Rhetorical Devices — Verbal Embellishments
balagha
Level: advanced
sarf
blg-017
مَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهۡ هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلۡطَٰنِيَهۡ
— الحاقة 28
Most famous verbal embellishments in the Quran: (1) Jinas: sound-alike words with different meanings. (2) Saj': harmonious fasila endings — like prose music. (3) Tasri': last two words harmonize. (4) Rad al-ajz ala al-sadr: returning the end to the beginning. (5) Tajnis: partial phonetic similarity.
Important note: The Quran did not deliberately deploy these as artificial craft — they arise from the meaning itself. This is itself part of its inimitability.
Source: Al-Zarkashi (3/459); Al-Suyuti (3/297)
Question: What is "rad al-ajz ala al-sadr" in rhetoric and its Quranic example?
Answer: Returning speech at its end to its beginning for balance — "What has my wealth availed me? Gone from me is my authority" — both words sharing weight and sound.