Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 22

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَالْمُقْتَضَى - وَيُسَمَّى الِاعْتِبَارَ الْمُنَاسِبَ - هُوَ : الصُّورَةُ الْمَخْصُوصَةُ، الَّتِي تُورَدُ عَلَيْهَا الْعِبَارَةُ

The requirement—also called the appropriate consideration—is the specific form in which an expression is presented.

مَثَلًا الْمَدْحُ حَالٌ يَدْعُو لِإِيرَادِ الْعِبَارَةِ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْإِطْنَابِ، وَذَكَاءُ الْمُخَاطَبِ حَالٌ يَدْعُو لِإِيرَادِهَا عَلَى صُورَةِ الْإِيجَازِ،

For instance, praising someone calls for an expansive style, while addressing an intelligent listener calls for conciseness.

فَكُلٌّ مِنَ الْمَدْحِ وَالذَّكَاءِ حَالٌ، وَكُلٌّ مِنَ الْإِطْنَابِ وَالْإِيجَازِ مُقْتَضًى، وَإِيرَادُ الْكَلَامِ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْإِطْنَابِ وَالْإِيجَازِ مُطَابَقَةٌ لِلْمُقْتَضَى

Praise and intelligence are therefore states, while verbosity and conciseness are requirements. Matching one's speech to these requirements is what constitutes conformity.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (7 verbs · 45 nouns)

• سَمَّى — to name
• أَوْرَدَ — to present
• دَعَا — to necessitate
• مُقْتَضًى — requirement
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• مُنَاسِبٌ — appropriate