حُكْمٌ

[verbal noun of 1, q. v.,] originally signifies Prevention, or restraint. (Msb.)

And hence, (Msb,) Judgment, or judicial decision: (S, Msb, K, TA:) or judgment respecting a thing, that it is such a thing, or is not such a thing, whether it be necessarily connected with another thing, or not: (TA:) [whence,] in logic, [what our logicians term judgment; i. e.] the judging a thing to stand to another [thing] in the relation of an attribute to its subject, affirmatively or negatively; or the perception of relation or non-relation: (Kull:) or it properly signifies judgment with equity or justice: (Az, TA:) and ↓ حُكُومَةٌ signifies the same; (K, TA;) originally, according to As, the restraint of a man from wrongdoing: (TA:) [each, though a verbal noun, being used as a simple subst., has its plural:] the plural of the former is أَحْكَامٌ, (K,) [properly a plural of pauc., but] its only plural form: and the plural of the latter is حُكُومَاتٌ. (TA.) You say, وَ يَفْصِلُ ↓ هُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الحُكُومَاتِ الخُصُومَاتِ [He presides over the affairs of judgment, and decides litigations]. (TA.) And it is said in a tradition, إِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ لَحُكْمًا meaning Verily, of poetry, there is that which is true judgment: so says Er-Rághib: or, as others say, profitable discourse, such as restrains from, and forbids, ignorant and silly behaviour; i. e., [what contains] exhortations and proverbs profitable to men: or, the right reading is, as some relate it, ↓ لَحِكْمَةً [i. e. wisdom, &c.]: (TA:) or حِكَمًا [plural of حِكْمَة]. (So in a copy of the “ Jámi' es-Sagheer ” of Es-Suyootee.)

[The exercise of judicial authority; jurisdiction; rule; dominion; or government. See also حُكُومَةٌ.

An ordinance; a statute; a prescript; an edict; a decree; or a particular law; like قَضَاءٌ. Hence the phrase حُكْمَ العَادَةِ According to custom or usage; properly, according to the ordinance of custom or usage.

A rule in grammar &c.; as when one says, حُكْمُ الفَاعِلِ الرَّفْعُ or أَنْ يُرْفَعَ, i. e. The rule applying to the case of the agent is that it be put in the nom. case; and حُكْمُهُ حُكْمُ كَذَا, or كَحُكْمِ كذا, i. e. The rule applying to it is the same as the rule applying to such a thing, or like the rule applying to such a thing.

It may often be rendered Predicament: (thus the last of the foregoing exs. may be rendered Its predicament is the same as the predicament of such a thing, or like the predicament of such a thing:) and حُكْمًا, or فِى الحُكْمِ, predicamentally, or in respect of predicament; and virtually; as distinguished from لَفْظًا (literally), and حَقِيقَةً (really), and the like.]

Also Knowledge of the law in matters of religion. (TA.)

See also حِكْمَةٌ, in two places. It is a more general term than حِكْمَةٌ; for all حِكْمَة is حُكْم, but the reverse is not the case. (Er-Rághib, TA.)