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عَصَبَة

agnate(s); the group of paternal-line relatives (especially the residuary heirs in Islamic inheritance law) /ˈʕa.sˤa.ba/

nounB2#3455 most common

Also: residuary heir(s) in Islamic inheritance law, band or close-knit group of people, paternal clan

Example sentences

هُمْ عَصَبَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ.
They are one close-knit group.
يَنْتَمِي الْأَبْنَاءُ إِلَى عَصَبَةِ أَبِيهِمْ.
The sons belong to their father's agnatic clan.
فِي عِلْمِ الْمَوَارِيثِ، تَرِثُ الْعَصَبَةُ مَا تَبَقَّى مِنَ التَّرِكَةِ.
In the science of inheritance, the agnates inherit what remains of the estate.
يُقَالُ لِلْأَقَارِبِ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْأَبِ عَصَبَةٌ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَتَعَاضَدُونَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ.
Relatives on the father's side are called 'asaba' because they support one another.
إِذَا لَمْ يَتْرُكِ الْمُتَوَفَّى أَبْنَاءً، انْتَقَلَ حَقُّ الْعَصَبَةِ إِلَى إِخْوَتِهِ.
If the deceased left no sons, the agnates' right passed to his brothers.
كَانَتِ الْعَصَبَةُ فِي الْمُجْتَمَعِ الْقَبَلِيِّ الْقَدِيمِ تُشَكِّلُ الرَّابِطَةَ الَّتِي يَقُومُ عَلَيْهَا نِظَامُ الدِّفَاعِ وَالثَّأْرِ.
In old tribal society, the agnatic clan formed the bond on which the system of defense and vengeance rested.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeعَصَبَةٌعَصَبَاتٌ
Genitiveعَصَبَةٍعَصَبَاتٍ
Accusativeعَصَبَةًعَصَبَاتٍ
Vocativeيَا عَصَبَةُيَا عَصَبَاتُ

Word family

عَصَبnerve, sinew
عِصَابَةband, gang; bandage
تَعَصُّبfanaticism, bigotry
عَصَبِيَّةgroup solidarity, tribalism
عَاصِبone who binds; an agnate heir

Etymology

The word comes from the Semitic root ʿ-ṣ-b, which carries the basic sense of binding or tying tightly. The same root gives Arabic words for nerve and sinew, for a bandage or gang, and for group solidarity. 'Asaba therefore names people bound together by paternal blood, and in Islamic law it labels the specific class of agnatic relatives who inherit as residuary heirs.

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