Quranic Rhetoric
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Level:
All
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Sub:
All
Eloquence
Glorification
Metaphor
Figurative Speech
Antithesis
Antithetical Parallelism
Emphasis
Restriction
Iltifat
Paronomasia
I'jaz
Quranic Address
Explicitness
Separation & Conjunction
Oath
Morphology
Allegory
Non-declarative
Ilm al-Badi'
Brevity & Expansion
Fronting & Postponing
Style & Diction
Genitive Construction
Stories
Metonymy
Style & Diction
Qiraat
Choice
Vocative
Simile
Implicit Simile
Antithetical Parallelism
Interrogation
Parables
Incitement & Warning
Style & Diction
Repetition
Deviation from the Apparent
Separation & Conjunction
Laff & Nashr
Equation
Verse-end Cadence
Command & Prohibition
Circumstantial Clause
Fasaha and Balagha — Distinction and Levels
Fasaha: Clarity and transparency. Technically: speech free from verbal defects (jarring letters, weak structure, obscurity).
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The Eloquent Simile — The Highest Form of Comparison
Simile types by particle: Mursal (explicit particle), Muakkad (no particle — eloquent simile), Mujmal (no stated point of compar…
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Implicit Metaphor — Life Granted to the Inanimate
Explicit metaphor: The compared-to is stated.
Implicit metaphor (makniyya): The compared-to is deleted; only its attributes r…
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Metonymy — The Whole for the Part or Vice Versa
Definition: Using a word in other than its literal meaning based on a non-similarity relation — part-whole, cause-effect, etc. …
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Antithesis (Tibaq) — Joining Two Opposites
Definition: Joining a thing and its opposite in speech — "He is the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden."
Positiv…
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Al-Muqabala — Extended Antithesis Across Sentences
Definition: Two or more things mentioned then each is paired with its opposite in order.
Beautiful Quranic example: "As for …
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Emphasis (Tawkid) — Methods and Purposes
Definition: Strengthening speech and establishing it in the listener's mind.
Methods in the Quran: (1) Emphatic particles: i…
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Restriction and Exclusivity — Specification and Isolation
Definition: Restricting one thing to another using specific methods.
Methods in the Quran: (1) Object placed first: "You alo…
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Iltifat — Types and Purposes in the Quran
Three basic types: (1) Third to second person: "Praise to Allah...You alone we worship." (2) Second to third: "Until you are in …
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Jinas (Paronomasia) — Phonetic Beauty with Semantic Difference
Definition: Two words similar or identical in pronunciation with different meaning.
Perfect jinas: Complete identity in lett…
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Quranic Rhetorical Inimitability — The Challenge and the Clarity
Al-Jurjani's principle: "Nazm is the arrangement and composition of words according to their meanings and relations — and the Qu…
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Quranic Brevity — More Than One Meaning in the Fewest Words
Highest degree of brevity: Qasr ijaz — expression carrying multiples of its apparent meaning.
Examples: "In retribution ther…
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Declarative and Performative Speech — Khabar and Insha'
Khabar (declarative): Speech admitting truth/falsehood — describes a reality.
Insha' (performative): Speech not admitting tru…
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Definite and Indefinite Articles — Meanings of Al and Its Absence
Definite (al): Indicates prior knowledge, totality (all of the genus), or generic use.
Indefinite: Indicates magnification, b…
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Separation and Connection — When to Use "And" and When to Omit It
Connection (wasl): Joining sentences with "wa" (and) — when sharing in ruling or topic.
Separation (fasl): Omitting "wa" — wh…
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Oaths in the Quran — Purpose and Types
Definition: Attaching speech to an oath to strengthen and establish it in the listener's mind.
What is sworn by in the Quran:…
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Rhetorical Devices — Verbal Embellishments
Most famous verbal embellishments in the Quran: (1) Jinas: sound-alike words with different meanings. (2) Saj': harmonious fasil…
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Quranic Parables — Illustration and Clarification
Definition: A tangible analogy to clarify or establish an abstract meaning in the mind.
Famous Quranic parables: "Like a don…
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Gradation in Quranic Address — From General to Specific
Quranic address categories: (1) "O people" — the most universal human address. (2) "O People of the Book" — for the religious. (…
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The Wise Response — Answering a Question with Something Else
Definition: Answering a question with something drawing the asker's attention to what is more important than what was asked.
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Those Who Spend Are Like a Grain — Multiplication of Giving in a Plant Image
Verse: "The example of those who spend in the way of Allah is like a grain that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grain…
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Those Who Disbelieve Are Like a Dog — The Most Degrading Image for One Who Chose This World
Verse: "His example is like that of a dog — if you chase it away it pants, and if you leave it it pants." (7:176)
The simile'…
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Paradise Is Like Rivers of Water Never Stagnant — Sensory Image for What Cannot Be Perceived
Verse: "The description of Paradise promised to the righteous — in it are rivers of water never stagnant, rivers of milk unchang…
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O Earth, Swallow Your Water — The Most Eloquent Sentence in Literary History
Verse: "And it was said: O earth, swallow your water; and O sky, cease — and the water subsided, the matter was decided, and it …
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He Is the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden — Most Comprehensive Description in Fewest Letters
Verse: "He is the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden — and He is, of all things, Knowing." (57:3)
Double perfect…
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Faces That Day Radiant — The Contrast Between Judgment Day Faces
Verse: "Faces that day radiant — looking at their Lord. And faces that day grim — thinking that a catastrophe will befall them."…
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The Head Has Blazed with White Hair — Metaphor of Fire for Whiteness
Verse: "He said: My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened and my head has blazed with white hair." (19:4)
The creative metaphor…
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You Alone We Ask for Help — The Secret of Exclusivity in Seeking Aid
Verse: "You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help." (1:5)
Exclusivity by fronting: "Iyyaka" is placed before the ve…
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Take the Easy, Command the Good — Three Words Governing Society
Verse: "Take the easy way, command what is good, and turn away from the ignorant." (7:199)
Miraculous Quranic brevity: Three…
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The Spider's Example — The Flimsiest of Houses
Verse: "The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like the spider who makes a home — indeed the flimsiest of home…
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Interrogative for Affirmation — "Am I Not Your Lord?"
Definition: Interrogative for affirmation (istifham taqriri): a question whose aim is not to seek an answer, but to extract and …
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Interrogative for Reproach — "Do You Command People to Righteousness?"
Definition: Interrogative for reproach (istifham tawbikh): used to condemn and express indignation at a reprehensible act — as i…
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Interrogative for Wonder — "Why Do You Not Fear Allah's Majesty?"
Definition: Interrogative for wonder (istifham ta'ajjub): expresses astonishment and deep disapproval — not seeking an answer, b…
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Paronomasia in the Quran — "They Tarried Only an Hour"
Definition: Paronomasia (jinas): two words similar in sound but different in meaning. Main types: perfect (identical letters and…
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Epanalepsis — Returning the End to the Beginning
Definition: Epanalepsis (radd al-'ajz 'ala al-sadr): ending speech with what it began — either the same word or something simila…
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Saj' and the Quranic Fasilah — Types and Effect
Definition: The Quranic fasilah: the letter(s) ending each verse, analogous to rhyme in poetry. Not mere saj' (prose rhyme) — it…
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Brevity by Ellipsis — "Your Lord Has Come" (Omission of Object)
Definition: Brevity by ellipsis (ijaz al-hadhf): omitting what is understood from context without harming meaning — and sometime…
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Amplification by Repetition — "Which of Your Lord's Favors Will You Deny?"
Definition: Amplification by repetition (ithnab al-takrar): repeating a word or meaning for rhetorical purposes — emphasis, magn…
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Cautionary Addition — "They Shall Not Delay an Hour Nor Advance"
Definition: Cautionary addition (ihtiras / takmil): adding a qualification that preempts a misunderstanding the speech might inv…
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Fronting for Exclusivity — "You Alone We Worship and You Alone We Ask"
Definition: Fronting what is normally placed last for a rhetorical purpose — principally, exclusivity: when an object is fronted…
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Parisis (Al-Mushakala) — "They Plotted and Allah Plotted"
Definition: Parisis (mushakala): mentioning something with the word of something else, matching it in expression — using a word …
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Indirect Allusion (Ta'rid) — "And If You Are in Doubt of What We Revealed"
Definition: Indirect allusion (ta'rid): conveying meaning through an indirect path — the intent is understood from context and i…
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Rhetorical Gradualism — The Stages of Prohibiting Wine
Definition: Rhetorical gradualism (tadarruj): building a ruling or idea through ascending stages — beginning with hint, moving t…
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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, …
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Sudden Surprise Particle — "And Suddenly They Are Standing, Watching"
Definition: The sudden "idha" (idha al-fuja'iyya): a particle inserted into a context to express sudden and unexpected occurrenc…
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Repetition for Emphasis — "Nay! You Will Know — Then Nay! You Will Know"
Definition: Rhetorical repetition: repeating the same word or meaning with an escalation in significance — not idle repetition b…
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Brevity in Nominal Sentences — The Power of Constancy Over Occurrence
The key distinction: The verbal sentence denotes occurrence and renewal — "Zayd rises" means: he rises repeatedly. The nominal s…
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Positive Antithesis — "You Think Them Awake While They Are Asleep"
Positive antithesis: Joining two opposites both affirmed — without negating either. Differs from negative antithesis where one o…
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The Eloquent Simile Transcended — "They Are Like Cattle, Rather More Astray"
Simile then transcendence: Sometimes the Quran does not stop at the simile — it transcends it with "bal" (rather) to establish t…
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Genitive of Honor — "My Spirit", "My House", "My She-Camel"
Genitive of honor: Attributing something to Allah does not always indicate literal ownership — sometimes it is a genitive of hon…
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Separation and Connection — When to Separate and When to Join with "Wa"
The basis of connection: A sentence is joined to what precedes it with "wa" when it shares its ruling or topic. The basis of se…
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Figurative Attribution — "Ask the Village" — Rational Metaphor
Rational metaphor (majaz aqli): Attributing an action or quality to something other than what actually performs it — not in the …
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Quranic Badi' — Internal Music and the Beauty of the Fasila
What is Badi'? Badi': the science of verbal and semantic embellishment — enhancements that add sonic and intellectual beauty wit…
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The Quranic Story — Its Methods and What Distinguishes It from Literary Fiction
The Quranic story is not literary fiction: Literary fiction seeks excitement and entertainment, presenting events in chronologic…
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Shift from Third to Second Person — "Praise to Allah... You Alone We Worship"
Iltifat in Al-Fatiha: The opening verses speak about Allah in the third person — "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most …
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Mursal Metaphor — "Ask the Village" — Types and Quranic Examples
Definition of mursal metaphor: Using a word in other than its original meaning through a relation other than resemblance, with a…
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Beautiful Quranic Metonymies — Delicacy and Eloquence in Indirection
Definition of kinaya (metonymy): A word used to mean the necessary implication of its meaning, while the original meaning remain…
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The Conditional Style in the Quran — "If You Love Allah, Follow Me"
Verse: "Say: if you love Allah, then follow me — Allah will love you and forgive your sins." (3:31) The conditional style in t…
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Multiple Readings and Their Rhetorical Impact — Fundamental Semantic Differences
Introduction: Multiple mutawatir Quranic readings are not discrepancies — each is an independent rhetorical perspective adding m…
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Miraculous Word Selection — Why "Khalaqa" (Created) Not "Sana'a" (Made) in Certain Contexts
Introduction: Word selection in the Quran is not random — every word enriches beyond its alternative, and any substitution loses…
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Calling the Distant as Near — "O Human Being" — Universal Address
Introduction: "Ya" is originally for calling the distant, and "ay" for calling the near — but the Quran combined "ya ayyuha" in …
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Description for Accepted Hyperbole — "Like Mountains" Describing Ships
Verse: "And among His signs are the ships sailing the sea like mountains." (42:32) Meaning: Among Allah's signs are the ships…
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Implicit Simile — Meaning Embedded in the Texture of the Verse
Definition of implicit simile: A simile without explicit comparison particle or explicit terms — it is inferred from the spirit …
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The Phenomenon of Antithesis — "Gives Life and Causes Death" / "Gives and Withholds"
Definition of muqabala (antithesis/parallel opposition): Bringing two or more meanings then their opposites in order — broader t…
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The Existential Question in the Quran — The Rhetorical Interrogative Style
Definition of rhetorical interrogative: Using the question form not for seeking information — but for various rhetorical purpose…
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Explicit Parables in the Quran — The Ant, the Mosquito, and the Spider
Definition of the explicit parable: The parable that explicitly uses the word "mathal" (parable/likeness) — the most visible typ…
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Implicit Parables — What Is Inferred Without Explicit Statement
Definition of the implicit parable: Speech that contains the meaning of a parable without explicitly using the word "mathal" — e…
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The Implied Metaphor — "Lower for Them the Wing of Humility"
Definition of the implied metaphor: A metaphor in which the vehicle (compared-to) is deleted and only its implication (what poin…
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The Explicit Metaphor — "When the Water Overflowed We Carried You"
Definition of the explicit metaphor: A metaphor in which only the vehicle is explicitly stated — the vehicle (the comparand) is …
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The Style of Urging and Warning — "The She-Camel of Allah and Her Drink"
Definition of urging (ighra) and warning (tahdhir):
Urging: Inciting the addressee toward a praiseworthy action — the object …
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Restriction with "Innama" — "The Believers Are but Brothers" and the Power of Specification
Definition of restriction (hasr): Limiting the subject by its predicate — affirming the ruling for what is mentioned and negatin…
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Multiplied Letters for Meaning — "Fawj", "Zumra", and "Afwaj"
The rhetorical principle: Word choice in the Quran is not built on dictionary meaning alone — it includes: sonic weight, number …
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Concision by Known Omission — "Upon the People is a Pilgrimage to the House"
Definition of concision by omission: Omitting a word indicated by context or a clue — with the meaning complete and rhetorical p…
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Repetition for Awe — "A Day When Neither Wealth nor Children Avail"
Repetition in Quranic rhetoric: Not every Quranic repetition is mere emphasis — each serves a specific rhetorical purpose: creat…
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Departing from Apparent Meaning — Command Meaning Challenge: "Bring a Surah"
Definition of departing from apparent meaning: Using a form beyond its original meaning for rhetorical purposes — such as a comm…
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Separation in Successive Sentences — "Faces on That Day Radiant, Looking at Their Lord"
Separation and connection in rhetoric:
Connection (wasl): Joining two sentences with a conjunction (wa) when there is a relat…
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Orderly Unfolding — "He Knows What They Conceal and What They Announce"
Definition of laf and nashr (envelopment and unfolding): Mentioning multiple items (envelopment) then following them with their …
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Scrambled Unfolding — The Beauty of Intentional Disorder
Definition of scrambled unfolding: Mentioning several items (envelopment) then their descriptions or rulings (unfolding) — but t…
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The Equalization Style — "It Is Equal Whether You Warned Them or Did Not Warn Them"
Definition of the equalization style: Informing that two different things carry the same ruling for the addressee — one of the s…
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Extended Antithesis — "As for Him Who Gives, Is Pious, and Affirms the Good" with Its Opposite
Definition of extended antithesis: Basic antithesis: two meanings opposite their two counterparts. Extended: three or more meani…
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Kinaya About an Action — "Do Not Make Your Hand Chained" as a Metaphor for Miserliness
Definition of Kinaya:
Kinaya: a word by which its consequent meaning is intended with the literal meaning remaining possible. D…
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Al-Ijaz Al-Baligh — "And In Retaliation There Is Life for You"
Definition of Ijaz:
Ijaz: conveying complete meaning in fewer words than the meaning ordinarily requires — without losing benef…
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Al-Tashbih Al-Tamthili — "Like a Donkey Carrying Books"
Definition of Al-Tashbih Al-Tamthili:
Representational simile: a comparison where the point of resemblance is a composite image…
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Exaggeration in Simile — "As If They Were Trunks of Uprooted Palms"
Definition of exaggeration in simile:
When a simile reaches such precision and depth that the listener feels the compared and t…
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The Beauty of Al-Fasila — Harmonic Endings of Verses
Definition of Al-Fasila:
Al-Fasila: the final word of a Quranic verse — the equivalent of prose cadence in continuous speech. I…
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Antithesis Between Two Words — "He Gives Life and Causes Death" and "You Honor and You Humiliate"
Definition of Tibaq (antithesis):
Tibaq: combining a word and its opposite in speech. Positive tibaq: bringing opposites togeth…
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Antithesis Between Two Sentences — Whoever Does an Atom of Good Sees It / Evil Sees It
Difference between tibaq and muqabala:
Tibaq: between two words. Muqabala: between two or more sentences — each sentence agains…
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The Imperative for Permission — "When the Prayer Is Concluded, Disperse in the Land"
The imperative in rhetoric:
Primary imperative: demanding an action in a commanding manner. But the imperative form carries man…
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The Circumstantial Clause — "While He Dislikes It" Modifies and Completes the Meaning
Definition of the circumstantial clause:
The circumstantial clause (hal): a qualification clarifying the state in which the act…
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Elliptical Story Narration — A Whole Story in Three Words in the Quran
Definition of elliptical story narration:
Ijaz al-qasr is the highest level of ijaz — when a complete story or massive event is…
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