Antithesis (Tibaq) — Joining Two Opposites
balagha
Level: intermediate
tibaq
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وَتَحۡسَبُهُمۡ أَيۡقَاظٗا وَهُمۡ رُقُودٌ
— الكهف 18
Definition: Joining a thing and its opposite in speech — "He is the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden."
Positive tibaq: Both opposites affirmed — "Dead and living" (6:122).
Negative tibaq: One negated — "The blind and the seeing are not equal."
Beautiful example: "You think them awake, while they are asleep" (18:18) — wakefulness and sleep joined in one description, creating a major paradox.
Purpose: Embodies and highlights contradiction — declaring that both opposite realities exist simultaneously, doubling the significance.
Source: Al-Zarkashi (3/432); Al-Suyuti (3/289); Al-Jurjani
Question: What is the purpose of antithesis (tibaq) in the Quran?
Answer: Highlighting and embodying contradiction — declaring both opposite realities coexist, doubling the significance and reinforcing meaning.