Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 174

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْحَقِيقَةُ وَالْمَجَازُ كَذَلِكَ أُثْبِتَ لِاخْتِيَارِ الضَّلَالَةِ عَلَى الْهُدَى الَّذِي هُوَ الْمُشَبَّهُ مَا يَخُصُّ الْمُشَبَّهَ بِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ الِاشْتِرَاءُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ مِنَ الرِّبْحِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ، فَكَمَا اُعْتُبِرَ هُنَاكَ صُورَةٌ وَهْمِيَّةٌ شَبِيهَةٌ بِالْأَظْفَارِ فِي التَّخْيِيلِيَّةِ فَلْيُعْتَبَرْ هَهُنَا أَيْضًا مَعْنًى وَهْمِيٌّ شَبِيهٌ بِالتِّجَارَةِ، وَآخَرُ شَبِيهٌ بِالرِّبْحِ؛ لِيَكُونَ اسْتِعْمَالُ الرِّبْحِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَيْهِمَا اسْتِعَارَتَيْنِ تَخْيِيلِيَّتَيْنِ؛ إِذْ لَا فَرْقَ بَيْنَهُمَا، إِلَّا بِأَنَّ التَّعْبِيرَ عَنِ الْمُشَبَّهِ الَّذِي أُثْبِتَ لَهُ مَا يَخُصُّ الْمُشَبَّهَ بِهِ كَالْمَنِيَّةِ مَثَلًا فِي التَّخْيِيلِيَّةِ بِاللَّفْظِ الْمَوْضُوعِ لَهُ كَلَفْظِ الْمَنِيَّةِ، وَفِي التَّرْشِيحِ بِغَيْرِ لَفْظِهِ كَلَفْظِ الِاشْتِرَاءِ الْمُعَبَّرِ بِهِ عَنِ الِاخْتِيَارِ، وَالِاسْتِبْدَالِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَنَّ لَفْظَ الِاشْتِرَاءِ لَيْسَ بِمَوْضُوعٍ لَهُ، وَهَذَا الْفَرْقُ لَا يُوجِبُ اعْتِبَارَ الْمَعْنَى الْمُتَوَهَّمِ فِي التَّخْيِيلِيَّةِ، وَعَدَمَ اعْتِبَارِهِ فِي التَّرْشِيحِ، فَاعْتِبَارُهُ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا دُونَ الْآخَرِ تَحَكُّمٌ.

Literal and figurative meaning: Likewise, what pertains to the object of comparison—which is real purchasing—in terms of profit and trade, has been affirmed for the choosing of misguidance over guidance, which is the subject of comparison. Just as an imaginary image resembling claws was considered there in the imaginative metaphor (takhayyuliyyah), so too should an imaginary meaning resembling trade, and another resembling profit, be considered here, so that the use of profit and trade in relation to them would be two imaginative metaphors; for there is no difference between them, except that the expression of the subject of comparison—for which what pertains to the object of comparison has been affirmed, such as death in the imaginative metaphor—is by the word coined for it, like the word 'death', whereas in the corroborative metaphor (tarshi'), it is by a word other than its own, like the word 'purchasing' used to express choosing and substitution, meaning that the word 'purchasing' is not coined for it. This difference does not necessitate considering the imagined meaning in the imaginative metaphor while not considering it in the corroborative metaphor, so considering it in one without the other is arbitrary.

كَذَلِكَ إِلَخْ: أَيْ فَقَدْ شَبَّهَ اخْتِيَارَ الضَّلَالَةِ بِالِاشْتِرَاءِ وَاسْتُعِيرَ لَهُ اسْمُهُ وَاشْتُقَّ مِنَ الِاشْتِرَاءِ "اشْتَرَوْا" بِمَعْنَى اخْتَارُوا، وَإِثْبَاتُ الرِّبْحِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ﴾ تَرْشِيحٌ.

'Likewise, etc.': That is, he likened the choosing of misguidance to purchasing, its name was borrowed for it, and 'they purchased' (ishtara) was derived from purchasing, meaning 'they chose', and the affirmation of profit and trade in His saying, the Almighty: 'So their trade did not profit,' is a corroborative metaphor (tarshi').

أُثْبِتَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوْا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَى﴾ هَهُنَا أَيْضًا وَالْحَاصِلُ: أَنَّ الْوَهْمَ لِكَوْنِهِ يَفْرِضُ الْمُسْتَحِيلَاتِ لَا يَمْتَنِعُ أَنْ يَفْرِضَ صُورَةً وَهْمِيَّةً يُطْلَقُ عَلَيْهَا لَفْظُ اللَّازِمِ الْمُسَمَّى تَرْشِيحًا، كَمَا أَنَّ لَفْظَ اللَّازِمِ لِلْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ فِي التَّخْيِيلِ نَقْلُ صُورَةٍ وَهْمِيَّةٍ، وَالسَّبَبُ فِي اعْتِبَارِ الصُّورَةِ الْوَهْمِيَّةِ مَوْجُودٌ فِي كُلٍّ مِنَ التَّرْشِيحِ وَالتَّخْيِيلِ وَهُوَ الْمُبَالَغَةُ فِي التَّشْبِيهِ.

It was affirmed in His saying, the Almighty: 'Those are the ones who purchased misguidance with guidance' here as well. The conclusion is: that the imagination, because it posits impossibilities, it is not impossible for it to posit an imaginary image to which the word of the concomitant (lazim)—called corroboration—is applied, just as the word of the concomitant for the object of comparison in the imaginative metaphor is the transfer of an imaginary image. The reason for considering the imaginary image is present in both the corroborative and imaginative metaphors, which is hyperbole in comparison.

…3 more translated lines, 22 more verbs and 42 more nouns on this page — subscribe to study every page.

Vocabulary · المفردات (25 verbs · 45 nouns)

• أَثْبَتَ — to attribute
• اِعْتَبَرَ — to consider
• شَبَّهَ — to liken
• حَقِيقَة — truth
• مَجَاز — metaphor
• اخْتِيَار — choice