حنث

Root entry · 15 derived lemmas

The root حنث (ḥ-n-th) primarily concerns breaking an oath, sin, and the state of being sinful or guilty. It extends to concepts of regret, divine punishment, and in some contexts, spiritual devotion or maturity.

Derived headwords

الحِنْثnoun

1.
breaking an oathboth
The act of violating or failing to uphold an oath, especially a solemn vow.
2.
sin, transgressionboth
A grave sin, a major transgression, or a wrongful act.
3.
guilt, sinfulnessboth
The state of being sinful or guilty of a transgression.
4.
maturity, pubertyclassical
The age of discernment and accountability, when one is subject to divine judgment.

الحنث: الخلف في اليمين — The breaking of an oath.

وفي الحديث: اليمين حنث أو مندمة — And in the hadith: The oath is either a transgression or a cause for regret.

حَنَثَverb

1.
to break an oathboth
To violate or fail to fulfill an oath one has taken.
2.
to sinboth
To commit a sin or transgression.

حنث في يمينه حنثا وحنثا: لم يبر فيها — He broke his oath, failing to fulfill it.

أَحْنَثَverb

1.
to cause to break an oathboth
To cause someone to violate their oath or fail to fulfill it.
2.
to cause to sinclassical
To lead someone into sin or transgression.

أحنثه هو — He caused him to break his oath.

أحنثت الرجل في يمينه فحنث إذا لم يبر فيها — You caused the man to break his oath, so he broke it if he did not fulfill it.

المُحَانَثnoun

1.
sites of sinclassical
Places or contexts where transgressions or sinful acts occur.

المحانث: مواقع الحنث — The sites of sin.

تَحَنَّثَverb

1.
to worship, to devote oneselfboth
To engage in acts of worship, devotion, or spiritual retreat, often in seclusion.
2.
to abstain from sinclassical
To actively avoid sin or transgression, or to perform acts that cleanse one from sin.

تحنث: تعبد واعتزل الأصنام، مثل تحنف — He devoted himself to worship and withdrew from idols, like 'taḥannafa'.

وكان يتحنث فيه الليالي أي يتعبد — And he would spend the nights in devotion there.

فعل فعلا يخرج به من الحنث، وهو الإثم والحرج — He did an act by which he would exit sin and distress.

الحِنْثnoun

1.
great sinboth
A major sin or transgression, often implying a significant offense.

وكانوا يصرون على الحنث العظيم — And they used to persist in the great sin.

الحِنْثnoun

1.
puberty, maturityclassical
The age of physical and mental maturity, when one becomes accountable for their actions.

بلغ الغلام الحنث أي الإدراك والبلوغ — The boy reached the age of maturity, meaning discernment and puberty.

الحِنْثnoun

1.
sinfulness, disobedienceboth
The state of being sinful or disobedient, particularly in the context of divine commands.

يقال: بلغ الغلام الحنث أي المعصية والطاعة — It is said: The boy reached the age of sinfulness and obedience.

الحِنْثnoun

1.
dreaming, hallucinationclassical
A state of delusion or perhaps a dream, though this sense is less common and debated.

الحنث: الحلم — Sinfulness; or dreaming/hallucination.

مُحْلِفadjective

1.
oath-boundclassical
Describing something that is subject to an oath or vow.

مُحْلِف، ومُحْنَث — Oath-bound, and subject to breaking an oath.

مُحْنَثadjective

1.
liable to break an oathclassical
Describing something that is subject to breaking an oath or vow, or has already done so.

مُحْلِف، ومُحْنَث — Oath-bound, and subject to breaking an oath.

أَحْناثnoun

1.
many transgressionsclassical
Plural of 'ḥinṯ', referring to multiple sins or violations.

وعليه أحناث كثيرة — And upon him are many transgressions.

يَتَأَثَّمُverb

1.
to avoid sinclassical
To strive to avoid sin and its consequences.

يتحنث أي يفعل فعلا يخرج به من الحنث، وهو الإثم والحرج — He seeks to avoid sin by doing an act that removes him from sin and distress.

يَتَحَرَّجُverb

1.
to avoid sin/difficultyclassical
To act in a way that avoids sin, difficulty, or moral ambiguity.

يتأثم ويتحرج إذا فعل فعلا يخرج به من الإثم والحرج — He avoids sin and difficulty by doing an act that removes him from sin and distress.

أولاد الحِنْثnoun phrase

1.
illegitimate childrenclassical
Children born out of wedlock, metaphorically linked to sin or transgression.

يكثر فيهم أولاد الحنث أي أولاد الزنا — Illegitimate children are numerous among them, meaning children of fornication.

Parallel reading

الحنث: الخلف في اليمين.

Al-ḥinṯ: The breaking of an oath.

حنث في يمينه حنثا وحنثا: لم يبر فيها، وأحنثه هو.

He broke his oath, failing to fulfill it, and he caused him to break it.

تقول: أحنثت الرجل في يمينه فحنث إذا لم يبر فيها.

You say: You caused the man to break his oath, so he broke it if he did not fulfill it.

اليمين حنث أو مندمة

The oath is either a transgression or a cause for regret.

الحنث في اليمين: نقضها والنكث فيها، وهو من الحنث: الإثم

The transgression in an oath is its violation and breaking, and it is from transgression: sin.

إما أن يندم على ما حلف عليه، أو يحنث فتلزمه الكفارة.

Either he will regret what he swore upon, or he will break the oath and the expiation will be incumbent upon him.

وحنث في يمينه أي أثم.

And he sinned in his oath, meaning he committed a sin.

على فلان يمين قد حنث فيها، وعليه أحناث كثيرة

So-and-so has an oath which he has broken, and upon him are many transgressions.

فإنما اليمين حنث أو ندم.

For the oath is either a transgression or regret.

وكانوا يصرون على الحنث العظيم

And they used to persist in the great sin.

يصرون أي يدومون؛ وقيل: هو الشرك، وقد فسرت به هذه الآية أيضا

They persist means they continue; and it was said: it is polytheism, and this verse has also been interpreted as such.

بلغ الغلام الحنث أي الإدراك والبلوغ

The boy reached Al-ḥinṯ, meaning discernment and puberty.

من مات له ثلاثة من الولد، لم يبلغوا الحنث، دخل من أي أبواب الجنة شاء

Whoever has three children die before they reach maturity (Al-ḥinṯ), he will enter Paradise from whichever gate he wishes.

أي لم يبلغوا مبلغ الرجال، ويجري عليهم القلم فيكتب عليهم الحنث والطاعة

Meaning they did not reach the age of men, and the pen is active for them, so sin and obedience are written for them.

أن رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، كان، قبل أن يوحى إليه، يأتي حراء، وهو جبل بمكة فيه غار، وكان يتحنث فيه الليالي

That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, before he received revelation, used to go to Hira', which is a mountain in Mecca with a cave in it, and he would spend nights in devotion there.

كان يخلو بغار حراء، فيتحنث فيه

He used to seclude himself in the cave of Hira', and devote himself there.

وهو التعبد الليالي ذوات العدد

And it is worship for consecutive nights.

وفلان يتحنث من كذا أي يتأثم منه

And so-and-so seeks to avoid sin from such-and-such, meaning he abstains from it.

فعل فعلا يخرج به من الحنث، وهو الإثم والحرج

He did an act by which he would exit sin, which is transgression and distress.

ويقال: هو يتحنث أي يتعبد لله

And it is said: He devotes himself, meaning he worships Allah.

أرأيت أمورا كنت أتحنث بها في الجاهلية من صلة رحم وصدقة، هل لي فيها من أجر؟

Have you seen matters in which I used to devote myself in the pre-Islamic period, such as maintaining kinship ties and charity, do I have any reward for them?

أسلمت على ما سلف لك من خير ؛ أي أتقرب إلى الله بأفعال في الجاهلية؛ يريد بقوله: كنت أتحنث أي أتعبد وألقي بها الحنث أي الإثم عن نفسي.

You have embraced Islam with the good deeds you did previously; meaning, seeking to draw near to Allah with acts in the pre-Islamic era; by his saying 'I used to devote myself', he means 'I used to worship and cast off sin from myself'.

والحنث: الرجوع في اليمين.

And Al-ḥinṯ: is returning from an oath.

يقال: قد حنثت أي ملت إلى هواك علي، وقد حنثت مع الحق على هواك

It is said: You have deviated, meaning you inclined to your desire against me, and you have deviated with the truth against your desire.

ولا أتحنث إلى نذري أي لا أكتسب الحنث، وهو الذنب، وهذا بعكس الأول

And I will not transgress my vow, meaning I will not incur sin, and this is the opposite of the first meaning.

يكثر فيهم أولاد الحنث أي أولاد الزنا، من الحنث المعصية

Illegitimate children are numerous among them, meaning children of fornication, from Al-ḥinṯ meaning disobedience.