كَانَwasالْأَصْمَعِيُّAl-Asma'iيَقُولُsaying
Al-Asma'i used to say:
قَدْindeedكَانَwasلِلْعَرَبِfor the Arabsكَلَامٌspeechعَلَىonمَعَانٍmeanings
Indeed, the Arabs had speech based on meanings,
فَإِذَاand whenابْتَدَلَتْchangedتِلْكَthoseالْمَعَانِيmeaningsلَمْnotيَتَكَلَّمْspeakبِذَلِكَwith thatالْكَلَامِspeech
and when those meanings changed, they no longer spoke that speech.
فَمِنْso fromذَلِكَthatقَوْلُsayingالنَّاسِpeopleالْيَوْمَtoday
So from that is the saying of people today:
«سَاقَHe droveإِلَيْهَاto herصَدَاقَهَا»her dowry
"He drove to her her dowry."
وَإِنَّمَاand onlyكَانَwasهَذَاthisيُقَالُsaidحِينَwhenكَانَwasالصِّدَاقُthe dowryإِبِلًاcamelsوَغَنَمًاand sheep
And this was only said when the dowry was camels and sheep.
وَفِيand inقِيَاسِthe analogyقَوْلِsayingالْأَصْمَعِيِّAl-Asma'iأَنَّthatأَصْحَابَthe ownersالتَّمْرِdates
And according to the analogy of Al-Asma'i's saying, the owners of dates,
الَّذِينَwhoكَانَwasالتَّمْرُdatesدِيَاتُهُمْtheir blood moneyوَمُهُورُهُمْand their dowries
whose blood money and dowries were dates,
كَانُواthey wereلَاnotيَقُولُونَsaying«سَاقَHe droveفُلَانٌso-and-soصَدَاقَهُ»his dowry
would not say: "So-and-so drove his dowry."
قَالَHe said
He said:
وَمِنْand fromذَلِكَthatقَوْلُsayingالنَّاسِpeopleالْيَوْمَtoday
And from that is the saying of people today:
«قَدْindeedبَنَىbuiltفُلَانٌso-and-soالْبَارِحَةَlast nightعَلَىonأَهْلِهِ»his family
"Indeed, so-and-so built last night upon his wife."
وَإِنَّمَاand onlyكَانَwasهَذَاthisالْقَوْلُsayingلِمَنْfor one whoكَانَwasيَضْرِبُstrikesعَلَىonأَهْلِهِhis familyفِيinتِلْكَthatاللَّيْلَةِnight
And this saying was only for one who pitched on his family in that night
قُبَّتَهُhis dome tentوَخَيْمَتَهُand his tentوَذَلِكَand thatهُوَisبِنَاؤُهُhis building
his dome tent and his tent, and that was his building.
وَلِذَلِكَand for thatقَالَsaidالْأَوَّلُthe first
And for that the first said:
لَوْifنَزَلَcame downالْغَيْثُthe rainلَأَبْنَيْنَwe would buildامْرَأًa man
If the rain came down, we would build for a man
كَانَتْwasلَهُfor himقُبَّةٌdome tentسَحْقُworn outبِجَادٍgarment
who had a dome tent of worn-out garment.
وَكَانَand wasالْأَصْمَعِيُّAl-Asma'iيَعُدُّcountingمِنْfromهَذَاthisأَشْيَاءَthings
And Al-Asma'i used to count from this things
لَيْسَnotلِذِكْرِهَاfor mentioning themهَهُنَاhereوَجْهٌreason
for which there is no reason to mention here.
وَمِنْand fromطَعَامِهِمْtheir foodالْوَكِيرَةُal-Wakirah
And from their food is al-Wakirah,
وَهُوَand it isطَعَامُfoodالْبِنَاءِbuilding
which is the food of building.
كَانَwasالرَّجُلُthe manيُطْعِمُfeedsمَنْwhoeverيَبْنِيbuildsلَهُfor him
The man used to feed those who built for him,
وَإِذَاand whenفَرَغَfinishedمِنْfromبِنَائِهِhis buildingتَبَرَّكَsought blessingsبِإِطْعَامِby feedingأَصْحَابِهِhis companionsوَدُعَائِهِمْand their supplication
and when he finished his building, he sought blessings by feeding his companions and their supplication.
وَلِذَلِكَand for thatقَالَsaidقَائِلُهُمْtheir speaker
And for that their speaker said:
خَيْرُbestطَعَامٍfoodشَهِدَwitnessedالْعَشِيرَةُthe tribe
The best food that the tribe witnessed
الْعُرْسُthe wedding feastوَالْإِعْذَارُand the circumcision feastوَالْوَكِيرَةُand al-Wakirah
is the wedding feast, the circumcision feast, and al-Wakirah.
وَيُسَمُّونَand they callمَاwhatيَنْحَرُونَthey slaughterمِنَfromالْإِبِلِthe camelsوَالْجَزَرِand the slaughtered livestockمِنْfromعَرَضِthe wealthالْمَغْنَمِthe spoils
And they call what they slaughter of camels and livestock from the wealth of the spoils:
«النَّقِيعَةَ»an-Naqi'ah
"an-Naqi'ah."
قَالَsaidالشَّاعِرُthe poet
The poet said:
إِنَّاindeed weلَنَضْرِبُwe surely strikeبِالسُّيُوفِwith swordsرُءُوسَهُمْtheir heads
Indeed, we strike their heads with swords,
ضَرْبَstrikingالْقِدَارِthe cooking potنَقِيعَةَnaqi'ahالْقُدَّامِthe forelocks
like the striking of the cooking pot for the naqi'ah of the forelocks.
وَand«الْعَقِيقَةُ»al-'Aqiqah
And al-'Aqiqah
دَعْوَةٌinvitationعَلَىonلَحْمِthe meatالْكَبْشِthe ramالَّذِيwhichيُعَقُّis sacrificedعَنِforالصَّبِيِّthe child
is an invitation on the meat of the ram which is sacrificed for the child.
وَالْعَقِيقَةُand al-'Aqiqahاسْمٌis a nameلِلشَّعْرِfor the hairنَفْسِهِitself
And al-'Aqiqah is a name for the hair itself,
وَالْأَشْعَارُand the hairsهِيَareالْعَقَائِقُthe 'aqa'iq
and the hairs are the 'aqa'iq.
وَقَوْلُهُمْand their sayingعَقُّواthey sacrificedعَنْهُfor him
And their saying: "They sacrificed for him"
Footnotes
- 1.لَوْ نَزَلَ الْغَيْثُ لَأَبْنَيْنَ امْرَأً ... كَانَتْ لَهُ قُبَّةٌ سَحْقُ بِجَادِ
If the rain came down, we would build for a man who had a dome tent of worn-out garment.
- 2.الْقُدَّامُ: جَمْعُ قَدِيمٍ، وَهُوَ الْعَتِيقُ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ، أَوْ هِيَ النُّوقُ الَّتِي تُنْحَرُ لِلضِّيَافَةِ.
Al-Quddam: plural of Qadim, meaning old camels, or she-camels slaughtered for hospitality.
- 3.الْعَقِيقَةُ: ذَبِيحَةٌ تُذْبَحُ عَنِ الْمَوْلُودِ فِي الْيَوْمِ السَّابِعِ لِوِلَادَتِهِ.
Al-'Aqiqah: an animal slaughtered for the newborn on the seventh day after his birth.