شيء

Root entry · 15 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the concept of 'will' or 'desire' (مشيئة), often in a divine context. It also extensively discusses the noun 'thing' (شيء) and its various plurals, grammatical treatments, and semantic nuances, including its use in expressions of doubt or emphasis.

Derived headwords

المشيئةnoun

1.
will, volitionboth
The act of willing or desiring; the faculty of will. It is often used in reference to divine will.
2.
intentionboth
A specific purpose or aim.

شاءverb

1.
to will, to desireboth
To have a will or desire for something; to intend or wish for something.

شئت الشيء أشاؤه شيئا ومشيئة ومشاءة ومشاية «2»: أردته — I willed the thing, I will it, a thing, and will, and willing, and much willing: I desired it.

شيءnoun

1.
thingboth
A concrete or abstract entity; an object, matter, or affair. It is a general term for anything that exists or can be conceived.
2.
somethingboth
An unspecified or unknown thing.

أشياءnoun

1.
thingsboth
The plural of 'شيء', referring to multiple objects, matters, or affairs.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تسئلوا عن أشياء إن تبد لكم تسؤكم — O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if revealed to you, would make you suffer.

أشياواتnoun

1.
things (plural)classical
A less common plural form of 'شيء'.

أشاواتnoun

1.
things (plural)classical
A less common plural form of 'شيء'.

أشاياnoun

1.
things (plural)classical
A less common plural form of 'شيء'.

أشاوىnoun

1.
things (plural)classical
A less common plural form of 'شيء'.

شيئةnoun

1.
will, volitionclassical
A noun form referring to will or volition, mentioned by Al-Lihyani.

مشاءةnoun

1.
willingness, volitionclassical
A noun form derived from the verb 'شاء', indicating willingness or volition.

مشايةnoun

1.
willingness, volitionclassical
A noun form derived from the verb 'شاء', indicating willingness or volition.

المشيأadjective

1.
ill-formed, uglyclassical
Describing someone who is ill-formed, ugly, or whose creation is flawed.

شيأهم، إذ خلق، المشيئ — their ugliness, when He created them, the ill-formed.

المشيئينadjective

1.
ill-formed, uglyclassical
A form used to describe something or someone as ill-formed or ugly.

وأبغض المشيئين الزغبا — and I detest the ill-formed, the hairy ones.

شيأتverb

1.
to make ugly, to disfigureclassical
To cause someone to be ill-formed or ugly; to disfigure.

شيأت الرجل على الأمر: حملته عليه — I urged the man to the matter: I made him carry it out.

يا شيءinterjection

1.
Oh my! Alas!classical
An exclamation used to express wonder, regret, or sorrow over something that has passed or is lost.

يا شيء ما لي من يعمر يفنه ... مر الزمان عليه، والتقليب — Oh my! What is it with me that a long-lived person perishes... time has passed over him, and its changes.

Parallel reading

شئت الشيء أشاؤه شيئا ومشيئة ومشاءة ومشاية «2»: أردته

I willed the thing, I will it, a thing, and will, and willing, and much willing: I desired it.

كل شيء بشيئة الله، بكسر الشين، مثل شيعة أي بمشيئته

Everything is by the will of God, with a kasra on the shin, like 'shi'ah', meaning by His will.

إنكم تنذرون وتشركون؛ تقولون: ما شاء الله وشئت.

You warn and associate partners; you say: 'What God wills and you will.'

فأمرهم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقولوا: ما شاء الله ثم شئت.

So the Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered them to say: 'What God wills, then what I will.'

لأن الواو تفيد الجمع دون الترتيب، وثم تجمع وترتب

Because the 'wa' (and) indicates جمع (gathering) without order, while 'thumma' (then) gathers and orders.

ألا ترى أن الشيء مذكر، وهو يقع على كل ما أخبر عنه.

Do you not see that 'al-shay'' is masculine, and it refers to everything that is reported about?

ما أغفله عنك شيئا، فإنه فسره بقوله أي دع الشك عنك

How unaware he is of you, something! He interpreted it by saying: 'Leave doubt from you.'

هو أحسن منك شيئا، فإن شيئا هنا منصوب على تقدير بشيء

He is better than you, something! For 'shay'an' here is منصوب (accusative) on the estimation of 'bi-shay'in' (by something).

يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تسئلوا عن أشياء إن تبد لكم تسؤكم

O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if revealed to you, would make you suffer.

أشياء في موضع الخفض، إلا أنها فتحت لأنها لا تنصرف

'Ashya'' is in the position of genitive, except that it is opened (fatha) because it is indeclinable.

أشبه آخرها آخر حمراء، وكثر استعمالها، فلم تصرف

Its end resembles the end of 'hamra'' (red), and its usage became frequent, so it was not declined.

أصل أشياء أفعلاء كما تقول هين وأهوناء

The origin of 'ashya'' is 'af'alaa', as you say 'hayyin' and 'ahwanaa'.

فاجتمعت همزتان بينهما ألف فحذفت الهمزة الأولى

So two hamzas met between them with an alif, so the first hamza was deleted.

فقلبوا الهمزة الأولى إلى أول الكلمة، فجعلت لفعاء

So they turned the first hamza to the beginning of the word, making it 'laf'aa'.

تصغير أصدقاء، إن كانت للمؤنث: صديقات، وإن كان للمذكر: صديقون

The diminutive of 'asdiqaa'' (friends), if for females: 'sadiqaat', and if for males: 'sadiqoona'.

إنما ترك صرف أشياء لأن أصله فعلاء جمع على غير واحده

The declension of 'ashya'' was abandoned because its origin is 'af'alaa'' (a pattern), a plural formed not from its singular.

فصار تقديره لفعاء؛ يدل على صحة ذلك أنه لا يصرف

So its estimation became 'laf'aa'; the correctness of that is indicated by its being indeclinable.

وأصله أشائي قلبت الهمزة ياء، فاجتمعت ثلاث ياءات، فحذفت الوسطى وقلبت الأخيرة ألفا

And its origin is 'ashaa'ii' where the hamza was turned into a yaa', so three yaa's gathered, so the middle one was deleted and the last one was turned into an alif.

ترى ركبه بالشيء في وسط قفرة

You see its rider with the water in the middle of a desert.

إذا قال لك: ما أردت؟ قلت: لا شيئا؛ وإذا قال لك: لم فعلت ذلك؟ قلت: للا شيء؛ وإن قال: ما أمرك؟ قلت: لا شيء، تنون فيهن كلهن.

If someone says to you: 'What did you intend?' you say: 'Nothing'; and if he says: 'Why did you do that?' you say: 'For nothing'; and if he says: 'What is your command?' you say: 'Nothing', you put tanwin on all of them.

فطيئ ما طيئ ما طيئ؟ ... شيأهم، إذ خلق، المشيئ

So what kind of tribe, what kind of tribe, what kind of tribe? ... their ugliness, when He created them, the ill-formed.

إني لأهوى الأطولين الغلبا، ... وأبغض المشيئين الزغبا

Indeed, I love the two longest, the strong ones, ... and I detest the ill-formed, the hairy ones.

يا شيء ما لي من يعمر يفنه ... مر الزمان عليه، والتقليب

Oh my! What is it with me that a long-lived person perishes... time has passed over him, and its changes.

يا فيء ما لي، ويا شيء ما لي، ويا هيء ما لي معناه كله الأسف والتلهف والحزن.

'Yaa fay' ma li, 'yaa shay'' ma li, and 'yaa hay'' ma li all mean regret, longing, and sadness.