قومIbn Fāris gives two sound roots: a group of people, sometimes extended metaphorically to … (root qwm)

Al-qawm (القوم): men, excluding women. God — glorified and exalted — said: 'Let not a people (qawm) mock [another] people, it may be that they are better than them; nor let women [mock] women, it may be that they are better than them' [Q. 49:11]. Zuhayr said: 'I do not know — though I shall soon suppose I know — / whether the family of Ḥiṣn are men (qawm) or women?!' The qawm of any man: his followers (shīʿa) and clan (ʿashīra). Al-qawma (القومة): what lies between the two prostration-cycles, i.e., the standing. Abū al-Daqīsh said: 'I pray the dawn prayer with two qawmas, and the sunset prayer with three qawmas.' Al-qāma (القامة): the measure of a man's standing height, shorter than a bāʿ (fathom) by a hand-span (shibr); plurals: qiyam and qāmāt. Al-qāma [also]: a man-shaped structure built at the edge of a well upon which the pulley-post is set; its plural is al-qām (القام). Anything similarly built upon a roof or the like is also called qāma. So-and-so has qawmiyya (قومية) over his property and affairs [i.e., proper management]. 'This matter has no qawmiyya,' meaning it has no qawām (support), as the poet said: 'Do you not see that truth has a qawmiyya, / and a manifest matter by which one is guided?' One says: qumtu qiyāman wa-maqāman (قمت قياما ومقاما, 'I stood'), and aqamtu bi-l-makān iqāmatan wa-maqāman (أقمت بالمكان إقامة ومقاما, 'I resided in the place'). Al-maqām (المقام): the place of the two feet; al-maqām and al-maqāma: the place in which one resides. [One says] rijāl qiyām (رجال قيام, 'standing men'), and nisāʾ qiyyam (نساء قيم) — though qāʾimāt (قائمات) is better known. Danānīr qawm wa-qiyam (دنانير قوم وقيم), and dīnār qāʾim (دينار قائم): a full mithqāl weight, equal, not tipping the scale — with money-changers it is [otherwise] deficient until it tips the scale, at which point it is called māʾil (مائل). ʿAyn qāʾima (عين قائمة, 'a standing eye'): one whose sight has gone but whose socket is sound. When cold strikes a tree or plant, killing part and leaving part, it is said some of it is hāmid (هامد, withered) and some is qāʾim (standing), and likewise for similar cases. Qāʾim al-sayf (قائم السيف): the sword's hilt; anything else [so named] takes the tāʾ marbūṭa — qāʾima (قائمة), e.g. the leg of a bed, of a table-stand, or of a riding-beast. 'Qāma qāʾim al-ẓahīra' (قام قائم الظهيرة): said when the sun stands [at its zenith] and the shadow is about to vanish/still. When a person cannot manage something, it is said 'mā qāma bihi' (ما قام به, 'he could not withstand/handle it'). Qayyim al-qawm (قيم القوم): the one who administers and sets right the people's affairs. Rumḥ qawīm (رمح قويم, 'a straight spear'), rajul qawīm (رجل قويم, 'an upright man'). In the ḥadīth: 'wa-lā akhirru illā qāʾiman' (ولا أخر إلا قائما, 'nor shall I fall except standing'), meaning 'I shall not die except firmly established in Islam.' Al-qāʾim (القائم) in kingship and the like: the protector/guardian. Whoever holds to the truth is al-qāʾim, holding fast to it. Al-qīma (القيمة): the upright religion (al-milla al-mustaqīma); His saying 'wa-dhālika dīnu l-qayyima' [Q. 98:5] means 'the upright [religion].' Al-qiyāma (القيامة): the Day of Resurrection, when creatures stand before al-Qayyūm (القيوم). Al-qiyām (القيام) [also occurs], as in: 'O God, [the] sustaining of the heavens and the earth (qiyāma l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ) — grant us understanding of the matter of Your religion.' Al-qawām (القوام) of livelihood... [entry continues]

Al-qawm (القوم): men, excluding women; it has no singular of its own form. Zuhayr said: 'I do not know — though I shall soon suppose I know — / whether the family of Ḥiṣn are men (qawm) or women.' God Almighty said: 'Let not a people (qawm) mock [another] people' [Q. 49:11], then He, glorified is He, said 'nor let women [mock] women' — and women may sometimes be included in it by extension, since the qawm of every prophet comprises both men and women. The plural of al-qawm is aqwām (أقوام), and the plural of the plural is aqāwim (أقاوم). Abū Ṣakhr said: 'If the heart excuses [indulgence in] youthful passion this evening, / your heart will not be excused for it by the aqāwim [multiple faculties].' He meant by 'heart' the intellect. Ibn al-Sikkīt said: one says aqāyim and aqāwim. Al-qawm is treated as both masculine and feminine, because collective nouns without a singular of their own form, when referring to human beings, are treated as both masculine and feminine, like rahṭ (رهط) and nafar (نفر). God Almighty said 'wa-kadhdhaba bihi qawmuka' (treating it as masculine), and said 'kadhdhabat qawmu Nūḥ' (treating it as feminine). If you form its diminutive, the tāʾ [feminine marker] is not added, so you say quwaym (قويم), ruhayṭ (رهيط), nufayr (نفير); rather [gender] attaches to its predicate/verb. The tāʾ is added in the diminutive of what refers to non-humans, such as al-ibil (camels) and al-ghanam (sheep/goats), because feminine gender is fixed for them. As for broken plurals like jimāl (camels) and masājid (mosques) — although treated as either masculine or feminine — you intend 'the plural [of units]' when masculine and 'the collectivity' when feminine. Qāma al-rajul qiyāman (قام الرجل قياما, 'the man stood'). Al-qawma (القومة): the single instance. Qāma bi-amri kadhā (قام بأمر كذا, 'he undertook such a matter'). Qāma al-māʾ (قام الماء): 'the water froze.' Qāmat al-dābba (قامت الدابة): 'the riding-beast halted.' Al-Farrāʾ said: qāmat al-sūq (قامت السوق) means 'the market thrived.' Qāwamahu fī l-muṣāraʿati wa-ghayrihā (قاومه في المصارعة وغيرها): 'he contended against him in wrestling and the like.' Taqāwamū fī l-ḥarb (تقاوموا في الحرب): 'they stood opposed to each other in war,' i.e. some stood against others. Aqāma bi-l-makān iqāmatan (أقام بالمكان إقامة): 'he resided in the place.' The tāʾ is a substitute for the middle radical, since its origin is iqwāman (إقواما). Aqāmahu min mawḍiʿihi (أقامه من موضعه): 'he made him rise from his place.' Aqāma al-shayʾ (أقام الشيء) means 'he maintained/perpetuated the thing,' from His saying 'wa-yuqīmūna l-ṣalāh' (ويقيمون الصلاة). Al-muqāma (المقامة), with ḍamma: residing (al-iqāma). Al-maqāma (المقامة), with fatḥa: a sitting-place (al-majlis), and a gathering of people. As for al-maqām and al-muqām, each may mean 'residing' or 'the place of standing/residing': if derived from qāma yaqūmu it takes fatḥa (al-maqām); if from aqāma yuqīmu it takes ḍamma (al-muqām), since when a verb exceeds three [root letters] its noun-of-place takes ḍamma on the mīm, being likened to quadriliteral verbs such as daḥraja ('he rolled') — hence 'this is our place of rolling' (mudaḥrajunā). His saying, Exalted is He, 'lā muqāma lakum' [Q. 33:13] means 'there is no place for you.' It is also read 'lā maqāma lakum,' with ḍamma, meaning 'there is no residing for you.' And 'ḥasunat mustaqarran wa-muqāman' [Q. 25:76] means 'a place.' The saying of Labīd: 'ʿAfat...' [entry continues]

Qāf, wāw, and mīm form two sound roots (aṣlān ṣaḥīḥān): one indicates a group/band of people, and it may be metaphorically extended to non-humans; the other indicates standing upright (intiṣāb) or firm resolve ('azm). As for the first: al-qawm (القوم) — they say it is the plural of imru' (امرئ, 'a person'), and this applies only to men. God Almighty said: 'Let not a people (qawm) mock [another] people' [Q. 49:11], then He said 'nor let women [mock] women.' Zuhayr said: 'I do not know — though I shall soon suppose I know — / whether the family of Ḥiṣn are men (qawm) or women.' They say qawm, and its plurals aqwām (أقوام) and aqāwim (أقاوم), a plural of a plural. As for the metaphorical use, there is the poet's saying: 'When the rooster comes forward calling some of his household / at dawn, and he is a qawm (band) without protectors (maʿāzīl).' Thus he made it a plural and called them a qawm. As for the other [meaning]: their saying qāma qiyāman (قام قياما, 'he stood, standing'); al-qawma (القومة) is the single instance of standing. Qāma can also carry the meaning of firm resolve, as one says qāma bi-hādhā al-amr (قام بهذا الأمر) when he has firmly undertaken this matter. They call the first qiyām ḥatm (قيام حتم, a necessary/physical standing) and the other qiyām 'azm (قيام عزم, a standing of resolve). Also belonging to this root is qawwamtu al-shay' taqwīman (قومت الشيء تقويما, 'I appraised the thing'); the basic form of al-qīma (القيمة, 'value') is from wāw, its underlying sense being that you set this in the place of that. We have been told that the people of Mecca say istaqamtu al-matā' (استقمت المتاع), meaning 'I appraised the goods' (qawwamtuhu). Also from this root: 'this is qawām al-dīn wa-l-ḥaqq' (قوام الدين والحق, 'the mainstay of religion and truth'), i.e., that by which it stands firm. Al-qawām (القوام) means fine, handsome stature. Al-qawmiyya (القومية) means qawām (stature), and al-qāma (القامة) [likewise], as the poet said: 'In the days when I was of fine stature (ḥasan al-qawmiyya)...'

One says: qāma yaqūmu qiyāman (قام يقوم قياما, 'he stood'), so he is qāʾim (قائم), plural qiyām (قيام); and aqāmahu ghayruhu (أقامه غيره, 'another made him stand'), and aqāma bi-l-makān iqāmatan (أقام بالمكان إقامة, 'he resided in the place'). Al-qiyām (القيام) is of several kinds: standing pertaining to a person, whether by compulsion or by choice; standing [meaning] care for and protection of a thing (murāʿāh); and standing [meaning] firm resolve (ʿazm) upon a thing. From the standing by compulsion is His saying 'minhā qāʾimun wa-ḥaṣīd' [Q. 11:100] ('some of it standing, some reaped'), and His saying 'mā qaṭaʿtum min līnatin aw taraktumūhā qāʾimatan ʿalā uṣūlihā' [Q. 59:5] ('whatever palm-trees you cut down or left standing on their roots'). From the standing by choice is His saying 'amman huwa qānitun ānāʾa l-layli sājidan wa-qāʾiman' [Q. 39:9] ('one devoutly obedient in the hours of night, prostrating and standing'); His saying 'alladhīna yadhkurūna Llāha qiyāman wa-quʿūdan wa-ʿalā junūbihim' [Q. 3:191] ('those who remember God standing, sitting, and on their sides'); His saying 'al-rijālu qawwāmūna ʿalā l-nisāʾ' [Q. 4:34] ('men are qawwāmūn over women'); and His saying 'wa-lladhīna yabītūna li-rabbihim sujjadan wa-qiyāman' [Q. 25:64] ('those who spend the night prostrating and standing before their Lord'). Al-qiyām in these two verses is the plural of qāʾim. From the meaning 'care/protection' is His saying 'kūnū qawwāmīna lillāhi shuhadāʾa bi-l-qisṭ' [Q. 5:8] ('be maintainers for God, witnesses in justice'); 'qāʾiman bi-l-qisṭ' [Q. 3:18]; and His saying 'afaman huwa qāʾimun ʿalā kulli nafsin bimā kasabat' [Q. 13:33] ('He who stands over every soul [observing] what it has earned'), meaning 'guarding/watching over it.' And His saying, Exalted is He, 'laysū sawāʾan min ahli l-kitābi ummatun qāʾima' [Q. 3:113] ('among the People of the Book is an upright community'); and His saying 'illā mā dumta ʿalayhi qāʾiman' [Q. 3:75] ('except so long as you keep standing over him'), meaning 'steadfastly pursuing it.' From the meaning 'resolve' is His saying 'yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū idhā qumtum ilā l-ṣalāh' [Q. 5:6] ('O you who believe, when you rise up for prayer'); and His saying 'yuqīmūna l-ṣalāh' [Q. 5:55], meaning 'they perpetuate its performance and are constant in it.' Al-qiyām and al-qawām (القوام): a term for that by which a thing stands firm, like al-ʿimād ('support-post') and al-sinād ('prop'), that by which something is propped and supported — as in His saying 'wa-lā tuʾtū l-sufahāʾa amwālakumu llatī jaʿala Llāhu lakum qiyāman' [Q. 4:5] ('do not give the feeble-minded your wealth which God has made a means of support for you'), meaning He made it a means of your sustenance/cohesion. And His saying 'jaʿala Llāhu l-Kaʿbata l-bayta l-ḥarāma qiyāman li-l-nās' [Q. 5:97] ('God made the Kaʿba, the Sacred House, a means of standing/support for the people'), meaning a qawām for them by which their livelihood and their hereafter are sustained. Al-Aṣamm said: 'qāʾiman' means 'not abrogated.' It is also read 'qiyaman' (قيما) with the meaning of qiyāman (support); and the claim of one who says it is the plural of qīma (value) is incorrect. One says qāma kadhā, thabata, rukiza — [all] synonymous. And His saying 'wa-ttakhadhū min maqāmi Ibrāhīma muṣallā' [Q. 2:125] ('take the station of Abraham as a place of prayer'). Qāma Fulānun maqāma Fulānin (قام فلان مقام فلان): when he substitutes for him. He said: 'fa-ākharāni yaqūmāni maqāmahumā mina lladhīna stuḥiqqa ʿalayhimu l-awlayān' [Q. 5:107] ('then two others shall stand in their place, from among those who have a claim against them, the two nearest in kinship'). His saying 'dīnan qiyaman' [Q. 6:161] means 'firm, sustaining the affairs of their life and afterlife.' It is also read 'qiyaman' (قيما), lightened from qiyāman. It is said to be a [descriptive] adjective, like qawmun ʿidan (قوم عدى, 'a just people'), makānun siwan (مكان سوى, 'a level place'), laḥmun zīm (لحم زيم, 'scattered meat'), māʾun rawan (ماء روى, 'abundant water'), and... [entry continues]

Al-qiyām (القيام): the opposite of sitting (al-julūs). Qāma yaqūmu qawman wa-qiyāman wa-qawmatan wa-qāmatan (قام يقوم قوما وقياما وقومة وقامة, 'he stood'). Al-qawma (القومة): the single instance. Ibn al-Aʿrābī said: a slave said to a man wishing to buy him: 'Do not buy me, for when I am hungry I hate standing (qawm), and when I am full I love sleeping (nawm),' meaning 'I hate rising from my place.' [Verse:] 'I have fasted for my Lord, so may He accept my fasting (ṣāmatī), / and I have stood my night, so may He accept my standing (qāmatī), / I call upon You, my Lord, [to save me] from the Fire / which You have prepared for the disbelievers, on the Day of Resurrection (al-qiyāma).' Some said: he meant qawmatī and ṣawmatī, substituting alif for wāw; these verses have been transmitted both with and without the taʾsīs [rhyme feature]; and he meant 'from fear of the Fire which I have prepared.' Ibn Barrī cited this rajaz-verse as evidence for al-qawma, saying: 'I have indeed stood my night, so may my standing (qawmatī) be accepted, / and I have fasted my day, so may my fasting (ṣawmatī) be accepted.' A man is qāʾim (قائم), [with plurals] rijāl qawm (رجال قوم), qiyyam, quyyam, qiyām, qiyyām. Qawm: it is said to be a collective noun (ism jamʿ), and it is also said to be a [broken] plural. Al-Tahdhīb: and nisāʾ qiyyam (نساء قيم), though qāʾimāt (قائمات) is better known. Al-qāma (القامة): plural of qāʾim, according to Kurāʿ. Ibn Barrī, may God have mercy on him, said: the Arabs sometimes use qāma as a filler word before an imperfect verb, so that it becomes like an expletive (ka-l-laghw). The meaning of al-qiyām [in such cases] is 'resolve' (al-ʿazm), as in the saying of al-ʿUmānī the rajaz-poet to al-Rashīd, when he intended to designate his son Qāsim as heir: 'Say to the imam emulated for his mother's [virtue]: / What of Qāsim, short of the appointed term of his mother's son? / We are content with him — so qum (rise up/resolve) and designate him.' i.e. 'resolve and formally appoint him.' And like the saying of al-Nābigha al-Dhubyānī: 'I was told that Ḥiṣn, and a tribe of Banū Asad, / qāmū (rose up/resolved) and said: Our protected land is not to be approached.' i.e. 'they resolved and said.' And like the saying of Ḥassān ibn Thābit: 'Why has a base man risen up (qāma) to revile me, / like a pig wallowing in ashes?' meaning 'why does he resolve to revile me?' And like the saying of another poet: 'By the door of Hind, when he stood forth (tajarrada qāʾiman)...' From this comes His saying, Exalted is He: 'wa-annahū lammā qāma ʿabdu Llāhi yadʿūhu' [Q. 72:19] ('and that when the servant of God stood up calling upon Him'), meaning 'when he resolved.' And His saying 'idh qāmū fa-qālū rabbunā rabbu l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ' [Q. 18:14] ('when they stood up and said, Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth'), meaning 'they resolved and said [it].' He [Ibn Barrī] said: al-qiyām sometimes carries the meaning of vigilant care and setting-right (al-muḥāfaẓa wa-l-iṣlāḥ); from this is His saying 'al-rijālu qawwāmūna ʿalā l-nisāʾ' [Q. 4:34], and His saying 'illā mā dumta ʿalayhi qāʾiman' [Q. 3:75], meaning 'constantly attending to it, watchful over it.' And al-qiyām carries the meaning of halting and remaining fixed (al-wuqūf wa-l-thabāt). One says to a walker: 'qif lī' ('stop for me'), meaning 'hold yourself in place until I come to you,' and likewise one says 'qum lī' meaning 'qif lī.' On this basis they have explained His saying, Glorified is He: 'wa-idhā aẓlama ʿalayhim qāmū' [Q. 2:20] ('and when it grows dark upon them, they stand still'). Scholars of language and exegesis said: qāmū here means 'they stopped and stood fixed in their place, neither advancing nor retreating.' From this comes al-tawaqquf ('pausing') in a matter, which is halting at it without going beyond it; from this is the ḥadīth: 'al-muʾminu waqqāfun mutaʾannin' ('the believer pauses, is deliberate'), and upon this is based the saying of al-Aʿshā: 'kānat waṣā...' [entry continues]