Core sense — a nail; a talon, or claw; a black sweet-smelling substancegenerated
1a certain well-known thing; [i.e. a nail; and a talon, or claw]—ظُفُرٌ
This is the most chaste form, and the form adopted by the seven readers in the Qur'ān 6:147; the headword is a contraction of it, [but is the most common form.]
Also ظِفْرٌ, which is irregular and disallowed by IDrd; and ظِفِرٌ, also irregular; and أُظْفُورٌ, which is wrongly given in the S as a plural of ظُفْرٌ by a slip of the pen. Or, according to MF, most copies of the S say (though in fact they do not) that ظُفْرٌ has for its plural أَظْفَارٌ, and أُظْفُورٌ has for its plural أَظَافِيرُ; and this, being the reading in most copies of the S seen by MF, is probably what J wrote.
It belongs to a human being and to others: to the beasts and birds mentioned below, and to every ruminant, as synonymous with ظِلْفٌ [i.e. a cloven hoof]; so in the article ظلف.
Or to a beast, or bird, that does not prey, as well as to man; that of one that preys is termed مِخْلَبٌ, which today is applied also to the spur of a cock. It is of the masculine gender.
The plural of ظُفْرٌ is أَظْفَارٌ, and sometimes أَظْفُرٌ [both plurals of paucity, though the former is used as a plural of multitude too]; and of أُظْفُورٌ, or of أَظْفَارٌ and therefore a plural of a plural, أَظَافِيرُ.
That أُظْفُورٌ is a singular [and not like أُبْقُورٌ, which is an ism jamʿ] is shown by the saying of a poet: [What is between her first morsel, when it descends into her throat, and another that follows it, is the measure of a finger-nail]
shāhidمَا بَيْنَ لُقْمَتِهَا الأُولَى إِذَا ٱنْحَدَرَتْوَبَيْنَ أُخْرَى تَلِيهَا قِيسُ أُظْفُورِ
, or قِيدُ أُظْفُورِ; or, as some relate it, إِذَا ٱزْدَرَدَتْ [when she swallows]; and it is cited in this way in the T and in the “Basáïr” of the author of the K.
The phrase كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ in the Qur'ān 6:147 includes camels and ostriches — in the K, الأَنْعَام is wrongly put for النَّعَام — because their مَنَاسِم are like أَظْفَار to them.
I'Ab says that it includes camels, and also ostriches, because they have nails like camels; or any bird that has a مِخْلَب, and any beast that has a solid hoof; or, according to Mujáhid and Katádeh, every beast and bird that has not divided toes, such as the camel, the ostrich, the goose and the duck.
Qur’ān 6:147 approximate — somewhere between 6:125 and 6:151 Lane cites “Kur vi. 147”
Qur’ān 6:147 approximate — somewhere between 6:125 and 6:151 Lane cites “Kur vi. 147”
Qur’ān 6:146 located by this root inside the range Lane’s citation allows
وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ ۖ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ وَٱلْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَآ إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَآ أَوِ ٱلْحَوَايَآ أَوْ مَا ٱخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَـٰهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَـٰدِقُونَFor those who followed the Jewish Law, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them that fat of the ox and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs or their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone: this in recompense for their wilful disobedience: for We are true (in Our ordinances).Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’ān (1934)
1.1figurative · مجاز — inferredcertain small stars; certain stars in front of النَّسْر—الأَظْفَارُ
It means النَّسْر الوَاقِع, that is, the star α of Lyra; apparently so called because these stars are regarded as the talons of the نسر.
Or a certain dim star in الشَّلْيَاق [i.e. the constellation Lyra].
1.2figurative · مجازhe is one who does not slay or wound an enemy—إِنَّهُ لَكَلِيلُ الظُّفْرِ
Or إِنَّهُ لَمَقْلُومُ الظُّفْرِ.
he is one who does little harm to people—إِنَّهُ مَقْلُومُ الظُّفْرِ عَنْ أَذَى النَّاسِ
he is weak, or abject, or despicable; said of a man—هُوَ كَلِيلُ الظُّفْرِ
Or so مُقَلَّمُ الظُّفْرِ; in the TA, as from the K, مُقَلَّمُ الأَظْفَارِ. Or: he is sick, or diseased.
in him is an evil result of a disease that has clung to him—بِهِ ظُفْرٌ مِنْ مَرَضٍ
In the A this comes immediately after what precedes it here, and is immediately followed by the words وَذُبَابٌ ظَفِرَ مِنْهُ, which seem to be added by way of explanation; but ظَفِرَ مِنْهُ here appears to be a mistake for ظَفَّرَ فِيهِ, and the rendering assumes that it is.
1.3figurative · مجازI wounded him much, from his nail to the edge of his eyelid—قَرَّحْتُهُ مِنْ ظُفْرِهِ إِلَى شُفْرِهِ
Figurative; apparently meaning from toe to head, as one says مِنْ قَرْنِهِ.
1.4figurative · مجازthere is not anyone in the house—مَا بَالدَّارِ ظُفْرٌ
Or ما بالدار ظُفْرٌ وَلَا شُفْرٌ.
the year of drought left nothing—مَا تَرَكَتِ السَّنَةُ ظُفْرًا وَلَا شُفْرًا
Sometimes they said شَفْرًا, with fetḥ, and in that case they said ظَفْرًا for assimilation; so in the article شفر.
I saw him himself—رَأَيْتُهُ بِظُفْرِهِ
1.5figurative · مجاز — inferreda certain plant, resembling what is properly so called [i.e. the talon of the vulture]—ظُفْرُ النَّسْرِ
another plant—ظُفْرُ القِطِّ
1.6figurative · مجازa certain sweet-smelling substance, black, resembling a man's nail—الظُّفْرُ
Or الأَظْفَارُ. According to the author of the 'Eyn this word in this sense has no singular, but sometimes one said أَظْفَارَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ, which is not allowable by rule, and made its plural أَظَافِيرُ — mentioned in the M as a plural of الظُّفْرُ — though, if a singular were formed from it, it should be ظُفْرٌ.
That is, unguis odoratus, called today ظُفْرُ الطِّيبِ and ظُفْرُ العِفْرِيتِ, or ungues odorati. It resembles a ظُفْر [or nail] of a man pulled out from the root — in the M, O and K مُقْتُلَف, and in the T مُقَلَّف; in the M the words rendered “pulled out” and what follows come immediately after the words ضَرْبٌ مِنَ العِطْرِ أَسْوَدُ — or resembling the أَظْفَار [or finger-nails], and it is put into دُخْتَة [or incense].
According to the K, ظَفَارٌ, sometimes imperfectly declined, that is ظَفَارُ, means the same; but this is very strange, for SM says that he consulted the M, T, O and other lexicons without finding any term used in this sense but الأَظْفَارُ or الظُّفْرُ.
According to the “Minháj”, أَظْفَارُ الطِّيبِ are pieces of a sweet-smelling substance resembling the أَظْفَار [properly so called]; the Arabic translator of Dioscorides says they are of the nature of the shards of shells [so I render مِنْ جِنْسِ أَخْزَافِ الصَّدَفِ, taking اخزاف to be used figuratively here], found in an island of the Sea of India where the سُنْبُل [or spikenard] grows. One sort is called قُلْزُمِىّ [i.e. of El-Kulzum], and another بَابِلِىّ [i.e. of Bábil], black and small; and the best is that which inclines to whiteness, which drifts to El-Yemen and El-Bahreyn.
Forskål, in his “Descr. Animalium” &c., page 143, mentions among the animal substances of the materia medica of Cairo: “Unguis odoratus. (Opercula Cochl.) Dofr el afrît, ضفر العفريت i.e. unguis dæmonis. E Mochha per Sués. Arabes etiam afferunt. Nigritis fumigatorium est.” Here ضفر is written, following the usual vulgar pronunciation, for ظُفْر. See also قُسْطٌ.
1.7figurative · مجاز — inferredlarge قِرْدَان [or ticks]—أَظْفَارٌ
1.8figurative · مجاز — inferred
Also the creased parts of a skin.
1.9figurative · مجازof a bow: the part of the curved end beyond where the string is tied, up to the tip—ظُفْر
Or the end of the bow; or each end of the bow, beyond the place where the string is tied.
Plural ظِفَرَةٌ.
Show Lane's original text
(T, S, M, A, Msb, K, &c.) and ظُفُرٌ , (Msb, K,) which latter is the most chaste form, and the form adopted by the seven readers in the Kur vi. 147, and the former is a contraction of this, [but is the most common form,] (Msb,) and ظِفْرٌ , which is extr., (M, Msb, K,) and disallowed by IDrd, (O,) and ظِفِرٌ , which is also extr., (Msb,) and أُظْفُورٌ , (T, M, A, Msb, K,) which is erroneously mentioned in the S as a pl. of ظُفْرٌ , (Sgh, Msb, K,) by an anticipation of the pen; (Msb;) or, accord. to MF, it si said in most of the copies of the S, (but this is not the case,) ظُفْرٌ has for its pl. أَظْفَارٌ ; and أُظْفُورٌ [has for its pl.] أَظَافِيرُ ; (TA;) [and this, being the reading in most of the copies of the S seen by MF, is probably what J wrote;] A certain wellknown thing; (M;) [i. e. a nail; and a talon, or claw;] pertaining to a human being, (M, Ibn-Es-Seed, Msb, K,) and to others; (M, K;) to the beasts and birds mentioned in the next following sentence, [as well as to man,] accord. to the authorities there cited; (TA;) and to every ruminant, as syn. with ظِلْفٌ [i. e. a cloven hoof]: (T and M in art. ظلف :) or to a beast, or bird, that does not prey; [as well as to man;] that of such as preys being termed مِخْلَبٌ : (M:) [and in the present day applied also to the spur of a cock:] it is of the masc. gender: (Lh, M, Msb:) the pl. (of ظُفْرٌ , S, M, Msb, &c.) is أَظْفَارٌ (S, M, Msb, K, &c.) and sometimes أَظْفُرٌ , (Msb,) [both of which are pls. of pauc., but the former is used as a pl. of mult. also,]. and (of أُظْفُورٌ , M, Msb, or of أَظْفَارٌ , and therefore a pl. pl., M) أَظَافِيرُ : (M, Msb, K:) that أُظْفُورٌ is a sing. [and not like أُبْقُورٌ which is a quasi-pl. n.] is shown by the saying of a poet, 1 (K) or قِيدُ أُظْفُورِ (Msb) [i. e. What is between her first morsel, when it descends into her throat, and another that follows it, is the measure of a finger-nail]: or, as some relate it, إِذَا ٱزْدَرَدَتْ [when she swallows]; and it is thus cited [in the T and] in the “ Basáïr ” of the author of the K. (TA.) The phrase كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ in the Kur vi. 147 comprises camels and ostriches; (so in the T and TS and L; but in the K, الأَنْعَام is erroneously put for النَّعَام ; TA;) because their مَنَاسِم are like أَظْفَار to them: (T, K, TA:) I'Ab says that it comprises camels; and also ostriches, because they have nails like camels: or any bird that has a مِخْلَب , and any beast that has a solid hoof: or, accord. to Mujáhid and Katádeh, every beast and bird that has not divided toes; as the camel and ostrich and goose and duck. (TA.) مَا بَيْنَ لُقْمَتِهَا الأُولَى إِذَا ٱنْحَدَرَتْ | وَبَيْنَ أُخْرَى تَلِيهَا قِيسُ أُظْفُورِ [Hence,] الأَظْفَارُ is the name of Certain small stars; (S;) certain stars before النَّسْر [meaning النَّسْر الوَاقِع i. e. the star a of Lyra: app. because regarded as the talons of the نسر ]: (K:) or a certain dim star in الشَّلْيَاق [q. v., i. e. the constellation Lyra]. (Kzw.) [Hence also,] إِنَّهُ لَكَلِيلُ الظُّفْرِ , (T,) or إِنَّهُ لَمَقْلُومُ الظُّفْرِ , (TA,) Verily he is one who does not slay or wound an enemy: (T, TA:) and إِنَّهُ مَقْلُومُ الظُّفْرِ عَنْ أَذَى النَّاسِ Verily he is one who does little hurt to mankind. (T, A, TA.) And هُوَ كَلِيلُ الظُّفْرِ He is weak, or abject, or despicable; (T, S, K, TA;) said of a man; (K, TA;) or so مُقَلَّمُ الظُّفْرِ : (K: [in the TA, as from the K, مُقَلَّمُ الأَظْفَارِ :]) or he is sick, or diseased. (A.) And بِهِ ظُفْرٌ مِنْ مَرَضٍ [app. meaning In him is an evil result of a disease, that has clung to him]. (A, TA. [In the A, this immediately follows what here next precedes it; and is immediately followed by the words وَذُبَابٌ ظَفِرَ مِنْهُ , which seem to be added by way of explanation; thus in my copy; but I think that ظَفِرَ مِنْهُ here is a mistake for ظَفَّرَ فِيهِ , and have assumed this to be the case in rendering the phrase.]) And قَرَّحْتُهُ مِنْ ظُفْرِهِ إِلَى شُفْرِهِ [lit. I wounded him much, from his nail to the edge of his eyelid; but mentioned as tropical; app. meaning from toe to head]; like as one says, مِنْ قَرْنِهِ . (A.) And مَا بَالدَّارِ ظُفْرٌ , (K,) or ما بالدار ظُفْرٌ وَلَا شُفْرٌ , (A, O,) There is not in the house any one. (A, O, K.) And مَا تَرَكَتِ السَّنَةُ ظُفْرًا وَلَا شُفْرًا The year of drought left not anything: and sometimes they said شَفْرًا , with fet-h, and in this case they said ظَفْرًا , for assimilation. (A in art. شفر .) And رَأَيْتُهُ بِظُفْرِهِ I saw him himself. (O, K, TA.) ظُفْرُ النَّسْرِ is the name of A certain plant, (K, TA,) resembling what is [properly] thus termed [i. e. the talon of the vulture]. (TA.) And ظُفْرُ القِطِّ is the name of Another plant. (K, TA.) And الظُّفْرُ , (M,) or الأَظْفَارُ , (T, M, A, Mgh, O, K, &c.,) for this word in the sense here following has no sing. (T, M, O, K) accord. to the author of the 'Eyn, (M,) but sometimes one said أَظْفَارَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ , which is not allowable by rule, and made the pl. of this to be أَظَافِيرُ , (T, O, K, * [mentioned in the M as a pl. of الظُّفْرُ ,]) though, if they formed a sing. from it, it should be ظُفْرٌ , (T, O, K,) signifies A certain odoriferous substance, (T, Mgh, O, K,) or a sort thereof, (M,) [i. e. unguis odoratus, (called in the present day ظُفْرُ الطِّيبِ and ظُفْرُ العِفْرِيتِ ,) or ungues odorati,] black, (T, M, O,) resembling a ظُفْر [or nail] (T, M, Mgh, O, K) of a man (M) pulled out (in the M and O and K مُقْتُلَف , and in the T مُقَلَّف ,) from the root thereof, (T, M, O, K, [but in the M, the words which I have rendered “ pulled out ” &c. immediately follow the words ضَرْبٌ مِنَ العِطْرِ أَسْوَدُ ,]) or resembling the أَظْفَار [or finger-nails], (A,) and put into دُخْتَة [or incense]: (T, M, O:) and, accord. to the K, ظَفَارٌ , sometimes imperfectly decl., i. e. ظَفَارُ , signifies the same; but this is very strange, for [SM says] I have referred to the M and T and O and other lexicons without finding them to have mentioned in this sense any term but الأَظْفَارُ or الظُّفْرُ : accord. to the “ Minháj, ” أَظْفَارُ الطِّيبِ are pieces of an odoriferous substance resembling the أَظْفَار [properly so called]; they are said by [the Arabic translator of] Dioscorides to be of the nature of the shards of shells, [so I render مِنْ جِنْسِ أَخْزَافِ الصَّدَفِ , supposing اخزاف to be here used tropically,] found in an island of the Sea of India where is the سُنْبُل [or spikenard], a sort whereof is [called] قُلْزُمِىّ [i. e. of El-Kulzum], and another which is [called] بَابِلِىّ [i. e. of Bábil], black and small, and the best is that which inclines to whiteness, which drifts to El-Yemen and El-Bahreyn. (TA.) [Forskål, in his “ Descr. Animalium ” &c., mentions what here follows, among the animal substances of the materia medica of Cairo, in page 143: “ Unguis odoratus. (Opercula Cochl.) Dofr el afrît, ضفر العفريت i. e. unguis dæmonis. E Mochha per Sués. Arabes etiam afferunt. Nigritis fumigatorium est. ” ( ضفر is here written, agreeably with the usual vulgar pronunciation, for ظُفْر .) See also قُسْطٌ ,] أَظْفَارٌ signifies also Large قِرْدَان [or ticks]. (S, O, K.) And The creased parts of a skin. (M, TA.) And the ظُفْر of a bow is The part in the curved end that is beyond the place where the string is tied, to the extremity: (As, T, S, M, * O, K: *) or the end of the bow: (K:) or each end of the bow, beyond the place where the string is tied: (A:) pl. ظِفَرَةٌ . (M, TA.) See also ظَفَرَةٌ .