Mohiyat

Mohiyat, also transliterated as mahiyat or mohiyah, is a noun used in Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Turkish to denote the essence, nature, or intrinsic character of something. It refers to the defining properties that determine what a thing is, as opposed to its accidental attributes or its existence in a given instance. In common usage, mahiyat describes the core identity or essential nature of an object, idea, or phenomenon.

Etymology and usage variants: The term derives from Arabic ماهية (mahiyya), meaning essence. Persian and Urdu adapted the word as mahiyat or mohiyat, while Turkish uses mahiyet. Variants reflect the shared semantic field of essence and nature across languages that borrow or adapt the term.

Philosophical context: In metaphysics and ontology, mahiyat is employed to denote the essential nature or defining characteristics of a thing. Philosophers distinguish between essence (mahiyat) and existence (wujud) and between essential properties and accidental properties. Discussions often focus on what constitutes the true being or identity of an entity, including debates about whether certain essences are necessary, universal, or dependent on perception.

Contemporary and general use: Outside technical philosophy, mahiyat can describe the inherent nature of concepts, cultures, or processes. For example, one might discuss the mahiyat of a system to understand its core purposes, constraints, and identity beyond surface features.

See also: Essence, Ontology, Existence (wujud), Substance.