Root · 1 in the Quran
رين (root ryn)
The dictionaries
Ibn Fāris · 395الراء والياء والنون أصل يدل على غطاء وستر فالرين الغطاء على الشيء وقد رين عليه كأنه غشي عليه ومن هذا حديث عمر ألا إن الأسيفع أسيفع جهينة رضي من دينه بأن يقال سبق الحاج فادان معرضا فأصبح قد رين به يريد أنه مات وران النعاس
Ibn Fāris (d. 395/1004), Maqāyīs al-Lugha. Seeks each root's original sense (aṣl).
Lane · 1876English, synthesising the classical dictionaries.
E. W. Lane (d. 1876), An Arabic-English Lexicon. English, synthesising the classical dictionaries.
Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon
Letters & sound
- رrāʾtip of the tongue, near the nūn · voiced, in betweenSīb. · I. Jinnī
- يyāʾmiddle of the tongue · voiced, in betweenSīb. · I. Jinnī
- نnūntip of the tongue · voiced, in betweenSīb. · I. Jinnī
How each letter is made, in brief, from Sībawayh's and Ibn Jinnī's own sentences (linked); their words are under Reference.
Sharing two of its three letters (computed; kinship of form, not of meaning)
Reference
How it is madeSībawayh and Ibn Jinnī · phonetics
English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic AI
ر
ومن مخرج النون غير أنه أدخل في ظهر اللسان قليلا لانحرافه إلى اللام مخرج الراء
From the place of the nūn, except that it goes a little further onto the back of the tongue, because it leans towards the lām, is the place of the rāʾ. Sībawayh, lines 26557–26558 ↗
ومن مخرج النون غير أنه أدخل في ظهر اللسان قليلا، لانحرافه إلى اللام، مخرج الراء
From the place of the nūn, except that it goes a little further onto the back of the tongue, because it leans towards the lām, is the place of the rāʾ. Ibn Jinnī, lines 980–981 ↗
ي
ومن وسط اللسان بينه وبين وسط الحنك الأعلى مخرج الجيم والشين والياء
From the middle of the tongue, between it and the middle of the upper palate, is the place of the jīm, the shīn and the yāʾ. Sībawayh, line 26553 ↗
ومن وسط اللسان بينه وبين وسط الحنك الأعلى، مخرج الجيم والشين والياء
From the middle of the tongue, between it and the middle of the upper palate, is the place of the jīm, the shīn and the yāʾ. Ibn Jinnī, line 974 ↗
ن
ومن حافة اللسان من أدناها إلى منتهى طرف اللسان ما بينها وبين ما يليها من الحنك الأعلى وما فويق الثنايا مخرج النون
From the edge of the tongue, from its nearest part to the end of its tip, between it and the upper palate next to it and what is just above the front teeth, is the place of the nūn. Sībawayh, lines 26555–26556 ↗
ومن طرف اللسان بينه وبين ما فويق الثنايا، مخرج النون
From the tip of the tongue, between it and what is just above the front teeth, is the place of the nūn. Ibn Jinnī, line 979 ↗
Sībawayh, al-Kitāb (ed. Hārūn) and Ibn Jinnī, Sirr ṣināʿat al-iʿrāb; OpenITI digital texts (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Full credits on each letter's page.
In the Breath of the All-MercifulIbn ʿArabī · metaphysics
English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic AI
ر
Level of existence: السماء الخامسة · the fifth heaven
Divine Name: المصور · the Form-Giver (al-Muṣawwir)
Lunar mansion: الغفر · al-Ghafr
Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 64675Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 10 line 2573 ↗
Nature (ch. 2)
المرتبة العشرية فحروفها حارة يابسة
The tenfold rank: its letters are hot and dry.
Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, line 2582ي
Level of existence: السماء الأولى · The First Heaven
Divine Name: الرب · The Lord (al-Rabb)
Lunar mansion: الخرتان · al-Kharatān
Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 64500Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 10 line 2573 ↗
Nature (ch. 2)
المرتبة العشرية فحروفها حارة يابسة
The tenfold rank: its letters are hot and dry.
Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, line 2582ن
Level of existence: السماء الرابعة · the fourth heaven
Divine Name: النور · the Light (al-Nūr)
Lunar mansion: السماك · al-Simāk
Futūḥāt ch. 198, line 64663Spheres of its simples (ch. 2): 8 line 2571 ↗
Nature (ch. 2)
الثمانية فحروفها حارة يابسة
The eightfold [rank]: its letters are hot and dry.
Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, line 2580Meaning by vowelal-Dabbāgh · a visionary claim about a primordial “Syriac”, not historical Syriac
English throughout: AI translation of the Arabic AI
ر
With fatḥa ـَ
فهي إشارة إلى جميع الخيرات الظاهرة والباطنة.
It is an indication of all goods, outward and inward.
With ḍamma ـُ
فهي إشارة إلى الواحد في نفسه وهو ظاهر.
It is an indication of the one in itself, and it is manifest.
With kasra ـِ
فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي فيه الروح وليس من بني آدم، أو إشارة إلى الروح نفسها.
It is an indication of a thing that has spirit in it but is not of the children of Adam, or an indication of the spirit itself.
ي
With fatḥa ـَ
فهي للنداء، وقد يؤكد بها.
It is for the vocative (calling), and it may be used for emphasis.
With ḍamma ـُ
فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي لا يثبت كالبرق ونحوه.
It is an indication of the thing that does not remain fixed, like lightning and the like.
With kasra ـِ
فهي إشارة إلى الشيء الذي يستحيا به أو يستحيا منه كالعورة.
It is an indication of the thing that causes shame, or of which one is ashamed, like the private parts.
ن
With fatḥa ـَ
فهي الخير الساكن في الذات الشاعل فيها.
It is the good that dwells in the self, kindling [al-shāʿil, as written] within it.
With ḍamma ـُ
فهي إشارة إلى الخير الكامل أو النور الساطع.
It is an indication of perfect good or radiant light.
With kasra ـِ
فهي إشارة إلى شيء يدركه المتكلم أو هو له.
It is an indication of something that the speaker perceives or that belongs to him.
Two-letter nucleus10 roots in Ibn Fāris’s chapterر ي
Ibn Fāris groups his roots under two-letter chapters (“the X and the Y and what makes them three”). These are the roots of this root's chapter with the core sense he gives each. Setting them side by side is our juxtaposition; he does not himself draw a shared meaning. His chapter heading, line 12261 ↗
- ريبالراء والياء والباء أصيل يدل على شك أو شك وخوف فالريب الشكQ 36 · L12262
- ريحالراء والياء والحاء قد مضى معظم الكلام فيها في الراء والواو والحاء لأن الأصل ذاك والأصل فيما نذكر آنفا الواو أيضا غير أنا نكتب كلمات للفظ فالريح معروفL12277
- ريخالراء والياء والخاء كلمة واحدة فيها نظرL12284
- ريدالراء والياء والدال كلمتان الريد أنف الجبل والريد التربL12287
- ريرالراء والياء والراء كلمة واحدة لا يقاس عليها ولا يفرع منها فالرير المخ الفاسد وهو الرير والرار وأرار الله مخ هذه الناقة أي تركه ريرا وحدثني علي بن إبرL12288
- ريسالراء والياء والسين كلمتان متفاوت ما بينهما فالرياس قائم السيفL12293
- ريطالراء والياء والطاء كلمة واحدة وهي الريطة وهي كل ملاءة لم تك لفقين والجمع ريط ورياط وحدثني أبي عن أبي نصر ابن أخت الليث بن إدريس عن ابن السكيتL12312
- ريمالراء والياء والميم كلمات متفاوتة الأصول حتى لا يكاد يجتمع منها ثنتان واشتقاق واحد فالريم الدرجL12341
- رينالراء والياء والنون أصل يدل على غطاء وستر فالرين الغطاء على الشيء وقد رين عليه كأنه غشي عليه ومن هذا حديث عمر ألا إن الأسيفع أسيفع جهينة رضي من دينه بQ 1 · L12348
- ريهالراء والياء والهاء كلمة من باب الإبدالL12354
In the sister scriptsHebrew ר י נSyriac ܪ ܝ ܢ
| Arabic | ر ي ن |
| Hebrew | ר י נ |
| Syriac | ܪ ܝ ܢ |
| Ancient South Arabian (musnad) | 𐩧 𐩺 𐩬 |
| Phoenician | 𐤓 𐤉 𐤍 |
Letter for letter, by the regular sound correspondences of the Semitic languages (Arabic keeps several sounds the others merged). This shows how the root would be spelled; whether a related word exists is a separate question, answered in the Semitic lens. Where an Arabic sibilant (s, sh) continues two older sounds, both spellings are shown.
Lenses
AIClassical lexiconAbū ʿUbayd, among Lane's earliest sources, documents rāna ʿalayhi, 'it overcame / covered him'.well attested
The lexicographers in chronological order, from al-Khalīl to Lane.
Abū ʿUbayd, among Lane's earliest sources, documents rāna ʿalayhi, 'it overcame / covered him'. Al-Jawharī records rānat nafsuhu, 'his soul became heavy or nauseated'. Ibn Fāris reduces the root to covering and concealment. He brings under it wine or sleep overcoming the heart, ʿUmar's phrase for the debtor al-Usayfiʿ, 'he was overwhelmed (rīna bihi)', meaning ruined, and arāna for people whose herds have perished. Ibn Sīdah adds a garment becoming dirty. Lane infers that the primary sense was 'to become rusty', with the other uses following from that image, though he marks this as his own inference.
Draws on: Maqāyīs · Lane (citing Abū ʿUbayd, al-Jawharī, Ibn Sīdah, al-Qāmūs, Tāj al-ʿarūs)
- Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-lugha, s.v. رين
- Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v. ران
- Wiktionary: Arabic root ر ي ن ↗
Letters & soundIn the correspondences supplied, the three letters all fall among the heavens: rāʾ the fifth, yāʾ the first, nūn the fourth.speculative
What the theorists of sound symbolism would say of these letters. Speculative by nature.
In the correspondences supplied, the three letters all fall among the heavens: rāʾ the fifth, yāʾ the first, nūn the fourth. Al-Dabbāgh reads rāʾ as all goods, yāʾ as calling or emphasis, and nūn as the good that dwells in the self, kindled within it. On a symbolist reading, rayn would be an inward good whose light is overlaid, which fits the Quranic image of the heart. That reading is imposed on the letters and not derived from them. Mainstream linguistics treats such sound-symbolism as suggestive at most.
Draws on: Ibn ʿArabī, Futūḥāt ch. 198 (letter correspondences) · al-Dabbāgh, al-Ibrīz
- Ibn ʿArabī, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, ch. 198
- Aḥmad b. al-Mubārak al-Lamaṭī, al-Ibrīz min kalām ... ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Dabbāgh
Root structureIbn Fāris's r-y chapter places rayn beside rayb (doubt, or doubt with fear) and rīḥ (wind, which he refers back to r-w-ḥ).uncertain
The two-letter nucleus (Ibn Fāris's own chapters) and the permutations of the letters (Ibn Jinnī).
Ibn Fāris's r-y chapter places rayn beside rayb (doubt, or doubt with fear) and rīḥ (wind, which he refers back to r-w-ḥ). Its other neighbours are rayd (mountain spur), rīr (corrupt marrow), rayṭa (a single-piece wrap) and the heterogeneous r-y-m. Two of these are juxtaposed in the Quran as states of the heart: rayb as doubt and rayn as an encrustation. Among the permutations, r-n-y (a weak-final root, 'looking' in the Maqāyīs) and n-y-r ('clarity and prominence of a thing') stand in apparent contrast to covering. This is a juxtaposition only. Ibn Jinnī's greater derivation does not yield a common sense across these orders.
Draws on: Maqāyīs r-y chapter · Maqāyīs permutations
- Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-lugha, s.vv. ريب، رين، رني، نير
- Ibn Jinnī, al-Khaṣāʾiṣ, bāb al-ishtiqāq al-akbar (link not verified)
Semitic kin & loanwordsNo confident cognate of r-y-n with the sense 'cover, rust, overcome' is known to me in Hebrew, Aramaic/Syriac, Akkadian, Geʿez or South Arabian.uncertain
Cognates in the sister languages, and whether the word was borrowed.
No confident cognate of r-y-n with the sense 'cover, rust, overcome' is known to me in Hebrew, Aramaic/Syriac, Akkadian, Geʿez or South Arabian. The root has a coherent native semantic field in the Arabic lexicons, with verbal and nominal forms and uses in ḥadīth and early speech. Nothing suggests borrowing, and it is not a likely loanword.
Draws on: absence of secure cognate
Quranic exegesisThe root's only occurrence is Q 83:14: 'No;well attested
How the classical exegetes read the word in the Quran.
The root's only occurrence is Q 83:14: 'No; rather, what they used to earn has rāna upon their hearts.' Al-Ṭabarī explains this as sin upon sin covering the heart until it is darkened. He cites the ḥadīth reported from Abū Hurayra: each sin leaves a black spot on the heart, repentance polishes it, and persistence makes it spread, and 'that is the rān God mentioned'. He also reports a gradation from Mujāhid in which rayn is lighter than ṭabʿ (imprinting), which is lighter than iqfāl (locking). Al-Zamakhsharī glosses rāna as 'overcame' and likens the accumulated deeds to rust on a mirror. Al-Rāzī uses the verse in the debate on whether the covering is God's act or the consequence of human acquisition, and notes that the verse ascribes it to 'what they used to earn'. In Ḥafṣ's reading a brief pause (sakta) after bal keeps the lām from assimilating into the rāʾ.
Draws on: Q 83:14 · al-Ṭabarī · al-Zamakhsharī · al-Rāzī · ḥadīth of the black spot
- Q 83:14 ↗
- al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, ad Q 83:14
- al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, ad Q 83:14
- Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, ad Q 83:14
Reference