Core sense — where, at the place where; wherever; whengenerated
1God is knowing: He knows where to bestow his apostolic commissions—اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَاتِهِ
Indeclinable, ending in ḍamm, as being likened to final words [such as قَبْلُ and بَعْدُ ending a proposition], because it does not regularly occur except prefixed to a proposition; for being prefixed to a proposition is like not being prefixed to anything, since the mark of being prefixed, the sign of the genitive case, does not appear.
There is also حَيْثَ, likewise indeclinable, with fatḥ, to make the pronunciation easier, because ḍamm with ى is thought hard to pronounce; and حَيْثِ with kesr, by the general rule that prevents two sākin letters coming together; and in the same way حَوْثُ and حَوْثَ and حَوْثِ.
Of these forms, حوث is said to be the original, though حَيْثُ is purer than حَوْثُ and is the form used in the Qur'ān. But some of the Arabs make حيث declinable.
It is an adverbial noun of place, a vague one, signifying where, like حِينَ with respect to time; or it denotes place, by general consent. According to Akh it sometimes denotes time, signifying when, as in this verse, which is the strongest evidence for that use:
shāhid 1حَيْثَمَا تَسْتَقِمْ يُقَدِّرْ لَكَ ٱللّٰهُ نَجَاحًا فِى غَابِرِ الأَزْمَانِ
[Whenever you pursue a right course, God will decree you success in the time to come].
In most instances it stands in the place of an accusative, as an adverbial noun of place, or of a genitive governed by مِنْ, and sometimes by another preposition, as in the saying of Zuheyr:
shāhid 2لَدَى حَيْثُ أَلْقَتْ رَحْلَهَاأُمُّ قَشْعَمِ
[At the place where Calamity, or Fate, has set down her saddle, that is, made her abode].
It sometimes occurs as an objective complement, as it is said to do here [Qur'ān 6:124], يَعْلَمُ being suppressed, as implied by أَعْلَمُ; or أَعْلَمُ may be rendered by عَالِمٌ, and so may govern the accusative case.
I will stand where Zeyd stands—أَقُومُ حَيْثُ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ
where you will be, I will be—حَيْثُ تَكُونُ أَكُونُ
I sat where I saw Zeyd—جَلَسْتُ حَيْثُ زَيْدًا أَرَاهُ
go where you want—اذْهَبْ حَيْثُ شئْتَ
By rule it is in every instance prefixed to a proposition, nominal or verbal, but in most cases verbal.
The accusative is preferred in an instance like this.
Cited in art. حَين.
You should not say حَيْثُ زَيْدٌ by itself; or it occurs prefixed to a single word in poetry, as in the saying:
shāhid 3وَنَطْعُنُهُمْ تَحْتَ الكُلَى بَعْدَ ضَرْبِهِمْبِبِيضِ المَوَاضِى حَيْثُ لَىِّ العَمَائِمِ
[And we pierce them beneath the kidneys, after smiting them, with the sharp swords, where the turbans are wound]. But this is irregular, though Ks holds it to be regular.
Lh relates, on the authority of Ks, that some make حيث govern a noun in the genitive case, as in the saying:
shāhid 4أَمَا تَرَى حَيْثُ سُهَيْلٍ طَالِعَا
[Do you not see where Canopus is, rising?] But he says that this is not of respectable authority. Some write حَيْثَ سُهَيْلٍ, and some حَيْثُ سُهَيْلٌ, which is the common reading, سهيل being a mubtadaʾ and the khabar, مَوْجُودٌ, being suppressed.
Abu-l-Fet-h says that whoever prefixes حيث to a single word makes it declinable.
stand where Zeyd stands—قُمْ حَيْثَ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ
According to Fei, Benoo-Temeem say حَيْثَ when it stands in the place of an accusative, as in the phrase:
from where they do not know—مِنْ حَيْثَ لَايَعْلَمُونَ
Ks says: I have heard among Benoo-Temeem, of Benoo-Yarbooa and Tuheiyeh, those who say حَيْثَ in every case — where it stands in the place of a genitive, of an accusative, and of a nominative — saying:
where we met—حَيْثَ ٱلْتَقَيْنَا
He says also: I have heard some of Benu-l-Hárith-Ibn-Asad-Ibn-El-Hárith-Ibn-Thaalabeh, and all Benoo-Fak'as, say حَيْثِ when it stands in the place of a genitive, and حَيْثَ when it stands in the place of an accusative, saying مِنْ حَيْثِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ and حَيْثَ ٱلْتَقَيْنَا.
sit where Zeyd is sitting—اِجْلِسْ حَيْثُ إِنَّ زَيْدًا جَالِسٌ
Sometimes the proposition after حيث begins with إِنَّ, as here.
Qur’ān 6:124 approximate — somewhere between 6:105 and 6:125 Lane cites “Kur vi. 124”
Qur’ān 6:124 the verse Lane’s citation points to, and it uses this root
وَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ قَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ رُسُلُ ٱللَّهِ ۘ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُۥ ۗ سَيُصِيبُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ صَغَارٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَمْكُرُونَWhen there comes to them a sign (from Allah), They say: "We shall not believe until we receive one (exactly) like those received by Allah's messengers." Allah knoweth best where (and how) to carry out His mission. Soon will the wicked be overtaken by humiliation before Allah, and a severe punishment, for all their plots.Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’ān (1934)
1.1where 'Abd-Allah is sitting, there Zeyd is standing—حَيْثُ عَبْدُ ٱللّٰهِ قَاعِدٌ زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ
It sometimes takes in the meanings of two adverbial nouns of place.
1.2wherever you sit, I will sit—حَيْثُمَا تَجْلِسْ أَجْلِسْ
The restrictive مَا is sometimes added to it, and then it carries a conditional meaning, signifying wherever, or wheresoever, and, according to Akh, whenever, or whensoever; it also puts two verbs in the majzūm form, as here and in the first of the verses quoted above.
It is not properly used as a conditional without ما, though it sometimes is so used.
1.3as to, or in respect of, the word and the meaning—مِنْ حَيْثُ اللَّفْظِ وَالمَعْنَى
[It is also used, in scientific and other post-classical works, in senses different from those explained above. Thus مِنْ حَيْثُ is used to signify: as to, or in respect of.]
as, or considered as, such, absolutely, or abstractedly—مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ
as, or considered as, such, absolutely, or abstractedly—مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ هُوَ
man, as, or considered as, man, absolutely, or abstractedly—الإِنْسَانُ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ إِنْسَانٌ
man, considered merely as being healthy and ceasing to be healthy, is the object of therapeutics—الإِنْسَانُ مِنْ حَيْثُ إِنَّهُ يَصِحُّ وَتَزُولُ عَنْهُ السِّحَّةُ مَوْضُوعُ الطِّبِّ
fire, as, or since, or because, it is hot, heats water—النَّارُ مِنْ حَيْثُ إِنَّهَا حَارَّةٌ تُسَخِّنُ المَآءَ
It also means: as, or considered as, absolutely, or abstractedly.
And: as, meaning considered merely or only or simply as.
And: as, meaning since, or because.
بِحَيْثُ is also commonly used in this sense.
And, correctly, it means: so that; so as that; in such a state, or condition, that. It is often synonymous with حَتَّى.
Qur’ānic occurrences حَيْث 4 shown of 28
7:182
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَThose who reject Our signs, We shall gradually visit with punishment, in ways they perceive not;
38:36
فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ ٱلرِّيحَ تَجْرِى بِأَمْرِهِۦ رُخَآءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَThen We subjected the wind to his power, to flow gently to his order, Whithersoever he willed,-
39:25
كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَThose before them (also) rejected (revelation), and so the Punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive.
68:44
فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَThen leave Me alone with such as reject this Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not.
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
, (S, Msb, Mughnee, K,) indecl., (S, Msb,) with damm for its termination, (S, Msb, Mughnee,) as being likened to final words [such as قَبْلُ and بَعْدُ ending a proposition], (S, Mughnee,) because it does not [regularly] occur otherwise than prefixed to a proposition, (S,) for the being prefixed to a proposition is like the not being prefixed to anything, as the consequence of being prefixed, which is the sign of the gen. case, is not apparent: (Mughnee:) and حَيْثَ , (S, Mughnee, K,) also indecl., (S,) with fet-h, (S, Mughnee,) to render the pronunciation more easy, (Mughnee,) because damm with ى is deemed difficult to pronounce: (S:) and حَيْثِ , (Mughnee, K,) with kesr, accord. to the general rule observed to prevent the concurrence of two quiescent letters: (Mughnee:) and in like manner, حَوْثُ and حَوْثَ and حَوْثِ : (Mughnee, TA:) of which forms, حوث is asserted to be the original; (L;) though حَيْثُ is more chaste than حَوْثُ , and is the form used in the Kur-án: (Az and TA in art. حوث :) but some of the Arabs make حيث decl.: (Mughnee:) it is an adverbial noun of place, (S, Msb,) a vague adverbial noun of place, (L,) [signifying Where,] like حِينَ with respect to time: (S, K:) or it is a denotative of place, by general consent: but accord. to Akh it sometimes occurs as denoting time, [signifying when,] as in the following verse, (Mughnee, TA,) which is the strongest evidence of its use in this sense: (TA:) 1 [Whenever thou shalt pursue a right course, God will decree thee success in the time to come]: (Mughnee, TA:) but in most instances it occupies the place of an accus., as an adverbial noun of place; or of a gen., governed by مِنْ , and sometimes by another prep., as in the saying (of Zuheyr, TA in art. قشعم ), 2 [At the place where Calamity, or Fate, has put down her saddle, i. e., made her abode]: and sometimes it occurs as an objective complement, as it is said to do in اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَاتِهِ [in the Kur vi. 124], i. e. God is knowing: He knows where to bestow his apostolic commissions; يَعْلَمُ being suppressed, as implied by أَعْلَمُ ; or أَعْلَمُ may be rendered by عَالِمٌ , and so may govern the accus. case. (Mughnee.) Accord. to rule, (Mughnee,) in every instance, (S, Mughnee,) it is prefixed to a proposition, (S, Msb, Mughnee,) nominal, or verbal, but in most cases the latter; (Mughnee;) as in أَقُومُ حَيْثُ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ [I will stand where Zeyd shall stand]; and حَيْثُ تَكُونُ أَكُونُ [Where thou shalt be, I will be]; (S;) and جَلَسْتُ حَيْثُ زَيْدًا أَرَاهُ [I sat where I saw Zeyd], the accus. case being preferred in an instance like this; (Mughnee;) and اذْهَبْ حَيْثُ شئْتَ [Go thou whither thou wilt.] (Msb in art. حَين .) You should not say حَيْثُ زَيْدٌ [alone]: (S:) or it occurs prefixed to a single word in poetry; (Msb, Mughnee;) as in the saying, 3 [And we pierce them beneath the kidneys, after smiting them, with the sharp swords, where the turbans are wound]; (Mughnee;) but this is irregular; (Msb, Mughnee;) though Ks holds it to be regular. (Mughnee.) Lh relates, on the authority of Ks, that some make حيث to govern a noun in the gen. case, as in the saying, 4 [Seest thou not where Canopus is, rising?]: but he says that this is not of respectable authority: (L:) some write حَيْثَ سُهَيْلٍ : and some, حَيْثُ سُهَيْلٌ , [which is the common reading, سهيل being an inchoative, and] the enunciative, مَوْجُودٌ , being suppressed. (Mughnee.) Abu-l-Fet-h says that he who prefixes حيث to a single word makes it declinable. (Mughnee.) [Accord. to Fei,] BenooTemeem say حَيْثَ when it occupies the place of an accus., as in the phrase, قُمْ حَيْثَ يَقُومُ زَيْدٌ [Stand thou where Zeyd shall stand]. (Msb.) Ks says, I have heard among Benoo-Temeem, of Benoo-Yarbooa and Tuheiyeh, those who say حَيْثَ in every case, when it occupies the place of a gen., and that of an accus., and that of a nom.; saying مِنْ حَيْثَ لَايَعْلَمُونَ [Whence they know not], and حَيْثَ ٱلْتَقَيْنَا [Where we met]: and he says also, I have heard some of Benu-l-HárithIbn-Asad-Ibn-El-Hárith-Ibn-Thaalabeh, and all Benoo-Fak'as, say حَيْثِ when it occupies the place of a gen., and حَيْثَ when it occupies the place of an accus.; saying مِنْ حَيْثِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ , and حَيْثَ ٱلْتَقَيْنَا . (L.) Sometimes the proposition after حيث commences with إِنَّ , as in اِجْلِسْ حَيْثُ إِنَّ زَيْدًا جَالِسٌ [Sit thou where Zeyd is sitting]. (K in art. أن , and IAk p. 92.) حَيْثَمَا تَسْتَقِمْ يُقَدِّرْ لَكَ ٱللّٰ | هُ نَجَاحًا فِى غَابِرِ الأَزْمَانِ لَدَى حَيْثُ أَلْقَتْ رَحْلَهَاأُمُّ قَشْعَمِ وَنَطْعُنُهُمْ تَحْتَ الكُلَى بَعْدَ ضَرْبِهِمْ | بِبِيضِ المَوَاضِى حَيْثُ لَىِّ العَمَائِمِ أَمَا تَرَى حَيْثُ سُهَيْلٍ طَالِعَا It sometimes comprises the meanings of two adverbial nouns of place, as when you say, حَيْثُ عَبْدُ ٱللّٰهِ قَاعِدٌ زَيْدٌ قَائِمٌ [Where' Abd-Allah is sitting, there Zeyd is standing]. (AHeyth, L.) The restrictive مَا ( مَا كَافَّةٌ ) is sometimes affixed to it, and in this case it implies a conditional meaning, [signifying Wherever, or wheresoever, and, accord. to Akh, whenever, or whensoever,] (Mughnee, TA,) and renders two verbs mejzoom, (Mughnee,) as in the saying, حَيْثُمَا تَجْلِسْ أَجْلِسْ [Wherever thou shalt sit, I will sit], (S,) and in the first of the verses cited above: (Mughnee, TA:) it is not [properly, though it is sometimes improperly,] used as a conditional without ما . (S.) [It is also used, in scientific and other post-classical works, in senses different from those explained above. Thus, مِنْ حَيْثُ is used to signify As to, or in respect of: so in the phrase مِنْ حَيْثُ اللَّفْظِ وَالمَعْنَى As to, or in respect of, the word and the meaning. Also As, or considered as, absolutely, or abstractedly: so in the phrase مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ , or مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ هُوَ , As, or considered as, such, absolutely, or abstractedly; and الإِنْسَانُ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ إِنْسَانٌ Man, as, or considered as, man, absolutely, or abstractedly. And As, meaning considered merely or only or simply as: so in the saying, الإِنْسَانُ مِنْ حَيْثُ إِنَّهُ يَصِحُّ وَتَزُولُ عَنْهُ السِّحَّةُ مَوْضُوعُ الطِّبِّ Man, as, or considered merely or only or simply as, being healthy and ceasing to be healthy, is the object of therapeutics. And As, meaning since, or because: so in the saying, النَّارُ مِنْ حَيْثُ إِنَّهَا حَارَّةٌ تُسَخِّنُ المَآءَ Fire, as, or since, or because, it is hot, heats water. بِحَيْثُ is also vulgarly used in this sense. And correctly as meaning So that; so as that; in such a state, or condition, that: often syn. with حَتَّى .]