Intermediate
Metonymy
Surah: Al-Isra (29)
Kinaya About an Action — "Do Not Make Your Hand Chained" as a Metaphor for Miserliness
وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ يَدَكَ مَغۡلُولَةً إِلَىٰ عُنُقِكَ
— الإسراء الآية 29
Definition of Kinaya:
Kinaya: a word by which its consequent meaning is intended with the literal meaning remaining possible. Divided into three types: kinaya about an attribute — about an attributed — about an action (relation).
Kinaya about an action (relational kinaya):
When an action is alluded to through an image or state that implies it, without the action being explicitly mentioned.
The verse:
"And do not make your hand chained to your neck nor extend it fully." (17:29)
Rhetorical analysis:
The embodied image (bound hand / fully extended hand) is more impactful than a bare prohibition — it brings a scene before the eye making meaning alive, not merely a ruling.
Al-Zarkashi: "Kinaya about an action is more eloquent than direct statement because it fixes the image in the mind and grants it a sensory dimension."
Kinaya: a word by which its consequent meaning is intended with the literal meaning remaining possible. Divided into three types: kinaya about an attribute — about an attributed — about an action (relation).
Kinaya about an action (relational kinaya):
When an action is alluded to through an image or state that implies it, without the action being explicitly mentioned.
The verse:
"And do not make your hand chained to your neck nor extend it fully." (17:29)
Rhetorical analysis:
- "Your hand chained to your neck" = kinaya for the act of miserliness (do not be miserly)
- "Extend it fully" = kinaya for the act of prodigality and waste
- Rather than saying "do not be miserly nor wasteful," it depicts the action through a visible bodily posture
The embodied image (bound hand / fully extended hand) is more impactful than a bare prohibition — it brings a scene before the eye making meaning alive, not merely a ruling.
Al-Zarkashi: "Kinaya about an action is more eloquent than direct statement because it fixes the image in the mind and grants it a sensory dimension."
Source: Dala-il Al-Ijaz by Al-Jurjani (p.63); Al-Zarkashi (2/298); Al-Maydani (1/434)
Test Yourself
What is the difference between kinaya about an attribute and kinaya about an action? Give an example from the verse.
Show Answer