اسلفهُ
1.
He did it previously, or beforehand. (O and TA in article زلف.)
2.
[Hence,] اسلف فِى, كَذَا, (S, Mgh, Msb, TA,) verbal noun إِسْلَافٌ; (TA;) and فِيهِ
سلّف, (Mgh, Msb, TA,) verbal noun تَسْلِيفٌ; (Msb, TA;) He paid in advance, or beforehand, for such a thing, (S, Mgh, TA,) i. e. a commodity described to him, (S,) or wheat or the like, for which the seller became responsible, [with something additional to the equivalent of the current price at the time of the payment, (see سَلَفٌ,)] (TA,) to be delivered at a certain period: (S:) and أَسْلَمَ signifies the same. (TA.) You say, أَسْلَفْتُ إِلَيْهِ فِى كَذَا and إِلَيْهِ
سَلَّفْتُ [I paid in advance to him for such a thing, &c.]. (Msb.) Hence the saying in a tradition, فَيُسَلِّفْ
مَنْ سَلَّفَ
فِى كَيْلٍ مَعْلُومٍ وَوَزْنٍ مَعْلُومٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مَعْلُومٍ i. e. He who pays in advance for a commodity for which the seller is responsible, let him pay in advance for a certain measure, and a certain weight, to be delivered at a certain period. (TA.)
3.
And اسلفهُ مَالًا, (S, M, Mgh, TA,) and
سلّفهُ, (M, Mgh, TA,) He lent him property [to be repaid, or returned, without any profit]. (M, Mgh, TA. [See, again, سَلَفٌ.]) [Whence one says, اسلفهُ إِحْسَانًا and سلّفهُ, and
سلّفهُ, meaning (assumed tropical:) He did to him, to be requited it, a good action and an evil action; as is shown by the words مَا أَسْلَفْتَ مِنْ إِسَاءَةٍ أَوْ إِحْسَانٍ وَمَا تُعْطِيهِ لِتُقْضَاهُ in article قرض in the K, and by the corresponding words مَا سَلَّفْتَ مِنْ إِحْسَانٍ وَمِنْ إِسَاءَةٍ in the same article in the S: see also Bd in xxxvi. 11: and see زَلَّفَهُ. And hence,] a poet says,
(assumed tropical:) [They (referring to camels) yield promptly to the neighbour a draught of milk, while they are thirsty, and going round about the water, when the water is crowded upon, scanty in the source, divided by lot]. (TA. [See also some verses of El-Akra' Ibn-Mo'ádh, in which the former hemistich occurs with a different latter hemistich, in the Ham p. 753.])الجَارَ شِرْبًا وَهْىَ حَايءِمَةٌ تُسَلِّفُوَالمَاءُ لَزْنٌ بَكِىْءُ العَيْنِ مُقْتَسَمُ
4.
See also 1, last sentence but one.