Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 20

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فَالتَّشْبِيهُ الِاصْطِلَاحِيُّ هُوَ الدَّلَالَةُ عَلَى مُشَارَكَةِ أَمْرٍ لِأَمْرٍ فِي مَعْنًى، لَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الِاسْتِعَارَةِ التَّحْقِيقِيَّةِ وَالِاسْتِعَارَةِ بِالْكِنَايَةِ وَالتَّجْرِيدِ،

Conventional simile indicates that one thing shares a meaning with another, rather than functioning through literal metaphor, metonymy, or abstraction.

فَدَخَلَ فِيهِ نَحْوُ قَوْلِنَا: زَيْدٌ أَسَدٌ بِحَذْفِ أَدَاةِ التَّشْبِيهِ

This category includes our expression, 'Zayd is a lion,' where the simile marker is omitted.

وَنَحْوُ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَصُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ﴾ بِحَذْفِ الْأَدَاةِ وَالْمُشَبَّهِ جَمِيعًا

It also includes the Almighty’s words, 'Deaf, dumb, and blind,' where both the marker and the subject being compared are omitted.

فَإِنَّ الْمُحَقِّقِينَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ تَشْبِيهٌ بَلِيغٌ لَا اسْتِعَارَةٌ؛

Experts maintain that this is an eloquent simile, not a metaphor.

لِأَنَّ الِاسْتِعَارَةَ إِنَّمَا تُطْلَقُ حَيْثُ يُطْوَى ذِكْرُ الْمُسْتَعَارِ لَهُ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ،

Metaphor is only used when the object being compared is entirely suppressed.

وَيُجْعَلُ الْكَلَامُ خُلُوًّا عَنْهُ صَالِحًا لِأَنْ يُرَادَ بِهِ الْمَنْقُولُ عَنْهُ وَالْمَنْقُولُ إِلَيْهِ، لَوْلَا دَلَالَةُ الْحَالِ أَوْ فَحْوَى الْكَلَامِ.

The statement is rendered void of the subject, leaving it open to mean either the original or the transferred sense, were it not for situational context or the surrounding discourse.

وَالنَّظَرُ هَهُنَا فِي أَرْكَانِهِ.

Our focus here is on its constituent parts.

أَنْ يَقُولَ: فَالتَّشْبِيهُ الِاصْطِلَاحِيُّ مَا مَرَّ فَدَخَلَ إِلَخْ. وَالتَّجْرِيدُ: وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُزَادَ فِيهِ قَوْلُنَا: بِالْكَافِ وَنَحْوِهِ لَفْظًا أَوْ تَقْدِيرًا لِيَخْرُجَ عَنْهُ نَحْوُ قَاتَلَ زَيْدٌ عَمْرًا، وَجَاءَنِي زَيْدٌ وَعَمْرٌو.

We should add the qualification 'using the kaf or a similar marker, either explicitly or implicitly' to exclude phrases like 'Zayd fought Amr' or 'Zayd and Amr came to me'.

فَدَخَلَ فِيهِ أَيْ فِي التَّشْبِيهِ الِاصْطِلَاحِيِّ مَا يُسَمَّى تَشْبِيهًا بِلَا خِلَافٍ وَهُوَ مَا ذُكِرَ فِيهِ أَدَاةُ التَّشْبِيهِ

Conventional simile thus encompasses what is universally accepted as simile, namely, instances where the marker is explicitly stated.

وَمَا يُسَمَّى تَشْبِيهًا عَلَى الْقَوْلِ الْمُخْتَارِ، وَهُوَ مَا حُذِفَ فِيهِ أَدَاةُ التَّشْبِيهِ،

It also includes what is classified as simile under the preferred view, where the marker is omitted.

وَجُعِلَ الْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ خَبَرًا عَنِ الْمُشَبَّهِ أَوْ فِي حُكْمِ الْخَبَرِ،

In these cases, the object of comparison serves as the predicate or functions as one.

سَوَاءٌ كَانَ مَعَ ذِكْرِ الْمُشَبَّهِ أَوْ حَذْفِهِ،

This applies whether the subject being compared is mentioned or omitted.

فَالْأَوَّلُ نَحْوُ قَوْلِنَا: زَيْدٌ أَسَدٌ، وَالثَّانِي نَحْوُ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَصُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ﴾ بِحَذْفِ الْمُبْتَدَأِ، أَيْ هُمْ صُمٌّ،

The first is exemplified by 'Zayd is a lion,' and the second by the Almighty's words, 'Deaf, dumb, and blind,' where the subject is omitted, meaning 'they are deaf'.

فَإِنَّ الْمُحَقِّقِينَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ يُسَمَّى تَشْبِيهًا بَلِيغًا لَا اسْتِعَارَةً.

Experts hold that this is termed an eloquent simile, not a metaphor.

فَإِنَّ الْمُحَقِّقِينَ: عِلَّةٌ لِدُخُولِ الْمِثَالَيْنِ فِي التَّشْبِيهِ الْبَلِيغِ وَخَالَفَهُمْ غَيْرُهُمْ فَجَعَلُوهُ اسْتِعَارَةً.

The phrase 'For the experts' provides the reason for including these two examples as eloquent similes, though others disagree and classify them as metaphors.

الْمُسْتَعَارُ لَهُ هُوَ الْمُشَبَّهُ، وَهَذَا فِي الِاسْتِعَارَةِ التَّصْرِيحِيَّةِ؛

The object being compared is the 'borrowed-for' entity, which applies to explicit metaphor.

إِذْ هِيَ الَّتِي يُطْوَى فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِخِلَافِ الْمَكْنِيَّةِ كَمَا يَأْتِي،

This is because explicit metaphor suppresses the mention of the object being compared, unlike implicit metaphor, as we shall see.

فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُطْوَى فِيهَا إِلَّا ذِكْرُ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ، وَأَمَّا الْمُشَبَّهُ فَيُذْكَرُ فِيهَا،

In implicit metaphor, only the object used for comparison is suppressed, while the subject being compared remains.

وَإِنَّمَا اقْتَصَرَ هَهُنَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ؛ لِأَنَّ مَا فِي الْآيَةِ بِتَقْدِيرِ كَوْنِهِ اسْتِعَارَةً إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ اسْتِعَارَةً تَصْرِيحِيَّةً لَا مَكْنِيَّةً.

The author limited the discussion here because if the verse were considered a metaphor, it would be an explicit one, not an implicit one.

خُلُوًّا عَنْهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ الْمُسْتَعَارِ لَهُ أَيْ وَالْمُشَبَّهِ يَعْنِي الْمُسْتَعَارَ لَهُ فِي الْمِثَالِ الْأَوَّلِ مَذْكُورٌ وَفِي الْآيَةِ مُقَدَّرٌ؛

'Empty of it' refers to the omission of the borrowed-for object—that is, the subject being compared. It is stated in the first example and implied in the verse.

لِأَنَّهُ خَبَرٌ لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنَ مُبْتَدَأٍ، وَالْمُقَدَّرُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمَلْفُوظِ، فَلَمْ يُطْوَ ذِكْرُهُ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ فِيهِمَا

Since it acts as a predicate, it requires a subject; an implied subject is treated as if it were stated, so it is not entirely suppressed in either case.

دَلَالَةُ الْحَالِ وَهِيَ الْقَرِينَةُ الْحَالِيَّةُ،

Situational indication refers to the contextual clue.

فَإِذَا قُلْتَ: رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا الْآنَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ لَا يُرَى فِيهِ الْأَسَدُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ كَانَ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ لَوْلَا الْقَرِينَةُ الْحَالِيَّةُ صَالِحًا لِأَنْ يُرَادَ بِالْأَسَدِ فِيهِ الْمَعْنَى الْحَقِيقِيُّ،

If you say, 'I saw a lion now' in a place where no real lion could be, this statement—were it not for the situational context—could be interpreted as referring to the literal animal.

وَهُوَ الْحَيَوَانُ الْمُفْتَرِسُ الْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ وَأَنْ يُرَادَ بِهِ الْمُشَبَّهُ وَهُوَ الرَّجُلُ الشُّجَاعُ.

This literal meaning is the predatory animal used for comparison, whereas the intended meaning is the subject being compared, the brave man.

فَحْوَى الْكَلَامِ الْمُرَادُ بِهِ الْقَرِينَةُ الْمَقَالِيَّةُ،

'Content of the speech' refers to the verbal clue.

فَإِذَا قُلْتَ: رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا فِي يَدِهِ سَيْفٌ كَانَ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ لَوْلَا فِي يَدِهِ سَيْفٌ صَالِحًا لِأَنْ يُرَادَ بِالْأَسَدِ فِيهِ الْحَيَوَانُ الْمُفْتَرِسُ أَوِ الرَّجُلُ الشُّجَاعُ

If you say, 'I saw a lion with a sword in its hand,' this statement—without the phrase 'with a sword in its hand'—could be interpreted as either the predatory animal or the brave man.

وَالنَّظَرُ هَهُنَا هُوَ تَوْجِيهُ الْعَقْلِ إِلَى أَحْوَالِ الْمَنْظُورِ فِيهِ.

The consideration here involves directing the mind toward the conditions of the subject under review.

Vocabulary · المفردات (23 verbs · 65 nouns)

• دَخَلَ — to be included
• طَوَى — to omit
• أَطْلَقَ — to release
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَرَادَ — to want
• أَعَادَ — to repeat
• كَفَى — to suffice
• مَرَّ — to pass
• اِنْبَغَى — to be necessary
• زَادَ — to increase
• خَرَجَ — to exit
• قَاتَلَ — to fight
• جَاءَ — to come
• سَمَّى — to name
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• قَامَ — to stand
• حَذَفَ — to delete
• خَالَفَ — to oppose
• أَتَى — to come
• اِقْتَصَرَ — to limit
• كَانَ — to be
• رَأَى — to see
• وَجَّهَ — to direct
• تَشْبِيه — simile
• اصْطِلَاحِيّ — conventional
• دَلَالَة — indication
• مُشَارَكَة — participation
• أَمْر — matter
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• وَجْه — aspect
• اسْتِعَارَة — metaphor
• تَحْقِيقِيَّة — real
• كِنَايَة — metonymy
• تَجْرِيد — abstraction
• نَحْو — such as, e.g. (نَحْوَ); direction, manner; grammar (النَّحْو)
• قَوْل — saying
• أَسَد — lion
• حَذْف — deletion
• أَدَاة — tool
• صُمّ — Deaf
• بُكْم — mute (person)
• عُمْي — blind (person)
• مُشَبَّه — likened (object)
• جَمِيع — all
• مُحَقِّق — verifier
• بَلِيغ — eloquent
• ذِكْر — mention
• مُسْتَعَار — borrowed
• كُلِّيَّة — totality
• كَلَام — speech
• خُلُوّ — emptiness
• صَالِح — fit
• مَنْقُول — transferred
• حَال — state
• فَحْوَى — content
• نَظَر — view
• رُكْن — pillar
• رَبْط — connection
• كَاف — kaf (letter)
• لَفْظ — wording
• تَقْدِير — estimation
• خِلَاف — disagreement
• قَرِينَة — clue
• مُخْتَار — chosen
• خَبَر — predicate
• حُكْم — ruling
• مُبْتَدَأ — subject
• عِلَّة — reason
• مِثَال — an example
• تَصْرِيحِيَّة — explicit
• مَكْنِيَّة — implicit
• مَذْكُور — mentioned
• مُقَدَّر — estimated
• مَنْزِلَة — status
• مَلْفُوظ — pronounced
• حَالِيَّة — situational
• مَوْضِع — place
• حَقِيقِيّ — real
• حَيَوَان — animal
• مُفْتَرِس — predatory
• رَجُل — man
• شُجَاع — brave
• مَقَالِيَّة — verbal
• يَد — hand
• سَيْف — sword
• عَقْل — mind
• أَحْوَال — conditions
• مَنْظُور — viewed