لعن
Attested forms : لَعَنَهُمُ 4 · لَعْنَةُ 3 · لَعْنَةًۭ 3 · لَّعَنَهُمُ 2 · يَلْعَنُهُمُ 2 · لَّعَنَهُ 2 · لُعِنُوا۟ 2 · ٱللَّعْنَةُ 2
Core meaning
To curse: to pronounce against someone a sentence that removes him from benevolence, for a stated cause.
Uses
لَعَنَ, يَلْعَنُ → "curse" : God's act, or that of people against one another.
لَعْنَة, لَعْن → "curse" : the sentence itself, which weighs on someone and pursues him.
- «أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ» — "those are the ones upon whom weighs the curse of God, the Agents, and mankind, all together" (2:161)
- «وَأُتْبِعُوا۟ فِى هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةًۭ» — "And they were pursued, in the present life, by a curse" (11:60)
- «وَٱلْعَنْهُمْ لَعْنًۭا كَبِيرًۭا» — "and curse them with an abundant curse" (33:68)
Evidence from the text
When God curses, the cause is stated in the same sentence: "for their disowning" (2:88, 4:46), and what follows draws the consequence, "they believe only a little". The curse is never arbitrary: it follows a disowning, a broken commitment, an accusation without witnesses (24:7).
The noun لَعْنَة is built with عَلَىٰ: the curse weighs upon someone (2:161), and several voices can carry it together, God, the Agents and mankind. With أُتْبِعُوا۟, it pursues those it strikes, in this life and on the Day of Appearance (11:60, 11:99).
Between people, the verb says the rupture of those who had joined together: each community that enters curses its sister (7:38), and the affection of this life turns into mutual curse (29:25).