رَحِمٌ

Full Definition

رَحِمٌ The womb, i. e. the place of origin, and the receptacle, of the young, in the belly; as also رِحْمٌ , a contraction of the former, and رَحْمٌ , which is of the dial. of Benoo-Kiláb: in this sense, which is the primary signification, [i. e.] as meaning the رَحِم of the female, it is fem.; or, as some say, masc.; but IB cites a verse in which رِحْم is fem.: pl. أَرْحَامٌ.
2 Hence, as also رِحْمٌ and رَحْمٌ , Relationship; i. e. nearness of kin; syn. قَرَابَةٌ: [by some restricted to relationship by the female side; as will be shown below:] and connexion by birth: or relationship connecting with a father or an ancestor: or near relationship: so in the T: or a connexion, or tie, of relationship: or the ties of relationship: accord. to the K, الرَّحِمُ signifies القَرَابَةُ or أَصْلُهَا and أَسْبَابُهَا: but in the M it is said, الرَّحِمُ أَسْبَابُ القَرَابَةِ وَأَصْلُهَا الرَّحِمُ الَّتِى هِىَ مَنْبِتُ الوَلَدِ; in which وَأَصْلُهَا forms no part of the explanation of الرحم, as the author of the K asserts it to do: as meaning relationship, رحم is in most instances masc.: pl. as above. It is said in a holy tradition (حَدِيث قُدْسِىّ [i. e. an inspired or a revealed tradition]) that God said, when He created الرَّحِم [meaning “ relationship, ” &c.], أَنَا الَّحْمٰنُ وَأَنْتَ الرَّحِمُ شَقَقْتُ ٱسْمَكَ مِنِ ٱسْمِى فَمَنْ وَصَلَكَ وَصَلْتُهُ وَمَنْ قَطَعَكَ قَطَعْتُهُ [I am الرحمٰن and thou art الرحم: I have derived thy name from my name: therefore whoso maketh thee close, I will make him close; and who severeth thee, I will sever him]. [وَصَلَ رَحِمَهُ means He made close his tie, or ties, of relationship, by kind behaviour to his kindred: and قَطَعَ رَحِمَهُ, He severed his tie, or ties, of relationship, by unkind behaviour to his kindred: see art. وصل: and see also بَلَّ رَحِمَهُ, in the first paragraph of art. بل; and a verse there cited.]
3 ذُو الرَّحِمِ means [The possessor of relationship, &c.; i. e.] the contr. of الأَجْنَبِىُّ: the pl. ذَوُو الأَرْحَامِ, [or, as in the Kur viii. last verse, and xxxiii. 6, أُولُو الأَرْحَامِ,] in the classical language, means any relations: and in law, any relations that have no portion [of the inheritances termed فَرَائِض] and are not [such heirs as are designated by the appellation] عَصَبَة [q. v.]; (KT, TA in art. ذو;) [i. e.,] with respect to the فَرَائِض, it means the relations by the women's side. ذُو رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ and [some say] مُحَرَّمٍ [and ذُو رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٌ also (see art. حرم)] mean A relation whom it is unlawful to marry, [whether male or female, the latter being included with the former, but the female, when particularly meant, is termed ذَاتُ رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ &c.,] such as the mother and the daughter and the sister and the paternal aunt and the maternal aunt [and the male relations of such degrees]: and most of the learned, of the Companions and of the generation following these, and Aboo-Haneefeh and his companions, and Ahmad [Ibn-Hambal], hold that when one possesses a person that is termed ذُو رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ, this person becomes emancipated, whether male or female; but Esh-Sháfi'ee and others of the Imáms and of the Companions and of the generation following these hold that the children and the fathers and the mothers become emancipated, and not any others than these.
4 [حَاسَّةُ رَحِمٍ means A feeling of relationship or consanguinity, or sympathy of blood; and in like manner, elliptically, رَحِمٌ alone. You say, أَطَّتْ لَهُ مِنِّى حَاسَّةُ رَحِمٍ; expl. in art. حس: and أَطَّتْ لَهُ رَحِمِى; and أَطَّتْ بِكَ الرَّحِمُ; expl. in art. اط.
5 رَحِمٌ is also often used for فَرْجٌ or حَيَآءٌ, meaning The vulva: see, for exs., شُفْرٌ, and 1 in art. ظآر, and 8 in art. حوص.]

def.2 As an epithet, with ة, applied to a she-camel: see رَحُومٌ.
2 And as an epithet without ة, applied to a water-skin: see 1, last sentence but one.

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