أَلِفَهُ
1.
, (T, S, M, Msb, K,) aorist
اَلَفَ
, (S, Msb, K,) verbal noun إِلُفٌ (S, M, Msb, K) and أَلْفٌ (K) and إِلَافٌ and وِلَافٌ, which is anomalous, and أَلَفَانٌ, (M, TA,) He kept, or clave, to it; (A'Obeyd, T, M, Msb, * TA;) namely, a thing, (A'Obeyd, T, M, TA,) or a place; (S, Msb, TA;) as also أَلَفَهُ, aorist
اَلِفَ
; (TA;) and
الفهُ, (A'Obeyd, T, S, M, Msb,) aorist يُوءْلِفُ (S, TA,) verbal noun إِيلَافٌ; (S, Msb, TA;) and
الفهُ, aorist يُوءَالِفُ, verbal noun مُوءَالَفَةٌ and إِلَافٌ: (S, Msb, TA:) [he frequented it, or resorted to it habitually; namely, a place:] he became familiar with it; or accustomed, or habituated, to it; namely, a thing: (AZ, T:) he became familiar, sociable, companionable, friendly, or amicable, with him: (AZ, T, Msb:) he loved, or affected, him; liked, approved, or took pleasure in, him. (Msb.) You say, أَلِفَتِ الطَّيْرُ الحَرَمَ [The birds kept to the sacred territory], and البُيُوتَ [the houses]: and الظِّبَاءُ الرَّمْلِ
الَفَتِ
The gazelles kept to the sands. (T.)
2.
There are three manners of reading the passage in the Qur'an [evi. 1 and 2], قُرَيْشٍ إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَ الصَّيْفِ
لِإِيلَافِ; the second and third being لِإِلَافِ and لِإِلْفِ; the first and second of which have been adopted; (Aboo-Is-hák, T, TA;) and the third also; this being the reading of the Prophet [himself]: (TA:) [according to all these readings, the passage may be rendered, For the keeping of Kureysh, for their keeping to the journey of the winter and of the summer, or spring; the chapter going on to say, for this reason "let them worship the Lord of this House," &c. : or] the second and third readings are from أَلِفَ, aorist يَأْلَفُ; [and according to these readings, the passage may be rendered as above;] but according to the first reading, the meaning is, for the preparing and fitting out [&c.; i. e., preparing and fitting out men and beasts in the journey of the winter &c.]: so says IAmb; and Fr explains in the same manner the third reading: but IAar says that, according to this reading, the meaning is, the protecting [&c.]: he says that the persons who protected were four brothers, Háshim and 'Abd-Shems and El-Muttalib and Nowfal, the sons of 'Abd-Menáf: these gave protection to Kureysh in their procuring of corn: (T:) Háshim obtained a grant of security from the king of the Greeks, and Nowfal from Kisrà, and 'Abd-Shems from the Nejáshee, and ElMuttalib from the kings of Himyer; and the merchants of Kureysh used to go to and from the great towns of these kings with the grants of security of these brothers, and none opposed them: Háshim used to give protection (يُوءْلِفُ [in the copies of the K يُوءَلِّفُ]) [to those journeying] to Syria, and 'Abd-Shems to Abyssinia, and ElMuttalib to El-Yemen, and Nowfal to Persia: (T, K: *) or
إِيلَاف in the Qur'an signifies a covenant, or an obligation; and what resembles permission, (إِجَازَة, as in some copies of the K and in the TA,) or protection, (إِجَارَة, as in the CK,) with an obligation involving responsibility for safety; first obtained by Háshim, from the kings of Syria; (K, * TA;) and the explanation is, that Kureysh were dwelling in the sacred territory, (K,) having neither seed-produce nor udders [to yield them milk], (TA,) secure in the procuring of their provisions from other parts, and in their changes of place, in winter and summer, or spring; the people around them having their property seized; whereas, when any cause of mischief occurred to them, they said, "We are people of the sacred territory," and then no one opposed them: (K:) so in the O: (TA:) or the ل is to denote wonder; and the meaning is, wonder ye at the
ايلاف
of Kureysh [&c.]: (K:) some say that the meaning is connected with what follows; i. e., let them worship the Lord of this House for the ايلاف [&c., agreeably with the first explanation which we have given]: others, that it is connected with what precedes; as J says; (TA;) the meaning being, I have destroyed the masters of the elephant to make Kureysh remain at Mekkeh, and for their uniting the journey of the winter and of the summer, or spring; that when they finished one, they should commence the other; (T, S;) and this is like the saying, ضَرَبْتُهُ لِكَذَا ضَرَبْتُهُ لِكَذَا َ لِكَذَا, with suppression of the [conjunctive] و: (S:) but Ibn-'Arafeh disapproves of this, for two reasons: first, because the phrase "In the name of God" &c. occurs between the two chapters: [Bd, however, mentions that in Ubeí's copy, the two compose one chapter:] secondly, because ايلاف signifies the covenants, or obligations, which they obtained when they went forth on mercantile expeditions, and whereby they became secure. (TA.)
إِلَافٌ [in like manner] signifies A writing of security, written by the king for people, that they may be secure in his territory: and is used by Musáwir Ibn-Hind in the sense of اِيتِلَافٌ [as is also إِلْفٌ,] when he says, in satirizing Benoo-Asad,
meaning Ye asserted [that your brothers are Kureysh; i. e.,] that ye are like Kureysh: but how should ye be like them? for they have [an alliance whereby they are protected in] the trade of El-Yemen and Syria; and ye have not that [alliance]. (Ham p. 636.) [Hence,] إِلَافُ اللّٰهِ [a phrase used in the manner of an oath,] according to some, signifies The safeguard, or protection, of God: or, according to others, an honourable station from God. (TA.)زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّ إِخْوَتَكُمْ قُرَيْشٌلَهُمْ إِلْفٌ وَ لَيْسَ لَكُمْ إِلَافُ