Implicit Metaphor — Life Granted to the Inanimate
balagha
Level: advanced
istiara
blg-003
وَٱخۡفِضۡ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ
— الإسراء 24
Explicit metaphor: The compared-to is stated.
Implicit metaphor (makniyya): The compared-to is deleted; only its attributes remain.
Famous Quranic example: "And lower for them the wing of humility out of mercy" (17:24) — humility is given the "wing" attribute (belonging to birds) — be gentle and lowly as a bird lowers its wing to its chick.
Quranic precision: The lowered wing describes both tenderness and protection simultaneously — not just verbal humility but genuine care for parents like a bird's protective canopy over its young.
Source: Al-Jurjani, Asrar Al-Balagha (p.162); Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf (2/655)
Question: What is the implicit metaphor in "lower for them the wing of humility"?
Answer: Humility is given the "wing" of a bird — the compared-to (bird) is deleted; its attribute (wing) remains to indicate both tenderness and protection.