Core sense — an affair, a business; a state or condition; a suture of the skull; a tear-channelgenerated
1Every day He is employing Himself in an affair of some kind—كُلَّ يَم ٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ
A thing, an affair, or a business — synonym أَمْرٌ and خَطْبٌ, in the same sense or in the one next following; a great thing or affair; state, condition, case, quality, or manner of being — synonym حَالٌ, which also covers property, or nature, and the importance attaching to a person or thing.
Plural شُؤُونٌ and شِئَانٌ, the latter mentioned by IJ on the authority of AAF; and شُونٌ occurs in poetry for the former of these, or as another plural, originally شُؤْنٌ, of the measure فُعْلٌ.
In the Qur'ān 55:29.
Explained as meaning that it is his business, or his property, مِنْ شَأْنِهِ, to make mighty one who is brought low and to bring low one who is mighty, to enrich the poor and to impoverish the rich; and no affair occupies him so as to divert him from another affair, لَا يَشْعَلُهُ شَأْنٌ عَنْ شَأْنٍ.
what is your affair? or what is your case?—مَا شَأْنُكَ
pursue your way, or course, or your affair—شَأْنَكَ
For اِشْأَنْ شَأْنَكَ, that is: pursue your course, or do what you do well, or keep to your affair, or the like. To this is often added وَمَا تُرِيدُ, meaning “and what you wish, or desire”.
it is of his business, or of his nature, to do such a thing—مِنْ شَأْنِهِ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ كَذَا
a man of easy nature—رَجُلٌ سَهْلُ الشَّأْنِ
A phrase occurring in the S and K in the article on هش.
great importance attaches to him, or to it—لَهُ شَأْنٌ
Sometimes meaning: he has a great thing or affair to perform or transact; but more commonly as glossed here. See also the last sense of form 1.
of great importance, rank, or dignity—عَظِيمُ الشَّأْنِ
Said of a grandee or a prince.
2
A suture of the skull: the place of junction of the قَبَائِل of the head — that is, the principal bones, namely the frontal, the occipital, and the two parietal bones.
Singular of شُؤُونٌ, which means the places of junction and of meeting of the قَبَائِل of the head; between every two of these قبائل is a شَأْن. It is fancifully said that the tears come from them.
The plural is also explained as the سَلَاسِل that unite the قبائل — sutures being likened to the سلاسل, the lines, of writing — by Lth, as the نَمَانِم of the skull, likewise sutures resembling lines of writing, between the قبائل; and by AHát, as the شُعَب, meaning serrated edges, that unite the قبائل of the head.
2.1
The channel by which the tears flow, or run, to the eye.
Plural, of paucity, أَشْؤُنٌ, and of multitude, شُؤُونٌ.
Perhaps so called because they were supposed to come from the sutures of the skull; but they may have been supposed to come from there because tears are called مَآءُ الشُّؤُونِ, as in a verse cited under رَسَمَ: that phrase may have been misunderstood as “the water of the sutures of the skull”, whereas it seems properly to mean “the water of the channels of the tears”.
It is said that the شُؤُون connect the قبائل of the head, explained above, to the eye.
Lth says they are the ducts, عُرُوق, of the tears from inside the head to the eye; and Th, that they are certain ducts, عروق, above the قبائل, which grow strong by degrees as a man advances in age — though it seems that Th has confused explanations of شؤون in two different senses.
According to ISk, or AA and others, the شَأْنَانِ are two ducts, عِرْقَانِ, descending from the upper part of the head to the eyebrows and then to the eyes.
2.2
The plural شُؤُونٌ is also explained as though it meant the tears themselves, in a phrase mentioned under ذَئِرٌ, on the authority of the K.
2.3figurative · مجاز — inferredthe effluvia of wine that creep in the veins of the body—شُؤُونٌ الخَمْرِ
The verb used of this creeping is مَا دَبَّ مِنَ الخَمْرِ.
2.4a vein of earth in a mountain, that is, a cleft in it in which palm-trees are planted—شَأْنٌ
Or a cleft in which trees of the kind called نَبْع grow; or one that produces plants, or herbage.
Plural شُؤُونٌ, said by ISd to mean lines, or streaks, in a mountain; or, as some say, cracks, or clefts. To these cracks, or clefts, the poet Keys Ibn-Kuráa likens clefts in the liver occasioned by love.
Qur’ānic occurrences شَأْن
10:61
وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُوا۟ مِنْهُ مِن قُرْءَانٍ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍIn whatever business thou mayest be, and whatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Qur'an,- and whatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing,- We are witnesses thereof when ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record.
24:62
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَإِذَا كَانُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرٍ جَامِعٍ لَّمْ يَذْهَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُوهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُونَكَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۚ فَإِذَا ٱسْتَـْٔذَنُوكَ لِبَعْضِ شَأْنِهِمْ فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌOnly those are believers, who believe in Allah and His Messenger: when they are with him on a matter requiring collective action, they do not depart until they have asked for his leave; those who ask for thy leave are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger; so when they ask for thy leave, for some business of theirs, give leave to those of them whom thou wilt, and ask Allah for their forgiveness: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
55:29
يَسْـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍOf Him seeks (its need) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)!
80:37
لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِEach one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others.
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
A thing, an affair, or a business; syn. أَمْرٌ ; (S, L, K;) and خَطْبٌ [in the same sense, or in that next following]: (L, K:) a great thing or affair: (Har p. 274:) state, condition, case, quality, or manner of being; syn. حَالٌ : (S, L:) [also property, or nature: and importance attaching to a person or thing:] pl. شُؤُونٌ and شِئَانٌ , (L, K,) the latter mentioned by IJ on the authority of AAF, and شُونٌ occurs in poetry for the former of these, or as another pl. originally شُؤْنٌ , of the measure فُعْلٌ . (L.) It is said in the Kur [lv. 29], كُلَّ يَم ٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ [Every day He is employing Himself in an affair of some kind]: expl. as meaning that, of his business ( مِنْ شَأْنِهِ [which may also be rendered “ of his property ”]) it is to render mighty one who is brought low, and to bring low one who is mighty, and to enrich one who is poor, and to impoverish one who is rich; and no affair occupies him so as to divert him from an affair ( لَا يَشْعَلُهُ شَأْنٌ عَنْ شَأْنٍ ). (L.) [And one says, مَا شَأْنُكَ What is thy affair? or what is thy case? And شَأْنَكَ , for اِشْأَنْ شَأْنَكَ i. e. Pursue thy way or course, or thy affair; or do what thou dost well; or keep to thy affair: or the like: and to this is often added, وَمَا تُرِيدُ i. e. and what thou wilt, or wishest, or desirest. And مِنْ شَأْنِهِ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ كَذَا It is of his business, or of his property, or nature, to do, or that he should do, such a thing. And رَجُلٌ سَهْلُ الشَّأْنِ (a phrase occurring in the S and K in art. هش ) A man of easy nature. And لَهُ شَأْنٌ , sometimes meaning There is for him, or he has, a great thing or affair to perform or transact: but more commonly, great importance attaches to him, or to it: see 1, last sentence. And a grandee, or a prince, is said to be عَظِيمُ الشَّأْنِ i. e. Of great importance or rank or dignity.] Also [A suture of the skull; i. e.] the place of junction of the قَبَائِل [or principal bones, namely, the frontal, occipital, and two parietal, bones,] of the head: (K:) sing. of شُؤُونٌ , (Mgh,) which signifies the places of junction, (As, S, Mgh, L,) and of meeting, (S, L,) of the قَبَائِل (As, S, Mgh, L) of the head; (S, L;) between every two of which قبائل is a شَأْن : (As, L:) [it is fancifully said that] from them come the tears: (As, S, L:) the pl. is also expl. as meaning the سَلَاسِل [i. e. sutures as being likened to the سلاسل (or lines) of writing] that unite the قبائل : by Lth, as the نَمَانِم [likewise meaning sutures resembling lines of writing] of the skull; between the قبائل : by AHát, as the شُعَب [meaning serrated edges] that unite the قبائل of the head. (L.) And The channel by which the tears flow, or run, to the eye: pl. [of pauc.] أَشْؤُنٌ and [of mult.] شُؤُونٌ : (L, K:) [perhaps thus called because supposed to come from the sutures of the skull: but they may have been supposed to come thence because tears are called مَآءُ الشُّؤُونِ (as in a verse cited voce رَسَمَ ); for this phrase may have been misunderstood as signifying “ the water of the sutures of the skull, ” whereas it seems to be properly rendered “ the water of the channels of the tears: ”] it is said that the شُؤُون connect the قبائل of the head [expl. above] to the eye: Lth says that they are the ducts ( عُرُوق ) of the tears from [the interior of] the head to the eye: and Th, that they are certain ducts ( عروق ) above the قبائل , which become strong by degrees as the man advances in age: (L: [but it seems that Th has confounded explanations of شؤون in two different senses:]) accord. to ISk, (S,) or AA and others, (L,) the شَأْنَانِ are two ducts ( عِرْقَانِ ) descending from [the upper part of] the head to the eyebrows and then to the eyes. (S, L.) [The pl. شُؤُونٌ is also expl. as though meaning Tears themselves, in a phrase mentioned voce ذَئِرٌ (q. v.), on the authority of the K.] And شُؤُونٌ الخَمْرِ means The effluvia of wine that creep ( مَا دَبَّ مِنَ الخَمْرِ ) in the veins of the body. (L.) شَأْنٌ also signifies A vein of earth in a mountain, (L, K,) i. e. a cleft therein, (L,) in which palm-trees are planted; (L, K;) or in which trees of the kind called نَبْع grow; or that produces plants, or herbage: (L:) pl. شُؤُونٌ : (L, K:) which is said by ISd to mean lines, or streaks, in a mountain: or, as some say, cracks, or clefts: and to these cracks, or clefts, the poet Keys Ibn-Kuráa likens [imaginary] clefts in the liver, occasioned by love. (L.)