Separation and connection in rhetoric:
Connection (wasl): Joining two sentences with a conjunction (wa) when there is a relationship between them.
Separation (fasl): Leaving out the conjunction — more eloquent in specific cases.
The verse:
"Faces on that day radiant (nadira), looking (nadhira) at their Lord." (75:22-23)
Rhetorical analysis:
"Nadira" (with dad — radiance: beauty and joy) — "Nadhira" (with dha — looking: sight).
They come with no conjunction between them — an intentional separation because:
- The second sentence "looking" is an explanation and detail of the first — like the relationship between a sentence and its substitute
- Connection with "and" would make them two separate states — separation conveys that radiance and looking are one fused state
- Combining "nadira" and "nadhira" in one sonic pattern with different meanings — a partial paronomasia enriching the style
Al-Zamakhshari: "The separation between the two sentences implies that looking at Allah is the very essence of radiance — and that true happiness cannot be separated from seeing Him."
Question: Why is "radiant" separated from "looking" without a conjunction? What is the effect on meaning?
Answer: The separation makes looking at Allah the very essence of radiance — one fused state, not two. A conjunction would have separated happiness from seeing Allah.