رَيْحَانٌ

a word respecting the formation of which there are different opinions; many saying that its medial radical letter is و, and its original form رَيْوَحَانٌ, as may be argued from the form of its diminutive, mentioned below; (Msb;) others, that its original form is رَوْيَحَانٌ; (MF;) and others, that its medial radical letter is ى, and that it is of the same measure as شَيْطَانٌ, as may be argued from the form of its plural, mentioned below; (Msb;) A certain plant, (S, K,) well known, (S,) of sweet odour; (K;) the شَاهَسْفَرَم [or شَاهِسْفَرَم, i. e. basil-royal, or common sweet basil, ocimum basilicum, the seed of which (called بِزْرُ الرَّيْحَانِ) is used in medicine]: (Mgh: [see also حَبَقٌ:]) or any sweet-smelling plant; (T, Mgh, Msb, K;) but when used absolutely by the vulgar, a particular plant [that mentioned above] is meant thereby: (Msb:) or the extremities thereof; (K;) i. e. the extremities of any sweet-smelling herb, when the first of its blossoms come forth upon it: (TA:) or the leaves thereof: (K:) or the leaves of seed-produce: so, according to Fr, in the Qur'an, 55:11: (S, TA:) [it is a coll. gen. n.:] the n. un. is with ة; (TA;) and is applied to a bunch (طَاقَةٌ) of رَيْحَان; and, with the article ال, (as a proper name, TA,) the حَنْوَة [a certain plant respecting which authors differ]: (K:) the diminutive of رَيْحَانٌ is رُوَيْحِينٌ: (Msb:) and the plural is رَيَاحِينُ. (Mgh, Msb) رَيْحَانُ الحَبَاحِمِ: and رَيْحَانُ الشُّيُوخِ: see حَبَقٌ. رَيْحَانُ القُبُورِ is a name of The مِرْسِين [or myrtle-tree]. (TA in article مرس.)

(tropical:) Offspring; (L, K, TA;) from the same word as signifying “ any sweet-smelling plant; (Ham p. 713;) or from the same word in the sense next following: (L:) [a coll. gen. n.: n. un. with ة; whence,] رِيْحَانَنَىَّ [meaning (tropical:) My two descendants] occurs in a saying of Mohammad as applied to El-Hasan and El-Hoseyn. (TA.)

(tropical:) A bounty, or gift, of God; such as the means of subsistence, &c.; synonym رِزْقٌ: (S, L, K, TA:) said to be of the dialect of Himyer. (MF.) So in the saying, خَرَجْتُ أَبْتَغِى رَيْحَانَ اللّٰهِ (tropical:) [I went forth seeking, or seeking diligently, the bounty, &c., of God]. (AO, S, TA.) And in a verse of En-Nemir Ibn-Towlab cited voce دِرَّةٌ. (S, TA.) And in the saying, in a tradition, الوَلَدُ مِنْ رَيْحَانِ اللّٰهِ (tropical:) [Offspring are of the bounty of God]. (S, TA.)

It is also used (S, K) in the accusative case as a verbal noun [forming an absolute complement of a verb understood], (S,) in the sense of اِسْتِرْزَاق: so in the saying, سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَ رَيْحَانَهُ (assumed tropical:) [I extol, or celebrate, or declare, the absolute perfection, or glory, or purity, of God, and beg his bounty, or his supply of the means of subsistence]. (S, K.)