nor child; or he has no known stock nor branch, since فَصْلٌ is the opposite of أَصْلٌ and in relationship means a branch. Mentioned in art. فصل.
I have not done it at any time; and I will not do it at any time—مَا فَعَلْتُهُ أَصْلًا
The last word is in the accusative case as an adverbial noun. So Msb and El-Munáwee.
1.2
It also means the original, or elemental, matter, material, substance, or part of a thing, the same as عُنْصُرٌ: that from which a thing is taken, or made. Given under دَاخِلٌ.
1.3the science of the fundamentals, or principles, of religion; theology—عِلْمُ الأُصُولِ
The fundamental, or essential, part of a thing. Hence it is the singular of أُصُولٌ as meaning the fundamentals, fundamental articles or dogmas, principles, elements, or rudiments of a science and the like.
That is, عِلْمُ أُصُولِ الدِّينِ: the science of the articles, or tenets, of belief, according to the system of the Muslims, as distinguished from that of the philosophers; also called الفِقْهُ الأَكْبَرُ and, more commonly, عِلْمُ الكَلَامِ (Hájjee Khaleefeh). [See also Form 2.]
1.4
A radical letter, as opposed to an augmentative one, being an essential element of a word.
1.5
The original form of a word.
1.6
The original, or primary, meaning of a word.
1.7
An original copy of a book; also a copy of a book from which one quotes, or transcribes, any portion.
1.8the old state of things is that of being allowable, or lawful, and that of being pure, or clean—الأَصْلُ فِى الأَشْيَآءِ الإِبَاحَةُ وَ الطَّهَارَةُ
she returned to her original, or old, state; to a natural disposition which she had given up—رَجَعَتْ إِلَى أَصْلِهَا
The original, or primary, state or condition; or the old state or condition.
Given under عِتْرٌ.
1.9I will assuredly drive you, against your will, to the utmost point to which you can be brought; or constrain you to do your utmost—لَأَضْطَرَّنَّكَ إِلَى أَصْلِكَ
The utmost point, or degree, to which a person or thing can go, or be brought or reduced; and apparently, the utmost that one can do.
IAar, in the L, art. قح, where it is given in explanation of the phrases لَأَضْطَرَّنَّكَ and قُحَاحِكَ; and so in the T, in art. تر, in explanation of the first of these two. The M, in art. تر, says the phrase means: I will assuredly make you have recourse to your utmost effort, or endeavour; and the L, in art. قح, gives this as another explanation of the second of the same two phrases. See also the saying لَأُلْجِئَنَّكَ إِلَى قُرِّ قَرَارِكَ, explained under قَرَارٌ.
1.10
That by being which a thing is what it is, or in being which it consists; its ultimate constituent; the same as حَقِيقَةٌ, a well-known meaning, indicated in the A and TA by the coupling of حَقِيقَة with أَصْل, evidently as an explicative adjunct.
1.11the principal part of a country—أَصْلُ دَارٍ
The prime of a thing; its principal, purest, best, or choicest part; what is its most essential part; its very essence.
This is the place where the people dwell, or abide, as As and S say, under عَقْرٌ. [See عَقْرٌ.]
the principal place of abode of a people—أَصْلٌ قَوْمٍ
Given under بَيْضَةٌ. [See this word.]
he is of the prime, or of the purest in race, the best, or the choicest, of his people—هُوَ فِى أَصْلِ قَوْمِهِ
The same as صُيَّابَتِهِمْ and صُيَّابِهِمْ. Mentioned in art. صيب.
1.12what is most fit, or proper, in man, is knowledge—الأَصْلُ فِى الإِنْسَانِ العِلْمُ
That is, knowledge is more fit, or proper, than ignorance.
what is most fit, or proper, in the case of the mubtadaʾ is putting it before the khabar, whenever there is nothing to prevent it—الأَصْلُ فِى المُبْتَدَإِ التَّقْدِيمُ
on this sense What is most fit, or proper.
1.13
What is preponderant in relation to what is preponderated: as, in language, the word used in its proper sense, in relation to one used figuratively.
1.14what is essential, or needful, in the case of the animal, is food—الأَصْلُ فِى الحَيَوَانِ الغِذَآءُ
What is essential, requisite, or needful.
1.15
A primary, universal, or general rule, or canon.
1.16
An indication, an evidence, or a proof, in relation to that which is indicated, evidenced, or proved.
Qur’ānic occurrences أَصْل
14:24
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِSeest thou not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens,- of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition.
37:64
إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِىٓ أَصْلِ ٱلْجَحِيمِFor it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-Fire:
59:5
مَا قَطَعْتُم مِّن لِّينَةٍ أَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوهَا قَآئِمَةً عَلَىٰٓ أُصُولِهَا فَبِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِيُخْزِىَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَWhether ye cut down (O ye Muslim!) The tender palm-trees, or ye left them standing on their roots, it was by leave of Allah, and in order that He might cover with shame the rebellious transgresses.
Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.
Show Lane's original text
The lower, or lowest, part of a thing; [i. e. its root, bottom, or foot;] (M, Msb, K;) as also يَأْصُولٌ : (M, K:) so of a mountain: and of a wall; (TA;) i. e. its foundation, or base: (Msb:) and of a tree [or plant]; (TA;) i. e. [its stem, or trunk, or stock, or] the part from which the branches are broken off: (TA in art. كسر :) [and also its root, or foot; for] the سَاق of a tree is said to be the part between its أَصْل and the place where its branches shoot out: (TA in art. سوق :) [and a stump of a tree: and hence, a block of wood: (see exs. voce نَقِيرٌ :)] pl. أُصُولٌ (S, M, Msb, K) and [pl. of pauc.] آصُلٌ : (AHn, K:) [ISd says that] the former is its only pl.: (M:) [but] the latter pl. occurs in a verse of Lebeed, (which see below,) as cited by AHn. (TA.) You say, قَعَدَ فِى أَصْلِ جَبَلِ He sat upon, or at, the lowest part [&c.] of the mountain; and فِى أَصْلِ الحَائِطِ at the lowest part [&c.] of the wall. (TA.) And قَلَعَهُ مِنْ أَصْلِهِ [He pulled it up, or out, or off, from its root, or foundation, or lowest part]; and بأُصُولِهِ [with its roots, or foundations, or lowest parts; both meaning, utterly, entirely, or altogether]. (TA in explanation of استأصلهُ , q. v.) And قَلَعَ أَصْلَ الشَّجَرَةِ He pulled up, or out, the lowest part, [or stem or stock or root or foot or stump,] of the tree. (TA.) Lebeed says, [of a wild cow,] 1 [She enters into the midst of the stems of trees with high branches, apart from others, i. e. from other trees, in the hinder parts of sand-hills, the fine loose sand thereof inclining upon her]: (AHn, TA:) but as some relate it, أَصْلًا قَالِصًا . (TA. [See EM, p. 161.]) تَجْتَافُ آصُلَ قَالِصٍ مُتَنَبِّذٍ | بِعُجُوبِ أَنْقَآءٍ يَمِيلُ هَيَامُهَا A thing upon which another thing is built or founded [either properly or tropically]: (KT, Kull p. 50, TA:) the foundation, or basis, of a thing, [either properly or tropically,] which being imagined to be taken away, or abstracted, by its being taken away, or abstracted, the rest thereof becomes also taken away, or abstracted: (Er-Rághib, TA:) that upon which the existence of anything rests [or depends]; so the father is اصل to the offspring, and the river is اصل to the streamlet that branches off from it: (Msb:) or a thing upon which another thing depends as a branch; as the father in relation to the son: (Kull:) [i. e. the origin, source, beginning, or commencement, of a thing: the origin, original, root, race, or stock, from which a man springs. Hence شَىْءٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ A thing having root, or a foundation; and consequently, having rootedness, fixedness, im- mobility, stability, or permanence; rooted, fixed, immoveable, stable, or permanent. Whence,] مَالٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ , (Mgh voce عَقَارٌ ,) and مِلْكٌ ثَابِتٌ لَهُ أَصْلٌ , (Msb in explanation of that word,) and مَا لَهُ أَصْلٌ , (KT in explanation of the same,) [Real, or immoveable, property;] property such as consists in a house or land yielding a revenue; (Mgh;) or such as a house and palm-trees; (Msb;) or such as land and a house. (KT.) [Hence, also, أَصْلٌ مَالٍ signifying A source of wealth or profit; a stock, fund, capital, or principal. You say,] اِتَّخَذْتُهُ لِنَفْسِى أَصْلَ مَالٍلِلنَّسْلِ لَا لِلِتِّجَارَةِ [I took it for myself as a source of wealth or profit, for breeding, not for traffic]. (Mgh in art. قنو .) You say also, بَاعَ أَصْلَ أَرْضِهِ [meaning He sold the fundamental property, i. e. the property itself, of his land]. (S voce عِكْرٌ .) [See also an ex. in conjugation 4 in art. بقَى : and another in the first paragraph of art. حبس .] And أَخَذَهُ بِأَصْلِهِ [He took it as it were with its root, or the like; meaning, entirely]. (K. [See أَصِيلَةٌ .]) And قَطَعَ أَصْلَهُمْ [He cut off their root, race, or stock; i. e. he extirpated them]. (M.) And فُلَانٌ فِى أَصْلِ صِدْقِ , (S and L in art. ضنأ ,) and فِى أَصْلِ سُوْءٍ , (L ibid.,) Such a one is of an excel-lent origin, or race, or stock, (S, L,) and of a bad origin, or race, or stock; (L;) اصل being here syn. with ضِنْء (S, L) and مَعْدِن . (S.) And فُلَانٌ فِى أَصْلِ الكَرَمِ Such a one is of [a race] the source of generosity, or nobleness; اصل being here syn. with بُؤْبُؤ . (S in art. بأ .) And لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ وَ لَا فَصْلَ He has no حَسَب [i. e. grounds of pretension to respect or honour; or rank, or nobility, or the like]; nor tongue [i. e. eloquence]: (Ks, S, O, Msb:) or he has no intellect, (IAar, Msb, El-Munáwee,) nor eloquence: (El-Munáwee, TA:) or he has no lineage, nor tongue: (L:) or he has no father, nor child: (Kull p. 53:) [or he has no known stock nor branch; for] فَصْلٌ is the contr. of أَصْلٌ , and in relationship signifies a branch. (Msb in art. فصل .) You say also, مَا فَعَلْتُهُ أَصْلًا , meaning I have not done it ever; and I will not do it ever; the last word being in the accus. case as an adverbial noun; i. e. I have not done it at any time; and I will not do it at any time. (Msb, El-Munáwee, TA.) [It also signifies The original, or elemental, matter, material, substance, or part, of a thing; syn. with عُنْصُرٌ ;] that from which a thing is taken [or made]. (KT voce دَاخِلٌ .) [The fundamental, or essential, part of a thing. Hence, sing. of أُصُولٌ as signifying The fundamentals, fundamental articles or dogmas, principles, elements, or rudiments, of a science &c. Whence,] عِلْمُ الأُصُولِ , (TA,) [meaning] عِلْمُ أُصُولِ الدِّينِ [The science of the fundamentals, fundamental articles or dogmas, or principles, of religion; the science of theology, or divinity; according to the system of the Muslims, as distinguished from that of the philosophers;] the science of the articles, or tenets, of belief; also called الفِقْهُ الأَكْبَرُ ; (Kull. voce فِقْه ;) and [more commonly] عِلْمُ الكَلَامِ . (Hájjee Khaleefeh.) [See also 2.] A radical (as opposed to an augmentative) letter; as being an essential element of a word. (The Lexicons passim.) The original form of a word. (The same passim.) The original, or primary, signification of a word. (The same passim.) An original copy of a book: and a copy of a book from which one quotes, or transcribes, any portion. (TA, &c., passim.) [The original, or primary, state, or condition: or] the old state, or condition. (Kull p. 50.) You say, الأَصْلُ فِى الأَشْيَآءِ الإِبَاحَةُ وَ الطَّهَارَةُ The old state, or condition, of things is that of being allowable, or lawful, and that of being pure, or clean. (Kull ubi suprà.) And رَجَعَتْ إِلَى أَصْلِهَا She returned, or reverted, [to her original, or old, state, or condition; or to her natural disposition;] to a natural disposition which she had relinquished. (S voce عِتْرٌ .) [The utmost point, or degree, to which a person, or thing, can go, or be brought or reduced: and, app., the utmost that one can do. Hence the saying,] لَأَضْطَرَّنَّكَ إِلَى أَصْلِكَ [I will assuredly impel thee, or drive thee, against thy will, to the utmost point to which thou canst go, or be brought or reduced: or, constrain thee to do thine utmost]. (IAar in L, art. قح [where it is given in explanation of the phrases لَأَضْطَرَّنَّكَ and قُحَاحِكَ ; and so in the T in art. تر in explanation of the former of these two phrases; which is said in the M, in art. تر , to mean I will assuredly make thee to have recourse to thine utmost effort, or endeavour; and in the L in art. قح this is given as another explanation of the latter of the same two phrases. See also the saying, لَأُلْجِئَنَّكَ إِلَى قُرِّ قَرَارِكَ , explained voce قَرَارٌ .]) [That by being which a thing is what it is, or in being which it consists; or its ultimate constituent; syn. حَقِيقَةٌ ; a meaning well known; and indicated, in the A and TA, by the coupling of حَقِيقَة with أَصْل , evidently as an explicative adjunct.] [The prime of a thing; the principal, purest, best, or choicest, part thereof; what is, or constitutes, the most essential part thereof; its very essence. Hence,] أَصْلُ دَارٍ [The principal part of a country]; (As, S, Msb, K, voce عَقْرٌ ;) [which is] the place where the people dwell, or abide. (As and S ibid. [See عَقْرٌ .]) And أَصْلٌ قَوْمٍ [The principal place of abode of a people]. (S and K voce بَيْضَةٌ . [See this word.]) And هُوَ فِى أَصْلِ قَوْمِهِ He is of the prime, or of the purest in race, the best, or the choicest, of his people; i. q. صُيَّابَتِهِمْ , and صُيَّابِهِمْ . (TA in art. صيب .) What is most fit, or proper: as when one says, الأَصْلُ فِى الإِنْسَانِ العِلْمُ [What is most fit, or proper, in man, is knowledge]; i. e., knowledge is more fit, or proper, than ignorance: and الأَصْلُ فِى المُبْتَدَإِ التَّقْدِيمُ What is [most] fit, or proper, in the case of the inchoative, is the putting [it] before [the enunciative], whenever there is no obstacle. (Kull p.50.) What is preponderant in relation to what is preponderated: as, in language, the word used in its proper sense [in relation to that used in a tropical sense]. (Kull ibid.) What is [essential, or] requisite, or needful: as when one says الأَصْلُ فِى الحَيَوَانِ الغِذَآءُ [What is essential, or requisite, or needful, in the case of the animal, is food]. (Kull ibid.) A [primary, or] universal, or general, rule, or canon. (Kull ibid.) An indication, an evidence, or a proof, in relation to that which is indicated, or evidenced, or proved. (Kull ibid.)