Intermediate
Metaphor
Surah: Al-Isra (24)
The Implied Metaphor — "Lower for Them the Wing of Humility"
وَٱخۡفِضۡ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ
— الإسراء الآية 24
Definition of the implied metaphor:
A metaphor in which the vehicle (compared-to) is deleted and only its implication (what points to it) is retained — pointing to the vehicle through contextual indication.
The verse:
"And lower for them the wing of humility out of mercy." (17:24)
Rhetorical analysis:
To say "be like a bird lowering its wing" would be a plain simile. But deleting the vehicle (the bird) and retaining its wing makes humility itself a bird lowering its wing — a more evocative image that fuses more tightly with the meaning.
Al-Jurjani: "The implied metaphor merges the two meanings until they become one — and for this reason it is more eloquent than the explicit simile."
A metaphor in which the vehicle (compared-to) is deleted and only its implication (what points to it) is retained — pointing to the vehicle through contextual indication.
The verse:
"And lower for them the wing of humility out of mercy." (17:24)
Rhetorical analysis:
- The tenor: humility and mercy toward parents
- The vehicle: a bird that lowers its wing — deleted
- The retained implication: "wing" — a property of the bird — kept instead of mentioning the bird
To say "be like a bird lowering its wing" would be a plain simile. But deleting the vehicle (the bird) and retaining its wing makes humility itself a bird lowering its wing — a more evocative image that fuses more tightly with the meaning.
Al-Jurjani: "The implied metaphor merges the two meanings until they become one — and for this reason it is more eloquent than the explicit simile."
Source: Al-Jurjani, Asrar Al-Balagha (p.54); Al-Zamakhshari (2/653); Al-Maydani (1/348)
Test Yourself
What is the implied metaphor in "lower for them the wing of humility"? What is deleted and what is retained?
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