Quranic root
شرع
sh · r · ʿ
An opening or accessible way extended toward something, especially a way to water; the root also conveys directing, making apparent, and extending upward.
The semantic development runs from access to water and a clear road or way to a prescribed religious way, while also including things projected or raised and objects directed toward a target.
- Maqāyīs · row 2618
- Mufradāt · row 761
- 4
- Quran-attested forms
- 4
- Quran senses
- 5
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
شَرَعَ
sharaʿa
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form I
- Form
- I
- Quran occurrences
- 2 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To prescribe or ordain a religious way, law, or command for people.
In the Quranic occurrences, the verb governs a religious matter: God prescribes religion, or people are described as prescribing a religious way for themselves.
- Lane · entry 38305
- Mufradāt · row 761
Selected Quran examples
Quran 42:13word 1
“He has ordained”
Quran 42:21word 4
“who have ordained”
شَرِيعَةٌ
sharīʿahun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
A divinely prescribed religious law or way of belief and practice.
In 45:18, it denotes a prescribed religious way or ordinance to be followed; this is the religious sense of the word, distinct from its classical sense of a watering-place.
- Lane · entry 38320
- Mufradāt · row 761
Selected Quran examples
Quran 45:18word 4
“an ordained way”
شِرْعَةٌ
shirʿahun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
A prescribed religious way or dispensation assigned to a community.
In 5:48, it denotes a divinely assigned religious course, in a context allowing different communities to have distinct ordinances; the discussion also associates it with what is subject to variation or abrogation.
- Lane · entry 38320
- Mufradāt · row 761
Selected Quran examples
Quran 5:48word 28
“a law”
شَارِعٌ
shāriʿun
- Part of speech
- Active participle
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Surfacing visibly or appearing at the water’s surface, with heads raised or lowered as the fish come to drink.
The Quranic plural شُرَّعًا describes fish in the Sabbath narrative; authorities explain the precise head movement differently, but agree on conspicuous surfacing or approach toward the bank.
- Lane · entry 38324
- Mufradāt · row 761
Selected Quran examples
Quran 7:163word 17
“visibly”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 5:48شِرْعَةًۭa law
- 7:163شُرَّعًۭاvisibly
- 42:13۞ شَرَعَHe has ordained
- 42:21شَرَعُوا۟who have ordained
- 45:18شَرِيعَةٍۢan ordained way
Broader Classical Arabic meanings
Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.
Show 47 Classical meanings
شَرَعَ
To enter water and drink, or to take water with the mouth; of livestock, to come to the watering-place.
The subject may be a person, an animal, or livestock collectively; the expression also covers entering the water or drinking with the hands.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To enter upon, begin, or commence an affair.
Usually construed with فِي for entering into an affair or undertaking.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To communicate with or open onto a road.
Said of a door, entrance, or dwelling; the related transitive construction makes an entrance communicate with the road and may describe a projecting roof directed toward it.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To point or direct a spear, spears, or a sword toward someone or something.
The direction is toward or in the direction of the intended target; a spear may also simply be described as pointing directly.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To become apparent or to make something apparent, manifest, or plain.
Applied to a road, affair, case, or religion; the transitive use can mean making such a matter clear.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To bring cattle or camels to a watering-place, or make them enter the water to drink.
The transitive construction may describe watering animals without drawing water by a pulley or serving it in a trough.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To take an easy way of performing an affair.
An idiomatic extension of making animals enter the water, applied to choosing an uncomplicated method rather than exerting oneself.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To slit and strip off an animal hide.
The traditional descriptions specify cutting the hide between the hind legs or otherwise removing it without making a skin vessel.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To loosen or undo a rope or its slip-knot and insert its two halves into the loop.
This is a specialized handling operation involving the doubled cord.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَعَ
To raise or elevate a thing considerably.
A general transitive use; the evidence does not restrict the object to a particular class.
- Lane · entry 38305
شَرَّعَ
To put or make a sail for a ship or boat.
The object is the vessel and the supplied construction uses شِرَاعٌ for the sail.
- Lane · entry 38306
أَشْرَعَ
To put a hand into a vessel, or make part of the arm reach into the water.
The latter expression is an elliptical or inverted construction concerning reaching into water during ablution.
- Lane · entry 38307
أَشْرَعَ
To suffice someone or give someone what suffices.
The subject may be a person or a thing that provides sufficient means.
- Lane · entry 38307
أَشْرَعَ
Of a plant or herbage, to become fully grown and satisfy camels.
The meaning is associated with vegetation that provides enough nourishment for camels.
- Lane · entry 38307
اِشْتَرَعَ
To originate, embrace, or follow one’s religious way.
The construction يَشْتَرِعُ شِرْعَتَهُ describes adopting or pursuing a way of religion.
- Lane · entry 38308
شَرْعٌ
A clear, plain, open track, road, or way.
The noun is originally a verbal noun and is applied as a name for a manifest route.
- Lane · entry 38309
شَرْعٌ
The divine way of religion.
A metaphorical religious extension of the clear road sense; it is treated as synonymous with شَرِيعَةٌ in the supplied evidence.
- Lane · entry 38309
شَرْعٌ
Sufficient, fitting, or of the sort one seeks.
In expressions such as شَرْعُكَ, it can mean sufficient for you or suitable to what you seek, and is used with singular, dual, or plural referents.
- Lane · entry 38309
شِرْعٌ
The like or equal of a thing.
Used predicatively for things that are alike; the form can function with singular, dual, or plural reference.
- Lane · entry 38310
شِرْعٌ
The chords or strings of a lute.
A collective term for the strings of the بَرْبَط or lute.
- Lane · entry 38310
شِرْعٌ
The thong or strap of a sandal.
A figurative extension based on resemblance to a string or chord.
- Lane · entry 38310
شَرَعٌ
Equal or alike; of people, together as one sort in an affair.
In expressions for people being شَرَعٌ, the group is understood as entering or participating in the matter together; the form may function as singular or plural.
- Lane · entry 38311
شِرْعَةٌ
A custom.
This is a non-religious nominal use distinct from the Quranic religious-law sense.
- Lane · entry 38313
شِرْعَةٌ
A sinew snare used to capture the birds called قَطًا.
A specialized hunting implement; its plural is reported as شِرَعٌ.
- Lane · entry 38313
شِرْعَةٌ
A string or slender chord, including one stretched on a bow or placed on a lute.
The evidence gives several related applications to slender or stretched cords and distinguishes their collective and plural forms.
- Lane · entry 38313
شَرَعَةٌ
A roof or covering projecting over a doorway or other place.
The word is explained as equivalent to سَقِيفَةٌ, including a roofed-over place or projecting shelter.
- Lane · entry 38314
شَرْعِيٌّ
Relating to religion or law; religious, legal, or legitimate.
An adjective for conformity with religious law or legal legitimacy.
- Lane · entry 38315
شُرَاعٌ
Full-grown plant or herbage that satiates camels.
A collective botanical use referring to nourishing mature vegetation.
- Lane · entry 38316
شِرَاعٌ
The sail of a ship or boat.
The sail is a broad piece of cloth or matting raised on a mast or yard and moved by the wind.
- Lane · entry 38317
شِرَاعٌ
The neck of a camel.
A figurative use based on the raised form of a ship’s sail; raising the شِرَاع means raising the camel’s neck.
- Lane · entry 38317
شِرَاعٌ
Extended and long, applied to a person’s nose.
A figurative descriptive use based on extension or length.
- Lane · entry 38317
شَرِيعٌ
Courageous.
Applied as an adjective to a person.
- Lane · entry 38318
شَرِيعٌ
Good or excellent flax.
A specialized botanical or material use.
- Lane · entry 38318
شَرِيعٌ
Strong palm fibres suitable for sewing leather.
The reference is to fibres at the base of palm branches whose thickness and prickles make them useful for leatherwork.
- Lane · entry 38318
شَرَاعَةٌ
Courage.
An abstract noun describing courage as an attribute of a person.
- Lane · entry 38319
شَرِيعَةٌ
A permanent watering-place, resort, descent, or way to water.
The term is especially applied to a visible, lasting water source such as a river, rather than water drawn from a well by rope; it may also denote an access point or gap by which people or animals reach water.
- Lane · entry 38320
شُرَاعِيٌّ، شِرَاعِيٌّ
An epithet for a spear or spearhead, meaning long or associated with the named maker Shurāʿ.
The evidence reports both an attributive derivation and a possible relation to شِرَاعٌ.
- Lane · entry 38321
شُرَاعِيٌّ، شِرَاعِيٌّ
Long-necked, applied to a she-camel.
The camel’s neck is compared with the height of a ship’s sail.
- Lane · entry 38321
شَرَّاعٌ
A seller of the flax called شَرِيعٌ.
A specialized occupational noun.
- Lane · entry 38323
شَارِعٌ
Entering water to drink.
This active-participle use is applied especially to camels; the plural forms include شُرَّعٌ and شُرُوعٌ.
- Lane · entry 38324
شَارِعٌ
Entering into an affair.
A participial extension of entering water, used with فِي for entering into a matter.
- Lane · entry 38324
شَارِعٌ
Situated near, opening onto, or overlooking a road or other thing.
Applied to houses or dwellings whose doors open onto a thoroughfare, and more generally to anything near or overlooking something; stars may be described as near setting.
- Lane · entry 38324
شَارِعٌ
Pointing directly toward a person or target, applied to spears.
The participle describes spears directed toward or facing the intended target.
- Lane · entry 38324
شَارِعٌ
A main, common, manifest, or thoroughfare road.
Used substantively or with طريقٌ for a road into which people commonly enter or which is conspicuous and open.
- Lane · entry 38324
شَارِعٌ
A learned person who practices what he knows and instructs others; by extension, a religious legislator or announcer of religious law.
The word is also applied as a title to the Prophet in this learned or law-announcing sense.
- Lane · entry 38324
أَشْرَعُ
Having an extended, elevated, and long nose.
An anatomical adjective describing the end of the nose.
- Lane · entry 38325
مُشَرَّعٌ
High or lofty, applied to a house or tent.
The supplied example is بَيْتٌ مُشَرَّعٌ.
- Lane · entry 38329
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Quranic شُرَّعًا is presented under the singular active-participle citation form شَارِعٌ; its Quranic interpretation centers on visible surfacing, while the reported head position varies between authorities.
The Quranic religious meanings of شَرَعَ, شَرِيعَةٌ, and شِرْعَةٌ are kept separate from the broader classical watering-place, road, implement, anatomical, and figurative meanings.