نِيَّاتٌintentions in Arabic

Example sentences

• فَالنِّيَّاتُ لَا تُغْنِي وَحْدَهَا إِذَا كَانَ الْعَمَلُ غَيْرُ صَحِيحٍ،

  So intentions alone do not suffice if the deed is not correct.

  فَالنِّيَّاتُ — So the intentions. 'Fa-' draws a conclusion from the preceding point, attaching here to a definite plural noun ('al-' = the). Note the gender logic: this is a non-human plural, and Arabic treats such plurals as a single feminine unit for agreement, which is why the verb that follows takes a feminine-singular shape rather than a plural one.

  From: How the Companions Preserved Hadith →