المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Harboring hatred and ill-will towards a person.

الشرح المختصر :

"‘Adaawah" (enmity/hostility) means hating a person and wishing evil for him. It combines two things, hatred in the heart and the intention to harm him, and refraining from supporting him or expressing allegiance to him. It is of two types: 1. Worldly "‘adaawah": it is to dislike someone because of some worldly benefit, such as wealth and leadership. This enmity is manifested by trying to harm that person. This type is in turn divided into two sub-types: A) Evident "‘adaawah": which is accompanied by evident signs such as physical or verbal abuse (hitting, cursing and so on). This type of "‘adaawah" is what the scholars of Fiqh intend when they make enmity a reason for denying a person's testimony. B) Hidden "‘adaawah": which lies within the heart and no one knows about it except Allah. It is hatred towards a person and desire to harm him. 2. "‘Adaawah" related to the Hereafter: it is to dislike someone because of his "kufr" (disbelief), "fisq" (open disobedience to Allah), or "bid‘ah" (innovation in religion).

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"‘Adaawah": hatred, dislike, tyranny, exceeding the limit. Derived from "ta‘addi", which means transgression. Other meanings: inclination and deserting.