أَرْذَلُ

Also The worse, or worst: so in the phrase أَرْذَلُ العُمُرِ [The worse, or worst, part of life]. (O, K.) [In the K, immediately after the words وَأَرْذَلَ صَارَ أَصْحَابُهُ رُذَلَاءَ, we find, in some copies, وَرُذَالَى كَحُبَارَى وَأَرْذَلُ العُمُرِ أَسْوَوءْهُ; and in other copies, وَرُذَالَى كَحُبَارَى أَرْذَلُ العُمُرِ أَسْوَوءُهُ: according to the former reading, the meaning is, that رُذَالَى is synonym with رُذَلَاءُ; and such SM holds to be the case: according to the latter reading, that رُذَالَى is synonym with أَرْذَلُ العُمُرِ. I have no doubt that the latter is the original reading in the K, and that it is taken from the O, where (with a preceding context different from that in the K) the words are, وَرُذَالَى اَرذَلِ العُمُرِ اَسْوَوءُهُ; thus, with ارذل in the gen. case: but I believe, as this word thus written suggests, and as some persons, alluded to by MF, have supposed, that كحبارى has been foisted into the text of the K in consequence of a misunderstanding or of a mistranscription of the words in question in some work earlier than the O; that the correct reading is, وَرُدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ العُمُرِ أَسْوَيءِهِ; and that this is taken from what here follows.] It is said in the Qur'an, 16:72 and xxii. 5], وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ العُمُرِ, (T, TA,) i. e. [And of you is he who is brought back to] the worse, or worst, [part] of life, (Ksh and Bd and Jel,) and the more, or most, contemptible thereof; (Ksh in xvi. 72;) a state of decrepitude and dotage; (Ksh and Bd and Jel;) which resembles the state of a young infant: (Ksh and Bd:) meaning he who dotes by reason of old age, so that he has no intellect; as is shown by the words in the same [immediately following], لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْيءًا or مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْيءًا. (T, TA. *)