Edward William Lane, An Arabic-English Lexicon, ذ

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ذِمَّةٌ ذ A compact, a covenant, a contract, a league, a treaty, an engagement, a bond, or an obligation; (T, S, M, Mgh, Msb, K;) because the breaking thereof necessitates blame: (Mgh:) and a right, or due, (حَقٌّ,) for the neglect of which one is to be blamed: (Bd in ix. 8:) [an inviolable right or due:] and ↓ ذِمَامٌ and ↓ مَذِمَّةٌ and ↓ مَذَمَّةٌ signify in like manner a compact, a covenant, &c. as above, for the neglect, or nonobservance, of which a man is to be blamed: (Msb:) or these three words [in the CK the first and last only] signify a right, or due; syn. حَقٌّ: (M, K:) or so the first of them: (T, * S:) and each of them, (M, K,) or the first of them, i. e. ذِمَامٌ, (T, S, Mgh,) i. q. حُرْمَةٌ [which includes all the significations of ذِمَّةٌ likewise, those above and those which follow, but appears here to be used as meaning especially a thing that should be sacred, or inviolable; or which one is under an obligation to reverence, respect, or honour, and defend; everything that is entitled to reverence, respect, honour, or defence. in the character and appertenances of a person]; (S, M, Mgh, K;) every حُرْمَة for the neglect, or non-observance, of which one is to be blamed: (T:) ↓ ذَمَامَةٌ , also, and ↓ ذِمَامَةٌ , are syn. with حَقٌّ and حُرْمَةٌ: (TA:) and ذِمَّةٌ signifies also i. q. أَمَانٌ [as meaning security, or safety; security of life and property; protection, or safeguard; a promise, or an assurance, of security, safety, protection, or safeguard; indemnity; or quarter]; (S, Mgh, Msb, KL, TA;) and so ↓ ذِمَامٌ : (MA, KL: [explained in both by the Pers. زِنْهَارْ; and in the latter by حُرْمَةٌ and حَقٌّ also:]) and responsibility [for the fulfilment of an obligation, for the payment of a sum of money, for the restitution of a thing, or for the safety, or safe-keeping, of a thing or person]; suretiship; (M, Mgh, Msb, K;) as also ↓ ذَمَامَةٌ and ↓ ذِمَامَةٌ ; (M, K; [in the former of which, these two words are said to be syn. with ذِمَّةٌ, app. meaning, in all the senses mentioned above;]) and ↓ ذِمٌّ : (M, K: [said in the M to be syn. with ذِمَّةٌ in the first only of the senses mentioned above in this paragraph: in the CK, والذِّمُّ is erroneously put for وَ الذِّمِّ:]) the pl. of ذِمَّةٌ is ذِمَمٌ (T, Msb) and ذِمَامٌ: (T:) and the pl. of ↓ ذِمَامٌ as [a sing.] syn. with [ذِمَّةٌ and] مَذَمَّةٌ and مَذِمَّةٌ is أَذِمَّةٌ. (M, K.) Hence, i. e. from ذِمَّةٌ in the first of the senses explained above, أَهلُ الذِّمَّةِ, (S, Mgh, TA.) and الذِّمِّةُ, (T, M, * Mgh, K, TA,) with the prefixed noun اهل suppressed, (TA,) The people with whom a compact, or covenant, &c., has been made; (T, S, M, K, TA;) [and particularly] those, of the believers in a plurality of Gods, [by which are here meant the Christians, Jews, and Sabians, but no others,] who pay the [tax called] جِزْيَة; (T, TA;) [i. e. the free non-Muslim subjects of a Muslim government, who pay a poll-tax for which the Muslims are responsible for their security and freedom and toleration: see أَهْلٌ:] the appellation ↓ ذِمِّىٌّ , (Mgh, Msb,) a rel. n. from الذِّمَّةُ, (Msb;) is applied to a person of this class; (Mgh, Msb;) because he is rendered secure, or free from fear, for his property and his blood, by means of the جِزْيَة. (Mgh.) جَعَلَ عُمَرُ أَهْلَ السَّوَادِ ذِمَّةً means 'Omar treated [lit. made] the people of the Sawád as those who are termed أَهْلُ الذِّمَّةِ. (Mgh.) And أَقْبِلْنَا بِذِمَّةٍ [or أَقْلِبْنَا?], in the prayer of the traveller, means Restore us to our family in safety. (TA.) It is related in a trad. of 'Alee, that he said, ذِمَّتِى بِمَا أَقُولُ رَهِينَةٌ وَ أَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ, meaning My responsibility is pledged for [the truth of] what I say, and I am answerable for it; (Mgh, TA; *) i. e. this my saying is true, and I am responsible for it. (Mgh.) And it is said in another trad., فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ مِنْهُ الذِّمَّة [Then the responsibility of God is clear, or quit, of him]; i. e. there is given to every one, by God, a covenant whereby He binds Himself to preserve and protect him; and when he throws himself into destruction, or does that which is unlawful for him to do, or acts at variance with that which he is commanded to do, the covenant of God fails to aid him. (TA.) فِى ذِمَّتِى كَذَا means فى ضَمَانِى [virtually I am responsible for such a thing; i. e. for paying it, or restoring it, &c.; but lit. in my responsibility is such a thing; or on my responsibility rests, or lies, or be, such a thing; for فى may be here used, as it is in many other instances, in the sense of عَلَى]: (Msb:) [or,] in the saying ثَبَتَ فِى ذِمَّتِى كَذَا, [which means Such a thing became, or has become, binding, obligatory, or incumbent, on me,] the term ذِمَّة is applied to designate [the moral sense considered as] the seat [of the sense] of obligation to fulfil what is [properly] termed ذِمَّة [i. e. a compact, or covenant, or the like]. (Mgh.) الرَّضَاعِ ↓ مَا يُذْهِبُ عَنِّى مَذِمَّةَ (T, S, Mgh, *) or الرَّضَاعِ ↓ مَذَمَّةَ , (T, Mgh,) meaning [What will put away from me the obligation of] the right, or due, of the woman who has suckled for the sucking? is a question occurring in a trad., (T, S, Mgh, *) as put by a man to the Prophet: (T:) and the answer was, “ A slave, male or female: ” (T, S, Mgh:) En-Nakha'ee says, (S,) they liked, on the occasion of the weaning of a child, to give the woman who had suckled it something beside the hire: (S, Mgh:) ↓ مَذَمَّةٌ in this case is a dial. var. of ↓ مَذِمَّةٌ : (Mgh:) or, as IAth says, the former is from الذَّمُّ; and the latter, from الذِّمَّهُ. (TA.) You say also, الرَّضَاعِ بِشَّىْءٍ تُعْطِيهِ ↓ أَذْهِبْ عَنْكَ مَذَمَّ الظِّئْرَ and الرَّضَاعِ ↓ مَذِمَّ , meaning [Put away from thee the obligation of] the right, or due, that is incumbent on thee to render her for the sucking of thy child [by something that thou shalt give to her who has suckled]. (T.) And أَذْهِبْ عَنْكَ بِشَىْءٍ ↓ مَذِمَّتَهُمْ and ↓ مَذَمَّتَهُمْ , (T, and so accord. to different copies of the S and K, in which عنك is omitted,) مَذَمَّة being a dial. var., (T,) i. e. [Put away from thee the obligation of their right, or due, by something; meaning] feed them with something, (T,) or give to them something, (S, K,) for they have a right, or due. (T, S, K.) And ↓ قَضَى مَذِمَّتَهُ and ↓ مَذَمَّتَهُ [He paid his right, or due;] meaning he did good to him, or conferred upon him a benefit or benefits, in order that he might not be blamed. (M, K.) And رَجُلٌ ↓ ذُو مَذِمَّةٍ and ↓ مَذَمَّةٍ [in the CK the latter only, A man who has a right, or due,] meaning كَلٌّ عَلَى النَّاسِ (tropical:) [a man who is a burden upon people, to be maintained, or supported, by them]. (M, K, TA.) -A2- Also (i. e. ذِمَّةٌ) A repast, or banquet, to which guests are invited, [simply] for food, or for a wedding. (K.) -A3- See also ذَمَّةٌ.