قبلa single sound root whose words all denote one thing facing another; the other senses … (root qbl)

Al-Khalīl said: min qablu (من قبل) and min baʿdu (من بعد) are two termini (ghāyatān) without tanwīn (like your saying 'mā ra'aytu mithlahu qaṭṭu,' 'I never saw its like at all'). If you put it in construct with something, you place it in the accusative when it occupies the position of a descriptive adjunct: you say 'jā'a qabla ʿAbdillāh' and 'huwa qabla Zaydin qādim.' If you place 'min' upon it, it enters the category of nouns, as in 'min qabli Zaydin' — 'min' takes on descriptive function, and 'qabl' is put in the genitive by 'min,' becoming subordinate to it, and shifting from adjectival to nominal status, because two adjectival functions cannot combine; and 'min' prevails over it because 'min' stands at the head of the phrase, so it dominates. Al-qubl (القبل) is the opposite of al-dubr (الدبر, the back). Al-qubl is the pudendum of a woman (farj al-mar'a). Al-qabal (القبل) is from your turning toward (iqbāl) a thing; you say 'qad aqbalat qablaka' (قد أقبلت قبلك), as though you want nothing else. Al-Khalīl was asked about the Arabs' saying 'kayfa anta law aqbala qablaka' (كيف أنت لو أقبل قبلك); he said: I take it as nominative because it is a noun, not a maṣdar like al-qaṣd and al-naḥw — rather it means: How would you be if your face were confronted with what you dislike? Al-qabal is also 'power/capacity' (al-ṭāqa); you say 'lā qabala lahum' (they have no power). In another sense it is 'direct facing' (al-tilqā'); you say 'laqītuhu qabalan,' i.e. face to face. Al-Kumayt said: "And an ambusher for you in hostility, who has no yielding from you, when you make clear terms with him, no power (qabal)." i.e. no capacity. 'Uṣība hādhā min qabalihi' means 'from his direction, from him' — not from the sense of a literal encounter, but in the sense of 'from him.' His saying, Exalted is He: 'wa-ḥasharnā ʿalayhim kulla shay'in qabalan' means 'tribe by tribe' (qabīlan qabīlan); it is also said it means 'openly, face to face' — every kind of jinn and man being a qabal. His saying 'innahu yarākum huwa wa-qabīluhu' means 'he and those of his lineage.' As for al-qabīla, it belongs to the tribes of the Arabs and of mankind generally. Qabīlat al-ra's is every plate matched against the other, and a ball too has qabā'il [sections]. Al-qibāl is the strap of a sandal; a sandal is 'maqbūla' and 'muqbala.' Al-qabal is also a kind of splaying and separation between the legs; one who has it is 'afjā' and 'afḥaj' — a single description without a verb form; he said: 'A thick-thighed woman (ḥankala) in whom there is qabal and faja.' Al-qabal is also the summit of a mountain or hillock and the like; al-Kumayt said: 'and the other two [reached] when the qabal (hilltop) attained its full height.' Among neighbors there is muqābil (facing) and mudābir (turning away); he said: "My soul protected you, and with me my neighbor-women, facing me (muqābilātī) and turned from me (mudābirātī)." Muqābala and qibāla mean whatever faces (mustaqbil) a thing. A ewe muqābala has had a piece cut from her ear and left hanging from the front, while a mudābara is cut from the back. When you join one thing to another, you say 'qābaltuhu bihi.' And al-qābila is the... [entry continues]

Qabl (قبل): the opposite of baʿd (after). Al-qubl and al-qubul (القبل والقبل): the opposite of al-dubr and al-dubur (الدبر والدبر, the back). 'The arrow struck the front of the target (bi-qubli al-hadaf) and its back (bi-dubrihi).' 'Qadda qamīṣahu min qubulin wa-min dubur,' with doubling [of the consonant], means from its front and its back. It is said 'inzil bi-qubuli hādhā al-jabal,' meaning at its foothill. 'That happened in the qubul of winter and the qubul of summer,' meaning at its start. Their saying 'idhan uqbilu qablaka' means 'then I intend your intent and turn toward you.' Al-qubla (القبلة, the kiss), from taqbīl, is well known. Al-qibla (القبلة) is that toward which one prays. It is also said 'mā lahu qibla wa-lā dibra' when he has no guidance to the direction of his affair. 'Mā li-kalāmihi qibla' means his speech has no direction. 'Min ayna qiblatuka' means from where is your direction? It is said 'fulān jalasa qubālatahu,' with ḍamma, meaning opposite him — a noun used adverbially. Qibāl al-naʿl (قبال النعل), with kasra, is the strap between the middle toe and the one next to it. One says 'qābaltu al-naʿla wa-aqbaltuhā' when you make two such straps for it. 'Akhadhtu al-amra bi-qawābilihi' means by its beginnings and onset. Al-qābila (القابلة) is the coming night. 'Qabala' and 'aqbala' are synonymous; one says 'ʿām qābil,' meaning coming. 'Qabbaḥa Allāhu minhu mā qabala wa-mā dabara' [May God make ugly whatever is before and behind him]. Some do not use a verb form from it. 'Taqabbaltu al-shay'a' and 'qabiltuhu qabūlan,' with fatḥa on the qāf — an anomalous maṣdar; al-Yazīdī related from Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlā': 'al-qabūl,' with fatḥa, is a maṣdar, and I have heard no other. It is said 'ʿalā fulānin qubūl' when the soul accepts him favorably. Al-qabūl is also al-ṣabā [east wind], a wind that faces al-dabūr [west wind]. He said: 'For indeed the wind is sweet, a qabūl [east wind]...' 'Qabilat al-rīḥ,' with fatḥa, 'taqbulu qabūlan,' with ḍamma — the noun is with fatḥa, the maṣdar with ḍamma. Al-qabal (القبل), with fatḥa on both letters, is a rise in the ground that faces you; one says 'ra'aytu bi-dhālika al-qabal shakhṣan.' Al-Jaʿdī said: 'Indeed my memory is like a fire at a qabal [hilltop]...' Al-qabal is also splay-footedness, where the front of the two feet draw close and the heels stay apart. It is also said 'ra'aynā al-hilāl qabalan' when it was seen for the first time [not previously sighted]. Al-qabal in the eye is the turning of the black [pupil] toward the nose; 'qabilat ʿaynuhu' and 'aqbaltuhā anā' [I caused it]. A man 'aqbal,' clearly 'bayyin al-qabal,' is as though looking at the tip of his own nose. Al-Khansā' said: "And when I saw the horses turned-in (qubalan) racing cheek to cheek with the tips of the spears..." A ewe 'qabalā',' clearly 'qabal,' is one whose horns turn in toward her face. Al-qabal is also for camels to drink water and... [entry continues]

Qāf, bā', and lām: one sound root, all of whose words indicate the facing of one thing toward another. From this branches out: al-qabl (القبل) of everything is the opposite of its dubr (دبر, back), because its front (muqaddam) faces (yuqbilu ʿalā) the thing. Al-qabīl (القبيل) is what a woman turns toward (aqbalat bihi) of her spun yarn as she twists it, while al-dabīr (الدبير) is what she turns away from — and that is the meaning of their saying 'mā yaʿrifu qabīlan min dabīr' (he does not know front from back). Al-qibla (القبلة) is so named because of people's facing (iqbāl) toward it in their prayer, and because it also faces them. One says 'faʿala dhālika qablan' meaning face to face; and 'hādhā min qabli fulān' (هذا من قبل فلان) means 'from him,' as if he is the one who brought it to you (aqbala bihi). Al-qibāl (القبال) is the halter-strap of a camel or sandal; 'qābaltuhā' (قابلتها) means I made two such straps for it, because each faces the other. A ewe that is 'muqābala' (مقابلة) has had a piece cut from her ear, left hanging, from the front; if from the back, she is 'mudābara' (مدابرة). Al-qābila (القابلة) is the coming night; al-ʿām al-qābil (العام القابل) is the coming year, and no verb form (faʿala) is used from it [in this sense]. Al-qābila also means she who receives the newborn at birth. Al-qabūl (القبول) of winds is al-ṣabā (الصبا, the east wind), because it faces al-dabūr (الدبور) or the House [Kaʿba]. 'Qabiltu al-shay'a qabūlan' (قبلت الشيء قبولا) means I accepted the thing. Al-qabal (القبل) in the eye is the turning of the black [pupil] toward the inner corner (al-maḥjir); it is also said it is its turning toward the nose. Al-qabal is [also] a rise in the ground that faces you; one says 'ra'aytu bi-dhālika al-qabal shakhṣan' (I saw a figure at that rise). Al-qabīl (القبيل) is the guarantor (al-kafīl); one says 'qabala bihi qabālatan' (قبل به قبالة), because he faces the matter and undertakes it. 'Ifʿal dhālika ilā ʿashrin min dhī qabal' means 'do it within the coming ten [days],' i.e. in time yet to come. One says 'aqbalnā ʿalā al-ibil' when we draw water over the camels' heads as they drink, and that is al-qabal. 'Fulān muqtabil al-shabāb' (فلان مقتبل الشباب) means no trace of old age has appeared in him and his youth has not turned away, as the poet said: "He is not an old master with no youth left in him, but rather Uthayla, pure in hue, fresh in youth (muqtabil)." Al-qābil (القابل) is the one who receives the bucket [of the well-rope]; as the poet said: "And a receiver (qābil) who sings whenever his two hands grip the well-ropes, standing, gushing water." Ibn Duraid said: al-qibla is a bead resembling a spindle-whorl hung on horses' necks. It is [also] said al-qibla is a thing a sorceress makes to turn one person's face toward another [in attraction]. Qabā'il al-ra's (قبائل الرأس) are the plates of the skull which the sutures (al-shu'ūn) join together, named thus because each faces the other — and by this the tribes of the Arabs (qabā'il al-ʿArab) were named. Qabīl al-qawm (قبيل القوم) is their overseer/chief, named thus because he attends to them (yuqbilu ʿalayhim), learning their affairs; as the poet said: "Or whenever a tribe (qabīla) came to ʿUkāẓ, they sent to their chief (qabīlihim) to make inquiry." 'Naḥnu fī qabālati fulān' means we are under his oversight/charge. 'Mā li-fulānin qibla' means fulān has no direction he turns and faces. They say al-qabīl is a group gathered from various tribes, while al-qabīla are the sons of one father — though this too, in our view, has been said [of qabīl], and sometimes sons of one father are called qabīl, as Labīd said: "And a qabīl [kinsfolk] from ʿUqayl, true [in loyalty]..." As for their saying 'lā qabla lī bihi' (لا قبل لي به), meaning 'I have no power for it,' it belongs to this root, i.e. it is not such that facing it is possible for me. As for qabl, the opposite of baʿd (after), it may be an anomaly departing from the root mentioned; one may contrive an explanation by saying it means 'facing toward the time,' though in our view it is closer to being anomalous.

Qabl (قبل) is used for both connected and separated precedence; its opposite is baʿd (بعد, after). It has [also] been said: [qabl and baʿd] are used only for connected precedence, their opposites being dubr and dabar (دبر ودبر). This is the original usage, though each may be used loosely. Qabl is used in several senses: First, of place, relative to the speaker's position — one traveling from Isfahan to Mecca says 'Baghdad is qabl [before] Kūfa,' while one traveling from Mecca to Isfahan says 'Kūfa is qabl [before] Baghdad.' Second, of time, as: 'the era of ʿAbd al-Malik was qabl [before] al-Manṣūr's era'; He said: "Why then did you kill the prophets of God before (min qabl)?" [Q 2:91]. Third, of rank, as: '‏ʿAbd al-Malik was qabl [before, superior to] al-Ḥajjāj.' Fourth, of technical/procedural order, as: 'learning to spell before learning to write.' And His saying: "No town believed before them (qablahum)" [Q 21:6]; and His saying: "before (qabl) the rising of the sun and before its setting" [Q 20:130]; "before (qabl) you rise from your place" [Q 27:39]; "those given the Book before (min qabl)" [Q 57:16] — each of these points to temporal precedence. Al-qubl and al-dubr (القبل والدبر) are euphemisms for the two private parts. Al-iqbāl (الإقبال) is turning toward the front, like al-istiqbāl (facing/receiving). He, Exalted, said: "fa-aqbala baʿḍuhum" [and some of them turned] [Q 37:50]; "wa-aqbalū ʿalayhim" [and they came forward to them] [Q 12:71]; "fa-aqbalat imra'atuhu" [and his wife came forward] [Q 51:29]. Al-qābil (القابل) is he who receives the bucket from the well and takes it. Al-qābila (القابلة) is she who receives the newborn at birth. 'Qabiltu ʿudhrahu wa-tawbatahu wa-ghayrahu' [I accepted his excuse, his repentance, and other things], and 'taqabbaltuhu' likewise. He said: "and no equivalent (ʿadl) will be accepted (yuqbalu) from her" [Q 2:123]; "wa-qābil al-tawb" [Acceptor of repentance] [Q 40:3]; "and He is the One who accepts (yaqbalu) repentance from His servants" [Q 42:25]. Al-taqabbul (التقبل) is accepting a thing in a manner entailing reward, like a gift and the like. He, Exalted, said: "those from whom We accept (natqabbalu) the best of what they did" [Q 46:16]; and His saying: "God only accepts (yataqabbalu) from the God-fearing" [Q 5:27] — indicating that not every act of worship is accepted, but only when performed in a specific manner. He, Exalted, said: "I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept (fa-taqabbal) it from me" [Q 3:35]. Guarantorship (kafāla) is called qabāla (قبالة), for kafāla is the most emphatic form of taqabbul; and His saying 'fa-taqabbal minnī' [Q 3:35] is in view of the meaning of guarantorship, and the written covenant is called qabāla. His saying 'fa-taqabbalahā' [Q 3:37] — it was said its meaning is 'he accepted her,' and it was said its meaning is 'he undertook guardianship of her.' And [as if] God, Most High, says: 'You have charged Me, in reality, with the greatest guardianship' — yet it was said 'fa-taqabbalahā rabbuhā bi-qabūlin ḥasan' [so her Lord accepted her with a goodly acceptance] [Q 3:37], and not 'bi-taqabbul,' so as to combine two senses: al-taqabbul, which is the ascent in acceptance, and al-qabūl, which entails approval and... [entry continues]

Al-Jawharī: qabl (قبل) is the opposite of baʿd (after). Ibn Sīda: qabl follows baʿd [in usage]; one says 'ifʿalhu qabla wa-baʿda' — it is built [indeclinable] with ḍamma unless put in construct or made indefinite; al-Kisā'ī heard: "lillāhi al-amru min qablu wa-min baʿdu" [Q 30:4], with elision [of what follows] yet not treated as built [in the usual way] — discussion of this has preceded under baʿd. Sībawayh related: 'ifʿalhu qablan wa-baʿdan' and 'ji'tuka min qablu wa-min baʿdu.' Al-Liḥyānī said: some say 'mā huwa bi-lladhī lā qabla lahu wa-mā huwa bi-lladhī lā baʿda lahu' [he is not one who has no before nor one who has no after]. Regarding His saying, Exalted is He: "wa-in kānū min qabli an yunazzala ʿalayhim min qablihi la-mublisīn" [though before it was sent down upon them, before that, they were in despair] — the view of al-Akhfash and other Basrans on the repetition of qabl is that it is for emphasis, meaning 'though before the sending-down of the rain they were in despair.' Quṭrub said: the first qabl refers to the sending-down, the second to the rain [itself]. Al-Zajjāj said: the correct view is al-Akhfash's, because 'the sending-down of the rain' is equivalent in meaning to 'the rain,' since it occurs only by it — as [the poet] said: 'They walked, as spears shook, / their tops made foolish by the passing of gentle winds' — for the winds are known only by their passing, as if he said 'the gentle winds made foolish their tops.' Al-Azharī, from al-Layth: qabl follows baʿd; and used alone, one says 'huwa min qablu' and 'huwa min baʿdu.' He said al-Khalīl said: qabl and baʿd are nominative without tanwīn because they are termini (ghāyatān), like 'mā ra'aytu mithlahu qaṭṭu.' If put in construct with something, they take the accusative when occupying the position of a descriptive adjunct, as in 'jā'anā qabla ʿAbdillāh' and 'huwa qabla Zaydin qādim.' If 'min' is placed upon it, it enters the category of nouns, as in 'min qabli Zaydin' — 'qabl' is put in the genitive because 'min' is a genitive-governing particle; 'qabl' becomes subordinate to 'min,' shifting from adjectival to nominal status, since two adjectival functions cannot combine; and 'min' prevails because it stands at the head of the phrase. In the ḥadīth: "We ask You for the good of this day and the good of what is before it and the good of what is after it, and we seek refuge in You from the evil of this day and the evil of what is before it and the evil of what is after it" — the request for the good of a bygone time is [really] a request for acceptance of the good deed advanced in it, and seeking refuge from it is seeking pardon for a sin committed in it, for though the time has passed, its consequence remains. Al-qubl and al-qubul (القبل والقبل) of everything: the opposite of al-dubr and al-dubur (الدبر والدبر); its plural is aqbāl (أقبال), according to Abū Zayd. Qubl al-mar'a (قبل المرأة) is her pudendum; and in al-Muḥkam: al-qubl is the woman's pudendum. In the ḥadīth of Ibn Jurayj: 'I said to ʿAṭā': a man in iḥrām grasped the qubul (front) of his wife — he said: if he penetrated as far as that, he owes a blood-offering (dam).' Al-qubl, with two ḍammas, is the opposite of al-dubr and is the pudendum of male or female; and it was said it is specific to the female. 'Waghala' means 'he penetrated.' 'Laqītuhu min qubulin wa-min duburin' and 'min qubulin wa-min duburin' and 'min qabalin wa-min dabarin' and... [entry continues]