Quranic root
سوق
s · w · q
The root centers on driving or urging something onward.
From directing animals or people forward, the root develops related uses for things conveyed to a destination, markets as places to which goods are driven, and the ساق as the limb by which a moving creature proceeds. Further extensions include succession, compulsion, and the intensity of a struggle.
- Maqāyīs · row 2528
- Lane · entry 42750
- Lane · entry 42759
- Lane · entry 42761
- 5
- Quran-attested forms
- 10
- Quran senses
- 17
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
سَاقَ
sāqa
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form I
- Form
- I
- Quran occurrences
- 7 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 drive or urge people, animals, or other things onward, causing them to proceed toward a destination.
The Quranic group includes active and passive forms: beings may be driven, or an agent may drive them onward.
- Lane · entry 42750
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 39:71word 1
“And (will) be driven”
Quran 7:57word 14
“We drive them”
Quran 19:86word 1
“And We will drive”
مَسَاقٌ
masāqun
- 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.
The driving or being led onward; in the Quranic expression, the final being brought before one's Lord.
A verbal noun used in the construction إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمَسَاقُ, describing the final movement or return to the Lord.
- Lane · entry 42750
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 75:30word 4
“(will be) the driving”
سَائِقٌ
sāʾiqun
- 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.
A driver or one who drives another onward; in the Quranic scene, the one who brings a person to the place of assembly and judgment.
An active participle functioning as the agent of سَاقَ. The Quranic context permits an angelic driver, without making the lexical definition dependent on a particular identification of the agent.
- Lane · entry 42771
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 50:21word 5
“a driver”
سَاقٌ
sāqun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 4 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.
The leg or shank, the part of a human or animal limb between the knee and foot or its corresponding portion.
A literal anatomical noun; the exact portion varies somewhat by the type of creature under discussion.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 27:44word 11
“her shins”
In التفت الساق بالساق, one leg joined or intertwined with the other at death.
The Quranic construction is explained literally as the legs being joined when the soul departs, when the body is wrapped in burial cloth, or when the legs can no longer carry it.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 75:29word 2
“the leg”
In التفت الساق بالساق, the affliction of one state joined to the affliction of another, especially the distress of the present life with that of the final state.
This is a figurative Quranic interpretation of the same construction, distinct from the literal reference to joined legs.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 75:29word 2
“the leg”
In يوم يُكْشَفُ عن ساق, an image of intense difficulty, calamity, or a crisis revealed.
The expression is idiomatic rather than a claim that a physical shank is literally exposed; related Classical Arabic idioms use the shank for a situation becoming severe.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 68:42word 4
“the shin”
سُوقٌ
sūqun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 4 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.
A market or marketplace, a place to which merchandise is brought for commerce.
The Quranic occurrences include the plural أَسْوَاقٌ, markets.
- Lane · entry 42761
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 25:7word 9
“the markets”
The plural of سَاقٌ: legs or shanks.
In the Quranic plural form, the word refers to legs in the description of the legs of animals or people.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 38:33word 5
“over the legs”
Stems or trunks of plants, an extended use of سَاقٌ and its plural.
The Quranic plant image uses the plural in the sense of stems supporting branches.
- Lane · entry 42759
- Mufradāt · row 646
Selected Quran examples
Quran 48:29word 39
“its stem”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 7:57سُقْنَـٰهُWe drive them
- 8:6يُسَاقُونَthey were driven
- 19:86وَنَسُوقُAnd We will drive
- 25:7ٱلْأَسْوَاقِ ۙthe markets
- 25:20ٱلْأَسْوَاقِ ۗthe markets
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 50 Classical meanings
سَاقَ
To compel or command people by exercising mastery over them; idiomatically, to press someone to intercede.
Figurative extensions of driving, including forceful or tyrannical command and urging someone to seek another's intercession.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
To impel or bring someone toward what has been destined for him, also said of desire or a similar force.
A figurative use in which destiny or an inward impulse is treated as the driver.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
To send, convey, or cause something to reach another person, especially a dowry; also to cause good fortune to befall someone.
The construction with إِلَى marks the recipient or destination. The dowry use is an extension from the historical practice of driving animals as bride-price.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
To cause a rivulet or watercourse to run toward a piece of land.
A causative extension of directing something along a course.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
To carry on a narrative, discourse, or course of affairs.
Used of arranging or prosecuting speech or affairs in a continuing course.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَوْقُ المَعْلُومِ مَسَاقَ غَيْرِهِ
A rhetorical presentation of what is known in the manner of asking about what is unknown, producing hyperbolic emphasis.
A named rhetorical mode derived from carrying one expression along as though it belonged to another category.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
Of a sick person, to give up the soul, approach death, or undergo the agony of dying.
The reflexive or prepositional construction may describe the person whose soul is being expelled rather than an agent driving another.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَاقَ
To strike or hurt another person's shank.
A separate transitive use with the shank as the object.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَوَّقَ
To drive thoroughly, vigorously, or well.
A Form II intensification of the driving action.
- Lane · entry 42750
سَوَّقَ
To make someone take charge of, or exercise authority over, his affair.
A figurative Form II construction concerning the management or ordering of a matter.
- Lane · entry 42751
سَوَّقَ
Of a plant or tree, to have a stem, stock, or trunk.
A Form II denominative use derived from سَاقٌ in the sense of plant stem.
- Lane · entry 42751
سَاوَقَ
To vie or compete with another in driving, strength, or keeping pace.
A reported additional explanation gives the sense “to follow”; the central attested branch concerns rivalry or matching another's exertion.
- Lane · entry 42752
مُسَاوَقَةٌ
The making of things consecutive or successive, as though one portion drove another onward.
A noun associated with the Form III reciprocal construction.
- Lane · entry 42752
أَسْوَقَ
To make someone drive camels, give him camels to drive, or figuratively make him possess camels.
The construction may emphasize assigning the task of driving or the resulting possession.
- Lane · entry 42753
تَسَوَّقَ
To trade in a market, buying and selling.
A Form V use associated with activity in the market.
- Lane · entry 42754
تَسَاوَقَ
Of camels, sheep, or goats, to follow one another or press onward in succession.
The animals are depicted as driving one another forward, sometimes because of weakness or leanness.
- Lane · entry 42755
تَسَاوَقَ
Of two marriage proposals, to occur simultaneously.
A legal usage is reported, but its status is explicitly disputed in the lexical tradition.
- Lane · entry 42755
اِنْسَاقَ
To go along while being driven, or to drive oneself along; of camels, to become consecutive.
A quasi-passive Form VII use, with a secondary extension to succession.
- Lane · entry 42756
سَاقٌ
In idioms, to prepare oneself for difficulty, to become active and apply oneself vigorously, or for a battle to become severe; a reported expression also means nearly accomplishing an intended action.
These are figurative and idiomatic extensions of the shank imagery, not additional anatomical senses. The interpretation of أَوْهَتْ بِسَاقٍ is reported with some uncertainty.
- Lane · entry 42759
سَاقٌ
A greave or other covering worn on the shank.
A secondary object-based application of the anatomical noun.
- Lane · entry 42759
سَاقٌ
In expressions such as سَاقًا عَلَى سَاقٍ, one after another; also arranged in a single row or series.
An idiomatic use derived from the successive movement or alignment of legs and stems.
- Lane · entry 42759
سَاقٌ
The soul or self; in a related idiom, one's essential self or honor may be harmed or impugned.
A figurative use in expressions such as قَدَحَ فِي سَاقِهِ, whose interpretation ranges from damaging the soul to damaging reputation.
- Lane · entry 42759
سَاقُ حُرٍّ
The male of a species of collared turtle-dove, also identified with the warshān.
This is a fixed lexical bird name and is not the ordinary anatomical noun in context.
- Lane · entry 42759
سُوقٌ
Merchandise or trade.
A metonymic use of the market noun, referring to the goods or commerce associated with it.
- Lane · entry 42761
سُوقُ الحَرْبِ
The thickest, most vehement, or central part of a battle.
A figurative compound referring to the core of combat.
- Lane · entry 42761
سَوَقٌ
Length or beauty of the shanks.
A descriptive noun concerning the form or appearance of the legs.
- Lane · entry 42762
سَاقَةٌ
The rear or hindmost part of an army or traveling company, whose members drive and guard those ahead.
A collective or positional military term derived from the act of driving from behind.
- Lane · entry 42763
سُوقَةٌ
A subject or subjects of a king, as opposed to a ruler.
Used alike for singular and plural, and for masculine and feminine; it does not mean market people.
- Lane · entry 42764
سُوقَةُ الطُّرْثُوثِ
The part of the plant called ṭurthūth located below its head or upper portion.
A specialized botanical term.
- Lane · entry 42764
سُوقِيٌّ
Of or relating to a market; a market person or market people.
The plural سُوقِيُّونَ denotes people associated with the market.
- Lane · entry 42765
أَدِيمٌ سُوقِيٌّ
A hide described as prepared or dressed, or alternatively as unprepared or undressed.
The lexical tradition records disagreement over which condition the adjective denotes; the second explanation is reported as more common.
- Lane · entry 42765
سَوِيقٌ
A meal or gruel made from parched barley, wheat, or other grains and mealy foods.
It may be moistened and sipped or eaten dry; the term also has dialectal variants.
- Lane · entry 42766
سَوِيقُ الكَرْمِ
Wine, literally “the sawīq of the vine.”
A distinct lexical use from the ordinary parched-grain food.
- Lane · entry 42766
سِيَاقٌ
A dowry or nuptial gift.
A substantive use of the verbal noun, connected historically with conveying animal bride-price.
- Lane · entry 42767
سِيَاقٌ
The following part, context, drift, thread, or tenor of a discourse.
Opposed to سِبَاقٌ, the preceding portion; it may also describe the course or scope of affairs.
- Lane · entry 42767
سَوَّاقٌ
A seller or maker of sawīq.
A professional noun derived from سَوِيقٌ, not the intensive driver noun.
- Lane · entry 42769
سُوَّاقٌ
Long in the shank; of a plant, having a stem.
The adjective is applied to persons for long shanks and figuratively or descriptively to plants with stems.
- Lane · entry 42770
سُوَّاقٌ
Having a stem or stock, said of a plant.
A botanical adjectival use.
- Lane · entry 42770
سُوَّاقٌ
The emerging spadix of a palm tree when it has grown to about a span in length.
A specialized botanical term.
- Lane · entry 42770
سَيِّقٌ
Clouds driven along by the wind.
The clouds may be described as containing water or as dry, depending on the usage reported.
- Lane · entry 42772
سَيِّقَةٌ
Beasts or camels driven away together, especially by an enemy or pursuing horsemen.
A collective noun for animals being driven as a group.
- Lane · entry 42773
سَيِّقَةٌ
A person impelled by destiny toward what has been allotted to him.
A figurative expression presenting destiny as the driver.
- Lane · entry 42773
سَيِّقَةٌ
An animal used by a hunter as concealment or a decoy while approaching game.
The animal is driven toward the quarry so that the hunter can conceal himself and shoot.
- Lane · entry 42773
أَسْوَقُ
Having long, thick, or beautiful shanks; applied to a man, with سَوْقَاءُ for a woman.
An adjective describing the form or appearance of the shanks.
- Lane · entry 42774
إِسَاقَةٌ
The strap of a horse's stirrup.
A specialized equestrian term.
- Lane · entry 42775
مِسْوَقٌ
A camel that vies with game in driving onward or strength, or a camel used to help conceal a hunter from game.
The lexical explanations differ between a vigorous pursuing camel and one used as a hunting device.
- Lane · entry 42776
مِسْوَقَةٌ
A staff or stick used to drive cattle.
A concrete instrument noun; the entry is noted as possibly post-Classical.
- Lane · entry 42777
مُنْسَاقٌ
A follower or servant, literally one who is driven along.
A figurative passive-participial use.
- Lane · entry 42778
مُنْسَاقٌ
A relation or near kinsman.
A separate figurative use recorded for the same form.
- Lane · entry 42778
عَلَمٌ مُنْسَاقٌ
A mountain extending lengthwise along the surface of the earth.
A descriptive compound using the idea of something drawn out or extended along a course.
- Lane · entry 42778
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Quranic سَاقٌ passages support both literal anatomical readings and established idiomatic readings involving death or severe difficulty; these are kept as separate senses and constructions.
The public form سُوقٌ combines the market noun with Quranic plural uses of سَاقٌ, including legs and plant stems; the homographic senses are distinguished explicitly.