رُكْنٌ

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رُكْنٌ The جَانِب [meaning side, or outward part,] of a thing: or the strongest جَانِب [i. e. side, or outward part,] of a thing of any kind: the corner, or angle, (زَاوِيَة,) of a house or room or the like: (K in art. زوى:) [and this is perhaps what is meant by the “ strongest جانب; ” for the strongest outward part of the house is unquestionably the corner, or angle: thus the angle in which is the Black Stone, of the Kaabeh, is specially called رُكْنُ البَيْتِ, i. e. رُكْنُ بَيْتِ ٱللّٰهِ:] the رُكْن of a قَصْر [or palace, or pavilion, &c.,] is its جَانِب [or its strongest جانب], and so of a mountain: (TA: [see رَكُنَ, and رَكِينٌ:]) the pl. is أَرْكَانٌ and أَرْكُنٌ [each properly a pl. of pauc., but the former is used as a pl. of mult.]: the أَرْكَان of anything are is جَوَانِب [or sides, or outward parts, or its corners, or angles,] upon which it rests, and by which it is supported: and the أَرْكَان of a land are its extremities [or sides or corners].
2 [Hence, A stay, or support, of any kind: see an ex. voce مِرْجَمٌ: whence, perhaps,] one says, تَمَسَّحْتُ بِأَرْكَانِهِ, meaning تَبَرَّكْتُ بِهِ [i. e. I looked for a blessing by means of him, or it]. A thing whereby one is strengthened (مَا يُقَوَّى بِهِ [in the CK ما تَقَوَّىبه]), such as dominion (مُلْك [in the CK مَلِك]), and an army, or a military force, &c.: and thus it has been explained as occurring in the Kur [li. 39], where it is said, فَتَوَلَّى بِرُكْنِهِ, i. e. And he turned away from belief with his forces; because they were to him like the رُكْن [properly so termed]. A man's kinsfolk; or nearer, or nearest, relations; or clan; or tribe; syn. عَشِيرَةٌ: a man's people, or party; and the higher among them; and the persons by whom he is aided and strengthened: thought by ISd to be thus called by way of comparison [to a رُكْن properly so termed]: and thus it has been explained as used in the Kur [xi. 82], where it is said, أَوْ آوِىَ رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ [Or that I might have recourse to a strong people, or party, &c.]: or it here means عَشِيرَة [explained above]. And A noble, or high, person; as in the saying, هُوَ رُكْنٌ مِنْ أَرْكَانِ قَوْمِهِ [He is a noble, of the nobles of his people]. And أَرْكَانُ الإِنْسَانِ means The members, or limbs, of the man, with which things are gained or earned, or with which he works; as the hands or arms, and the feet or legs.
3 Also Might, and resistance: so in the saying, هُوَ يَأْوِى إِلَى رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ [He has recourse to strong, or vehement, might and resistance]: and so it has been explained as used in the words of the Kur last cited above.
4 And A thing, an affair, a case, an event, or an action, of great magnitude or moment, momentous, formidable, or terrible. Thus AHeyth explains it as used in the saying of En-Nábighah [Edh-Dhubyánee], لَا تَقْذِفَنِّى بِرُكْنٍ لَا كِفَآءَ لَهُ [By no means reproach thou me with a momentous, or a formidable, thing or action, or an enormity, that has not its equal; though the enemies incite thee, with companies of men aiding one another].
5 In the conventional language [of the schools], رُكْنُ الشَّىْءِ means [The essence of the thing; or] that whereby the thing subsists: from التَّقَوُّمُ; because the قِوَام [or subsistence] of the thing is by its رُكْن: not from القِيَام: else it would necessarily be the case that the agent would be a رُكْن to the action; and the substance, to the accident; and the thing to which a quality is attributed, to the quality: it is that without which the thing has no subsistence: and is [also] applied to [an essential, or essential part, of the thing; i. e.,] a part of the مَاهِيَّة [or essence] of the thing, (Kull, [and in like manner أَرْكَانُ الشَّىْءِ is explained in the Msb as meaning the parts of the ماهيّة of the thing,]) as when we say that القِيَام is a رُكْن of الصَّلَاْة; as well as to the whole مَاهيّة [of the thing]: [thus] أَرْكَانُ العِبَادَاتِ means the fundamentals [or essentials] of the services of religion, by the neglect, or non-observance, of which they are ineffectual, or null, or void: or, as some say, رُكْنُ الشَّىْءِ means that whereby the thing is complete; and this is intrinsic therein; differing from the شَرْط [or condition] thereof, which is extrinsic thereto.

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