Intermediate
Brevity & Expansion
Surah: Al-Anam (13)
Brevity by Concision — "To Him Belongs What Dwells in Night and Day"
Definition:
Brevity by concision (ijaz al-qasr): conveying an expansive meaning in the fewest possible words — not by omission, but by selecting words that are inherently capacious. Many meanings compress into few words.
Quranic example: "And to Him belongs whatever dwells in the night and the day." (Surah 6:13)
The beauty:
"What dwells" encompasses every living being and every existent — for everything at some moment is still. "Night and day" encompasses all time. The verse says: everything in existence at all times — belongs to Allah. Five words establish an absolute ownership unlimited in time or place.
Brevity by concision (ijaz al-qasr): conveying an expansive meaning in the fewest possible words — not by omission, but by selecting words that are inherently capacious. Many meanings compress into few words.
Quranic example: "And to Him belongs whatever dwells in the night and the day." (Surah 6:13)
The beauty:
"What dwells" encompasses every living being and every existent — for everything at some moment is still. "Night and day" encompasses all time. The verse says: everything in existence at all times — belongs to Allah. Five words establish an absolute ownership unlimited in time or place.
Source: Al-Zarkashi, Al-Burhan (3/33); Al-Maydani (1/476)
Test Yourself
What is the difference between brevity by ellipsis and brevity by concision?
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