حَاجَةٌ

Full Definition

حَاجَةٌ and حَائِجَةٌ , of which latter the former is a contraction, or the latter word is unused [except as an epithet, as will be seen below], and حَوْجَآءُ , are syn. words, of which the meaning is well known: Want; need; necessity, or necessitude; exigency: [whence,] اِبْنُ حَاجَةً one who is constantly in want, or need: حَاجَةٌ is a more general term than فَقْرٌ; or each of these terms is more general than the other in some respects, and more particular in others: and the former signifies also a thing wanted, needed, or required; an object of want, of need, or of exigence; a want; a needful, or requisite, thing, affair, or business: [and a thing to be done, an affair, or a business:] pl. حَاجٌ , [or rather this is a coll. gen. n., of which حَاجَةٌ is the n. un.,] and حَاجَاتٌ, [which is of more frequent occurrence,] and حِوَجٌ, [which is of rare occurrence,] and حَوَائِجُ, which is anomalous, and was disapproved by As, and pronounced by him to be post-classical, but he disapproved it only because of its being anomalous, and he is said to have retracted his assertion of its being post-classical, for it is of frequent occurrence in the [classical] language of the Arabs, in their verses and in the traditions: it seems as though formed from the sing. حَائِجَةٌ, which some assert to have been not used; or, accord. to some, it may be pl. of حَوْجَآءُ, changed from the regular form of حَوَاجٍ, [originally حَوَاجِىُ,] like صَحَارٍ, by putting the [elided] ى before the ج, agreeably with what is often done in the language of the Arabs. You say, قَضَى حَاجَتَهُ [He accomplished his want]: a phrase which signifies [also] he did his business; meaning he eased nature. And خُذْ حَاجَتَكَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ [Take what thou wantest, or requirest, of the food]. And فِى نَفْسِى حَاجَةٌ and حَائِجَةٌ and حَوْجَآءُ [In my mind is a want]. And لِى عِنْدَ فُلَانٍ حَاجَةٌ [I want a thing of such a one]. [When the thing wanted, or not wanted, is mentioned, or referred to by a pronoun, the subst. denoting it, or the pronoun referring to it, is preceded by إِلَى, as in the sayings لِى حَاجَةٌ إِلَى كَذَا I have a want of such a thing, and مَا لِى إِلَيْهِ حَاجَةٌ I have not any want of it, and مَا حَاجَتُكَ إِلَيْهِ What is the reason of thy want of it, or thy wanting it?] You say also, مَا بَقِىَ فِى حَوْجَآءُ وَلَا لَوْجَآءُ إِلَّا قَضَاهَا There remained not in his bosom a want but he accomplished it. [The dim. of حَوْجَآءُ is حُوَيْجَآءُ : whence the saying,] حَوْجَآءُ مَا لِى فِيهِ وَلَا لُوَيْجَآءُ حُوَيْجَآءُ وَلَا لَوْجَآءُ وَلَا I have no want, [nor any little want,] with respect to him, or it. [See also حَوْجَآءُ, below.] In the phrase حُجْ حُجَيَّاكَ [Seek the little thing that thou wantest], it seems that the second and third radical letters of the latter word [originally حُوَيْجَآءَكَ] have been transposed [and that حُجَيْوَآءَكَ has been then changed into حُجَيَّاكَ].
2 مَا تَرَكْتُ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ وَلَا دَاجَةٍ I left not any act of disobedience to which I was enticed. (TA from a trad. [But see دَاجَةٌ in art. دوج.])

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