maṣdarسَعْىٌmuḍāriʿيَسْعَى تَسْعَى
Core sense — he walked or went quickly, he strove or laboured, he earnedgenerated
1.1the tripping to and fro between Es-Safā and El-Marwah—السَّعْىُ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالمَرْوَةِ
[and مَسْعًى, following general analogy].
he tripped along, or trudged along, in his walking—سَعَى فِى مَشْيِهِ
going along with vigour, and with lightness, activity, or quickness—السَّعْىُ
on this sense He walked, or went along, quickly. Er-Rāghib: this is the primary meaning, and from it come the following.
1.1.1
Said of a man: he ran; the same as عَدَا or جَرَى.
By the first of these is meant a pace below what is termed الشَّدُّ and above what is termed المَشْىُ.
1.1.2then repair to prayer to God—فَأْسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ ٱْللّٰهِ
The same as قَصَدَ: he repaired to, or went to, a thing.
In the Kur 62:9, explained as meaning فَاقْصِدُوا; or: then go to prayer. Ibn-Mesʿood read فَأْمْضُوا.
Or سَعَى إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ means he went to prayer in any manner, whether quickly or not.
1.1.3he manages, conducts, or superintends the affairs of his people, or party—هُوَ يَسْعَى عَلَى قَوْمِهِ
he worked, and earned, for them—سَعَى لَهُمْ
He was active, or busy and bustling, in procuring the means of subsistence; he strove, laboured, or exerted himself, in any affair, whether good or evil.
Er-Rāghib: it is mostly used of what is praiseworthy.
He occupied himself, according to his own judgment or free will, in any work or deed; he worked, or did, any deed, good or evil; he earned, or gained.
عَلَيْهِمْ is used in the same way.
the man earns for his belly and his pudendum—المَرْءُ يَسْعَى لِغَارَيْهِ
he laboured to earn the means of releasing himself—سَعَى المُكَاتِبُ فِى عِتْقِ رَقَبَتِهِ
A proverb.
Also فِى فَكِ رَقَبَتِهِ. Said of a slave who had made a contract with his master to pay him a certain sum for his emancipation.
The maṣdar of the verb so used is سعَايَةٌ, a term used when a slave emancipated in part and still in part in slavery labours and earns to complete his release.
there is nothing imputable to the man but what he has done—لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى
From the Kur 53:40.
and when he attained to working with him—فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ أْلسَّعْىَ
From the Kur 37:100; or: and when he was able to assist him in his working.
1.1.4he officiated in exacting, receiving, or collecting the poor-rate—سَعَى عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ
He superintended, managed, or conducted, in his own person, the collection of the poor-rates; he went to exact them and received them. The maṣdar in this case is also سِعَايَةٌ.
.
he exacted the poor-rate—سَعَى
Used transitively, without a preposition.
ʿAmr Ibn-ʿAddā says: [He exacted the poor-rate of a year, and left us no camels' fur or goats' hair: then how would it be if ʿAmr had exacted the poor-rate of two years?]
shāhidسَعَى عِقَالًا فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَنَا سَبَدًافَكَيْفَ لَوْ قَدْ سَعَى عَمْرٌو عِقَالَيْنِ
1.1.5I strove, or laboured, in respect of the affair of such a one—سَعَيْتُ فِى أَمْرِ فُلَانٍ
Said when one rectifies, redresses, or reforms the affair of such a one, or mars, vitiates, or perverts it, by his سَعْى, his striving or labouring.
and they who strive, or labour, in respect of our signs, to pervert their meaning—وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْا فِى آيَاتِنَا
In the Kur 22:50 and 34:5: they impugned the character of the signs, calling them enchantment, and poetry, and tales or fictions. Or the words mean: and they who strive to falsify, or nullify, our signs, that is, the Kur-án.
Qur’ān 22:49 approximate — somewhere between 22:36 and 22:78 Lane cites “Kur xxii. 50”
Qur’ān 22:51 located by this root inside the range Lane’s citation allows
وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْا۟ فِىٓ ءَايَـٰتِنَا مُعَـٰجِزِينَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ"But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them,- they will be Companions of the Fire."Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’ān (1934)
1.1.6he created, or excited, disorder or discord among them; he made mischief among them—سَعَى بَيْنَهُمْ
Also سَأَا, which here seems to be a dialectal variant of سَعَى.
he stirred up disorder among the people by calumnies, or slanders—سَعَى بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالنَّمَائِمِ
Or it may well be rendered: he busied himself among the people with spreading calumnies, or slanders. (In art. اكل and elsewhere.)
1.1.7figurative · مجازhe calumniated him, or slandered him—سَعَى
إِلَى الوَالِى: to the ruler, or magistrate. Maṣdar سَعِايَةٌ.
1.1.8she committed fornication, or prostituted herself—سَعَتْ
Said of a female slave..
See also Form 3.
1.2
سَاعَانِى فُلَانٌ فَسَعَيْتُهُ: see Form 3.
Qur’ānic occurrences Form 1 5 shown of 20
20:20
فَأَلْقَىٰهَا فَإِذَا هِىَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَىٰHe threw it, and behold! It was a snake, active in motion.
53:39
وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰThat man can have nothing but what he strives for;
79:22
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰFurther, he turned his back, striving hard (against Allah).
79:35
يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَا سَعَىٰThe Day when man shall remember (all) that he strove for,
80:8
وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَىٰBut as to him who came to thee striving earnestly,
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
, aor. يَسْعَى , inf. n. سَعْىٌ (S, Msb, K, &c.) [and مَسْعًى , agreeably with general analogy], He walked, went, or went along, (Er-Rághib, Msb, K, TA,) quickly: (Er-Rághib, Mgh, TA:) this, accord. to Er-Rághib, is the primary signification: and hence, السَّعْىُ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالمَرْوَةِ [The tripping to and fro between Es-Safà and ElMarweh]: (TA:) and سَعَى فِى مَشْيِهِ [app. meaning He tripped along, or he trudged along, in his walking]: (Msb:) [or] السَّعْىُ signifies the going along with vigorousness, and with lightness, activity, or quickness. (Ham p. 665.) He (a man, S) ran; syn. عَدَا ; (IAar, S, K, TA;) or جَرَى : by the former of which is meant [he went] a pace below what is termed الشَّدُّ and above what is termed المَشْىُ . (IAar, TA.) I. q. قَصَدَ [as meaning He repaired, or betook himself]. (K.) The saying, in the Kur [lxii. 9], فَأْسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ ٱْللّٰهِ is expl. as meaning فَاقْصِدُوا [Then repair ye to prayer to God]: (TA:) or then go ye ( فَأْمْضُوا ) to prayer [to God]: (Jel:) and Ibn-Mes'ood read فَأْمْضُوا . (TA.) Or سَعَى إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ means He went to prayer, in any manner [i. e. whether quickly or not]. (Msb.) He was active, or busy and bustling, in procuring the means of subsistence: (TA:) he strove, laboured, or exerted himself; employed himself vigorously, strenuously, or with energy; in any affair, whether good or evil; but mostly used in relation to what is praiseworthy, or praised: (Er-Rághib, TA:) he occupied himself according to his own judgment or discretion or free will, in any work, or deed: (Msb:) he worked, or wrought, or did, (S, Msb, K, TA,) any work, or deed, good or evil: (TA:) he earned, or gained. (S, K, TA.) One says, هُوَ يَسْعَى عَلَى قَوْمِهِ He manages, conducts, orders, regulates, or superintends, the affairs of his people, or party. (Ham p. 771, Msb. *) And سَعَى لَهُمْ and عَلَيْهِمْ He worked, or wrought, and earned, or gained, for them. (TA.) And المَرْءُ يَسْعَى لِغَارَيْهِ , a prove., meaning The man earns for his belly and his pudendum. (TA.) And سَعَى المُكَاتِبُ فِى عِتْقِ رَقَبَتِهِ , (S,) or فِى فَكِ رَقَبَتِهِ , i. e. [The slave who had made a contract with his master to pay him a certain sum for his emancipation] laboured to earn the means of releasing himself: (Msb:) the inf. n. of the verb thus used is سعَايَةٌ : (S, Msb:) and this term is employed when a slave emancipated in part, and in part retained in slavery, labours and earns for the completion of his release. (IAth, TA.) The saying, in the Kur [liii. 40], لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى means [There is nothing imputable to the man] but what he hath wrought, or done. (Msb.) And فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ أْلسَّعْىَ , in the same [xxxvii. 100], means And when he attained to working with him: or and when he was able to assist him in his working. (TA.) Also He superintended, managed, or conducted, in his own person, the collection of the poor-rates; (K, TA;) he went to exact them, and received them; (TA;) and the inf. n. in this case also is سِعَايَةٌ : (K, TA:) or سَعَى عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ , (S, Msb,) aor. يَسْعَى , inf. n. سَعْىٌ , (Msb,) he officiated in the exacting, or receiving, or collecting, of the poor-rate. (S, * Msb.) [And سَعَى is trans. without a prep. as meaning He exacted the poor-rate:] a poet says, (namely, 'Amr Ibn-'Addà, TA,) 1 [He exacted the poor-rate of a year, and left not to us camels' fur, or goats' hair: then how would be the case if 'Amr had exacted the poor-rate of two years?]. (S.) سَعَى عِقَالًا فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَنَا سَبَدًا | فَكَيْفَ لَوْ قَدْ سَعَى عَمْرٌو عِقَالَيْنِ سَعَيْتُ فِى أَمْرِ فُلَانٍ is said when one rectifies, redresses, or reforms, the affair of such a one, or mars, vitiates, or perverts it, by his سَعْى [or striving, or labouring; and may be rendered I strove, or laboured, in respect of the affair of such a one, either to rectify, redress, or reform, it, or to mar, vitiate, or pervert, it]: and وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْا فِى آيَاتِنَا , in the Kur xxii. 50 [and xxxiv. 5], means And they who strive, or labour, in respect of our signs, to mar, or vitiate, or pervert, their meaning, by impugning their character; seeing that they called them enchantment, and poetry, and tales, or legends, or fictions: (Ksh in xxii. 50:) or these words of the Kur mean and they who strive, or labour, to falsify, or nullify, our signs; i. e. the Kur-án. (Jel.) سَعَى بَيْنَهُمْ means He created, or excited, disorder, or discord, between them, or among them; made, or did, mischief between them, or among them; as also سَأَا , which is app., in this case, a dial. var. of سَعَى . (TA in art. سأو .) [Hence,] سَعَى بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالنَّمَائِمِ [He created, or excited, disorder, &c., among the people by calumnies, or slanders: or it may be well rendered he busied himself among the people with propagating calumnies, or slanders]. (S and O in art. اكل ; &c.) And سَعَى He calumniated him, or slandered him, (S, Msb, K, * TA,) إِلَى الوَالِى [to the ruler, or magistrate]; (S, Msb, K;) inf. n. سَعِايَةٌ . (TA.) سَعَتْ , said of a female slave, (K, TA,) aor. تَسْعَى , inf. n. سَعْىٌ , (TA,) She committed fornication, or prostituted herself. (K, TA.) [See also 3.] سَاعَانِى فُلَانٌ فَسَعَيْتُهُ : see 3.