شَاهِدٌ

(S, Mgh, L, K) and ↓ شَهِيدٌ (S, * Mgh, L) One who tells, or gives information of, what he has witnessed, or seen or beheld with his eye: (Mgh, L:) one who declares what he knows: (L:) one who knows, and declares what he knows: (ISd, TA:) a witness, as meaning one who gives testimony, or evidence; who bears witness: (S, * L, K: *) [one who gives decisive information: (see 1, first sentence:)] plural of the former ↓ شَهْدٌ, (Akh, S, K,) or [rather] this is a quasi-plural n., (Sb, TA,) like as صَحْبٌ is of صَاحِبٌ, and سَفْرٌ of سَافِرٌ, (S,) but some disallow this; (TA;) and ↓ شُهُودٌ [but see what is said of this in the latter half of the paragraph] and أَشْهَادٌ are also pls. of شَاهِدٌ, (Mgh, L,) or of شَهْدٌ: (S, K:) the plural of ↓ شَهِيدٌ is شُهَدَاءُ. (S, Mgh.) [Hence,] ↓ مَعَهَا سَايءِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ, in the Qur'an 1. 20: see article سوق.

[Hence also] الشَّاهِدُ a name of the Prophet; (K;) meaning The witness against those to whom he has been sent. (Jel in xxxiii. 44.)

And شَاهِدٌ An angel: (S, L, K:) or a guardian angel: (Mujáhid:) plural أَشْهَادٌ: or this means the prophets. (TA.)

And The tongue: (S, L, K:) from the saying, لِفُلَانٍ شَاهِدٌ حَسَنٌ Such a one has an elegant diction. (L.) One says also, مَا لِفُلَانٍ رُوَاءٌ وَلَا شَاهِدٌ Such a one has neither goodliness of aspect nor tongue. (Aboo-Bekr, L.)

[As a conventional term used in lexicology &c.,] An evidential example, generally poetical, of the form or meaning of a word or phrase: plural شَوَاهِدُ: the sciences that require شَوَاهِد being those of اللُّغَة and الصَّرْف and النَّحْو and المَعَانِى and البَيَان and البَدِيع and العَرُوض and القَوَافِى. (MF on the خُطْبَة of the K.) [One says, هٰذَا شَاهِدٌ لِكَذَا and عَلَى كَذَا This is an evidential example of such a thing.] With respect to the classical language, absolutely, شواهد are taken, by universal consent, from the Qur'an, and from the language [both verse and prose (Kull p. 348)] of those Arabs who lived before the period of the corruption [in any considerable degree] of the Arabic tongue: [see مُوَلَّدٌ:] also, according to the general decision of the learned, from the Traditions of Mohammad; [which last source is excluded by some because traditions may be corrupted in language by their transmitters, and interpolated, and even forged;] and electively from the language of those Arabs who lived after the first corruption of the Arabic tongue, but before the corruption had become extensive. (Mz, 1st نوع; and MF ubi suprà. [See, again, مُوَلَّدٌ.]) The classes of the poets from whose poetry شواهد are taken are the Pagan Arabs, the Mukhadrams, the Islámees, and the Muwelleds: [see جَاهِلِىٌّ and مُخَضْرَمٌ and إِسْلَامِىٌّ and مُوَلَّدٌ:] with respect to all the sciences above mentioned, they are taken from the poetry of the first, second, and third, classes; from that of the first and second by universal consent, and from that of the third electively: (MF ubi suprá:) but they are taken from the poetry of the fourth class with respect only to the sciences of المَعَانِى and البَيَان and البَدِيع. (Idem, and Kull p. 348.) [The age of the earliest existing classical poems (though some older fragments and couplets and single verses have been preserved) is only about a century before the birth of Mohammad: that of the latest, about a century after his death. (See the Preface to this work.)]

Knowing, (Msb,) and witnessing, or seeing or beholding with his eye; a witness, as meaning an eyewitness; (L, Msb;) as also ↓ شَهِيدٌ: plural of the former [or, as is said in the L in article مجد, of the former or of the latter,] أَشْهَادٌ and شُهُودٌ; [but see what is said of these pls. in the first sentence of this paragraph;] and of the latter شُهَدَاءُ. (Msb.) [See an example of ↓ شَهِيدٌ in this sense in a verse cited voce رَبٌّ.]

[Hence, in the present day, applied to A notary, who hears and writes and attests cases to be submitted for judgment in the court of a kádee.]

Present; a witness as meaning one personally present; (S, L, Msb, K;) as also ↓ شَهِيدٌ: (Msb:) plural of the former شُهَّدٌ (S, L, K) [and أَشْهَادٌ, as above,] and ↓ شُهُودٌ, (K,) or this last is used as a plural but is originally a verbal noun (S, L.) One says, الشَّاهِدُ يَرَى مَا لَا يَرَى الغَايءِبُ, meaning The present knows what the absent knows not. (Msb.) And قَوْمٌ شُهُودٌ People, or persons, present. (S, A.) And كَلَّمْتُهُ عَلَى رُوءُوسِ الأَشْهَادِ [I spoke to him before witnesses, or persons present]. (A.)

[Hence, apparently, being opposed to غَايءِبٌ,] A running in which a horse exerts his force unsparingly; (A, L;) as in the saying, لِلْفَرَسِ غَايءِبٌ وَشَاهِدٌ The horse has a run which he reserves [for the time of need], and a run which he performs unsparingly; like the saying, لَهُ صَوْنٌ وَبَذْلٌ: (A: [see 1 in article بذل:]) or شَاهِدٌ means a running that testifies the excellence of a horse, (IAar, K,) and his quality of outstripping others. (IAar, TA.)

A star [apparently when visible]; (Aboo-Eiyoob, K;) as being present and apparent in the night. (TA.)

[Hence, according to some,] صَلَاةُ الشَّاهِدِ The prayer of sunset; (A, L, Msb, K;) because it is the prayer that is performed when the star becomes visible; (Sh, L;) also called صَلَاةُ البَصَرِ, because the stars are seen at the time thereof: or, according to some, the prayer of daybreak; (L;) [and so, according to some, صَلَاةُ البَصَرِ; (see article بصر;)] as also ↓ المَشْهُودُ; (TA;) and it is said to be so called because he who is travelling must perform it without abridging it, like him who is present at his home: Aboo-Sa'eed Ed-Dareer says that the former prayer is so called for this reason [as is also said in the A and Msb]: AM asserts that the first reason assigned above is the right one, because the prayer of daybreak, in like manner, may not be abridged, and is not thus called; but it is thus called by a poet. (L.)

And الشَّاهِدُ is a name of Friday; (Fr, K;) as also ↓ المَشْهُودُ: or the latter is the day of resurrection: (K:) or the day of 'Arafeh: (Fr, K: [see عَرَفَةُ:]) because of the presence and congregation of people on each of those days. (TA.)

شَاهِدٌ also signifies Matter resembling mucus, that comes forth with the fœtus: (S, K:) plural شُهُودٌ: which latter, according to ISd, means the أَغْرَاس [plural of غِرْسٌ, q. v.,] upon the head of a young camel at the time of its birth. (TA.) And شُهُودٌ النَّاقَةِ means The marks left by the blood, or by the membrane that enclosed the fœtus, of the she-camel, in the place where she has brought forth. (S, K.)

Also A quick, or an expeditious, thing or affair. (K.)