عَنْ

is used in three manners:

-A2- First, it is a preposition: and as such it has ten meanings. (Mughnee, K.)

(1) It denotes transition; (Msb, Mughnee, K;) either sensibly or virtually; (Msb;) and the Basrees have mentioned no other meaning than this: (Mughnee:) or, as Sb expresses it, (Msb,) it denotes what has passed [or rather it denotes passage] from the thing [that is mentioned immediately after it]: (S, Msb:) Er-Rághib says that it necessarily denotes transition from that to the mention of which it is prefixed: and the grammarians say that it is applied to denote what has passed and become remote from thee. (TA.) Thus in the saying, سَافَرْتُ عَنِ البَلَدِ [I journeyed from the country, or town]. (Mughnee, K. *) And in رَغِبْتُ عَنْ كَذَا [I abstained from such a thing; and hence, I did not desire, or wish for, such a thing]. (Mughnee.) And رَمَيْتُ عَنِ القَوْسِ [I shot an arrow, or arrows, from the bow]; (S, Mughnee;) because by means of the bow one projects his arrow from the bow, and makes it to pass therefrom: (S:) but another meaning of this will be mentioned in what follows. (Mughnee.) And أَطْعَمْتُهُ عَنْ جُوعٍ [I fed him so as to free him from hunger]; (S, Msb;) making hunger to be quitted, and passed from: (S, * Msb:) and in this case, مِنْ is used in its place, (S, TA,) as in the Qur'an, 106:3; (TA;) or the meaning in this instance is, because of hunger. (Jel.) And جَلَسْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ, [as though] meaning I sat passing away from the place of his right side, in sitting, to another place [adjacent thereto: but see another explanation near the end of the paragraph]. (Msb.) And اِنْصَرِفْ عَنِّى and تَنَحَّ عَنِّى [Turn thou, or go thou, away, or aside, from me]. (TA.) And أَخَذْتُ العِلْمَ عَنْهُ I understood, or became acquainted with, [or acquired,] knowledge, or science, from him; as though the understanding passed from him. (Msb.) [And similar to this is the phrase رَوَى عَنْ فُلَانٍ, for which عَنْ فُلَانٍ alone (the verb being understood) is often used, He related a tradition or traditions &c. as learned, or heard, or received, from such a one, or on the authority of such a one. In many other phrases also, some of which will be mentioned in treating of عَنْ as synonym with مِنْ, the former of these two prepositions is to be, or may be, explained as denoting transition. For example, one says, دَفَعَ عَنْهُ and دَافَعَ He repelled from him; and hence, he defended him: (see article دفع:) and رَمَى عَنْهُمْ He shot in defence of them: (see an example in a verse cited voce مَعْبُولٌ:) and عَنْهُ is sometimes used for دِفَاعًا عَنْهُ; as in the phrase قَاتَلْتُ عَنْهُ I fought in defence of him; i. e., repelling from him. But the instances of this and other usages of عَنْ, exclusive of those mentioned in this paragraph, depending upon verbs or particle ns. expressed or obviously understood, are far too numerous to be here collected: many of these will be found among the explanations of words with which they occur.]

(2) It denotes a compensation; or something given, or received, or put, or done, instead, or in lieu, of another thing. (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying [in the Qur'an, 2:45, وَ اتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَنْ نَفْسٍ شَيْيءًا [And fear ye a day wherein a soul shall not give anything as a satisfaction for a soul, i. e. for another soul: or shall not make satisfaction for a soul at all; according to the latter rendering, شييءا being put in the accusative case after the manner of a verbal noun]. (Mughnee, K. *) And in the saying in a tradition, صُومِى عَنْ أُمِّكِ [Fast thou for, or in lieu of, thy mother]. (Mughnee.)

(3) It denotes superiority (الاِسْتِعْلَاء [as used tropically]); (Mughnee, K;) i. e. as synonym with عَلَى. (Mughnee.) Thus in the saying of Dhu-l-Isba' El-'Adwánee,

لَاهِ ابْنُ عَمِّكَ لَا أَفْضَلْتَ فِى حَسَبٍ

عَنِّى وَلَا أَنْتَ دَيَّانِى فَتَخْزُوَنِى

(S, Mughnee,) i. e. To God be attributed the excellence of the son of thy paternal uncle (the meaning being لِلّٰهِ دَرُّ ابْنِ عَمِّكَ), thou hast not become possessed of superiority, in grounds of pretension to respect or honour, above me, or over me, (عَلَىَّ,) nor art thou my governor that thou shouldst rule me; for the well-known mode is to say أَفْضَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ. (Mughnee.) [Thus too in the phrases تَعَظَّمَ عَنْهُ and تَعَاظَمَ عَنْهُ (explained in article عظم), and in the phrase تَجَالَّ عَنْهُ (explained in article جل), and the like.] And thus it has been said to be used in the phrase [in the Qur'an, 38:31, إِنِّى أَحْبَبْتُ حُبَّ الْخَيْرِ عَنْ ذِكْرِ رَبِّى, meaning قَدَّمْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ [i. e. Verily I have preferred the love of good things above, or to, the remembrance, or praise, of my Lord]: but it is also said that it is here used in its proper manner, as dependent upon a denotative of state suppressed; the meaning being, مُنْصَرِفًا عَنْ ذِكْرِ رَبِّى [i. e. turning away from the remembrance, &c.]: and AO is related to have said that أَحْبَبْتُ is from أَحَبَّ, البَعِيرُ, signifying “ the camel lay down and did not become roused; ” and that the meaning is, I have become withheld by the love of good things from the remembrance, &c. (Mughnee.) And it is [said to be] used as denoting superiority or the like in the saying [in the Qur'an, 47, last verse, فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نفْسِهِ [as though the meaning were He is niggardly only to himself (عَلَى نَفْسِهِ, for عَلَى is considered in this case as importing an ideal superiority); but the phrase may be better rendered, agreeably with the proper, or primary, signification of عَنْ, he withholds, with niggardliness, only from himself; as is indicated by Bd]. (Mughnee, K.)

(4) It denotes a cause. (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying [in the Qur'an, 9:115, وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَنْ مَوْعِدَةٍ [And Abraham's begging forgiveness for his father was not otherwise than because of a promise]. (Mughnee, K.) And thus in the saying [in the Qur'an, 11:56, وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَارِكِى الِهَتِنَا عَنْ قَوْلِكَ [And we are not, or will not be, relinquishers of our gods because of thy saying]: or the meaning may be, we do not, or will not, relinquish our gods, turning away (صَادِرِينَ, as a denotative of state relating to the pronoun [implied] in تاركى,) from thy saying; and this is the opinion of Z. (Mughnee.) [See also an example voce دَنْدَنَ, last sentence.]

(5) It is synonym with بَعْدَ. (S, Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying [in the Qur'an, 23:42, عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ, (Mughnee, K,) meaning بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ [i. e. After a little while, they will assuredly become repentant]. (TA.) And in the phrase [in the Qur'an, 84:19, لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ [explained in article طبق], meaning حَالَةً بَعْدَ حَالَةٍ. (Mughnee.) And in the saying,

وَمَنْهَلٍ وَرَدْتُهُ عَنْ مَنْهَلٍ

[And to many a watering-place have I come after a watering-place]. (Mughnee.) And in the saying of El-Hárith Ibn-'Obád,

قَرِّبَا مَرْبَطَ النَّعَامَةِ مِنِّى

لَقِحَتْ حَرْبُ وايءِلٍ عَنْ حِيَالِ

(S, * TA,) meaning بَعْدَ حِيَالٍ [i. e. Make ye two to be near to me the place of the tying of En-Na'ámeh (the name of a horse of the poet): the war of Wáïl has become pregnant after failing to be pregnant during a year, or years]. (TA.) And in the saying of Et-Tirimmáh,

سَيَعْلَمُ كُلُّهُمْ أَنِّى مُسِنٌّ

↓ إِذَا دَفَعُوا عِنَانًا عَنْ عِنَانِ

i. e. [All of them shall know that I am of full age, when they press forward] heat after heat. (TA.)

(6) It denotes the meaning of the preposition فِى. (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying,

وَلَا تَكُ عَنْ حَمْلِ الرِّبَاعَةِ وَانِيَا

[And be not thou remiss in bearing the responsibility of the obligation that thou takest upon thyself]; as is shown by the phrase, [in the Qur'an, 20:44, وَلَا تَنِيَا فِى ذِكْرِى: (Mughnee, K:) so it is said; but it seems that the meaning of وَنَى عَنْ كَذَا is, “ he passed from such a thing, not entering upon it; ” and وَنَى فِيهِ, “ he entered upon it but was remiss, or languid: ” by الرِّبَاعَة is meant the payment of a bloodwit or the like. (Mughnee.)

(7) It is synonym with مِنْ. (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying [in the Qur'an, 42:24, وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ [And He is he who accepts repentance from his servants]. (AO, Mughnee, K.) Az mentions among the cases in which there is a difference between مِنْ and عَنْ, that the former has adjoined to it a noun signifying what is near; and the latter, [one signifying] what is remote; as in one's saying سَمِعْتُ مِنْ فُلَانٍ حَدِيثًا [I heard from such a one a narrative], and حَدَّثَنِى عَنْ فُلَانٍ حَدِيثًا [He related to me a narrative from such a one, a phrase similar to رَوَى عَنْ فُلَانٍ, mentioned among exs. of the first meaning of عن]: according to As, one says, حَدَّثَنِى فُلَانٌ مِنْ فُلَانٍ, meaning عَنْهُ [i. e. Such a one related to me from such a one]; and لَهِيتُ مِنْ فُلَانٍ and عَنْهُ [I became diverted from such a one so as to forget him]: according to Ks, one says لَهِيتُ عَنْهُ only: and عَنْكَ جَاءَ هٰذَا as meaning مِنْكَ [i. e. From thee came this]. (TA.)

(8) It is synonym with بِ. (Mughnee, K.) Thus [it is said to be used] in the phrase [in the Qur'an, 53:3, وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى [Nor does he speak with the desire of self-gratification]: (Mughnee, K:) but it seems that it is here used in its proper [or primary] sense; and that the meaning is, وَمَا يَصْدُرُ قَوْلُهُ عَنْ هَوًى [nor does his speech proceed from desire of self-gratification; so the phrase may be well rendered, nor does he speak from the desire &c.]. (Mughnee.) One says also, أَجَابُوا عَنْ بَوَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ, meaning بِجَوَابٍ وَاحِدٍ [i. e. They replied with one reply]. (T, S, O, K, all in art, بوأ.) And جَاوءُوا عَنْ اخِرِهِمْ [They came with the last of them; عَنْ being here synonym with بِ; meaning they came all, without exception]. (A in article اخر.) [And in like manner, قَتَلُوهُمْ عَنْ اخِرِهِمْ They slew them with the last of them; meaning they slew them all, without exception.]

(9) It denotes the using a thing as an aid or instrument. (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying, رَمَيْتُ عَنِ القَوْسِ [I shot with, or by means of, the bow], according to Ibn-Málik; (Mughnee, K;) because one says also, رَمَيْتُ بِالقَوْسِ; both mentioned by Fr. (Mughnee.) [Another explanation of this phrase has been mentioned before.]

(10) It is redundant, to compensate for another [عن] suppressed (Mughnee, K.) Thus in the saying,

أَتَجْزَعُ إِنْ نَفْسٌ أَتَاهَا حِمَامُهَا

فَهَلَّا الَّتِى عَنْ بَيْنِ جَنْبَيْكَ تَدْفَعُ

[Art thou impatient if the decreed event of death befall a soul? but why wilt not thou repel from, i. e. defend, that which is between thy two sides?]; (Mughnee, K;) the meaning being, تَدْفَعُ عَنِ الَّتِى بَيْنَ جَنْبَيْكَ; (IJ, Mughnee;) عن being suppressed before the conjunct noun [التى], and added after it. (Mughnee, K.) And sometimes it is redundant without compensation, when conjoined with a pronoun: AZ says that the Arabs make عَنْكَ redundant in the phrase خُذْ ذَا عَنْكَ [meaning Take thou, or receive thou, this]: (TA:) [but خُذْ عَنْكَ is explained in the S and L, in article اخذ, as meaning خُذْ مَا أَقُولُ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ الشَّكَّ وَالمِرَاءَ: see 1 in article اخذ:] and اُنْفُذْ عَنْكَ, occurring in a tradition, is explained as meaning دَعْهُ [i. e. Leave thou it]: (TA:) or this means go thou from thy place; pass thou from it. (L in article نفذ.) [See also the last example in this paragraph.]

-A3- The second manner of using it is, as a particle of the kind called مَصْدَرِىٌّ, [combining with an aorist following it to form an equivalent to a verbal noun,] as is done by the tribe of Temeem, (Mughnee, K, *) in what is termed their عَنْعَنَة: (K: [see R. Q. 1:]) they use it in the place of أَنْ; (S, Mughnee;) saying, أَعْجَبَنِى عَنْ تَفْعَلَ, (Mughnee, K,) for أَنْ تَفْعَلَ [meaning Thy doing such a thing pleased me]. (Mughnee.) Dhu-r-Rummeh says,

أَعَنْ تَرَسَّمْتَ مِنْ خَرْقَاءَ مَنْزِلَةً

مَاءُ الصَّبَابَةِ مِنْ عَيْنَيْكَ مَسْجُومُ

[Is thy having looked upon the traces of a place of abiding of thy beloved Kharkà the cause that the water of excessive love is shed from thine eyes?]. (S, Mughnee.) And thus they do in the case of أَنَّ; saying, مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ ↓ أَشْهَدُ عَنَّ [I acknowledge, or declare, or testify, that Mohammad is the apostle of God]. (Mughnee.)

-A4- The third manner of using it is, as a noun, in the sense of جَانِب, (Mughnee, K, *) or نَاحِيَة: (S:) and this is said to be in three cases. (Mughnee.)

(1) It is when مِنْ is prefixed to it; and this is of frequent occurrence: (Mughnee:) as in the saying,

وَلَقَدْ أَرَانِى لِلرِّمَاحَ دَرِيْيءَةً

مِنْ عَنْ يَمِينِى مَرَّةً وَأَمَامِى

[And verily I see me to be like a ring for the spears to be aimed at, from the side of my right hand at one time, and from before me at another time]: (Mughnee, K: *) and in the saying, جِيءْتُ مِنْ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ I came from the side of his right hand. (S.) In the opinion of Ibn-Málik, مِنْ prefixed to عَنْ is redundant; but according to others, it is used [as explained above,] to denote the beginning of a space between two limits: these say that قَعَدْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ means فِى جَانِبِ يَمِينِهِ [i. e. I sat in the side of his right hand], either closely or otherwise; but if you say مِنْ [before عَنْ], the sitting is particularized as being close to the first part of the lateral space. (Mughnee.)

(2) It is also when عَلَى is prefixed to it: (Mughnee:) thus in the saying,

عَلَى عَنْ يَمِينِى مَرَّتِ الطَّيْرُ سُنَّحَا

[On, or over, the side of my right hand, the birds passed along turning the right side towards me, or turning the left side towards me; the last word being a plural, according to analogy, of سَانِحٌ, which is used in two opposite senses]: (Mughnee, K:) but this usage is extraordinary; no other instance of it than that here cited having been preserved. (Mughnee.)

(3) It is also when what is governed by it in the gen. case and the agent of the verb in connection with it are two pronouns having one application: so says Akh: as in the saying of Imra-el-Keys,

دَعْ عَنْكَ نَهْبًا صِيحَ فِى حَجَرَاتِهِ

[or فَدَعْ عَنْكَ: see the entire verse cited and explained in article حجر]: but it is shown to be not a noun in such a case by this, that جَانِب may not take its place [unless used in a tropical sense]. (Mughnee. [See what has been said above, that عَنْكَ in a phrase of this kind is held to be redundant.])