Discover the meaning of the term Al-ḍlʿ (ضلع) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 1 min readIt is most often applied to the lines surrounding the square.
With a kasrah on the ḍād, a fatḥah on the lām in the dialect of the Hijaz, and a sukūn on it in the dialect of Tamim. The plural is aḍlāʿ, ḍulūʿ, and aḍluʿ, which are the bones of the side. Ḍalʿ is feminine.
Ḍalʿ also denotes inclination. From this comes your saying: 'your ḍalʿ is with so-and-so': meaning your alignment and inclination towards him. An-Nabigha said: You threaten a slave who did not betray your trust...
and you leave an unjust slave while he is leaning (ḍāliʿ). 'Gharīb al-Ḥadīth by Al-Khattabī 1/397, Al-Muġrib p. 284, Al-Muṭliʿ p.
367, Al-Miṣbāḥ al-Munīr p. 138, Al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ 1/563'.