Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 4

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْفَنُّ الثَّانِي

The Second Art.

عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ

The Science of Eloquence (Ilm al-Bayan).

[تَعْرِيفُهُ]

[Its Definition]

الْفَنُّ الثَّانِي عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ

The Second Art is the Science of Eloquence.

قَدَّمَهُ عَلَى الْبَدِيعِ لِلِاحْتِيَاجِ إِلَيْهِ فِي نَفْسِ الْبَلَاغَةِ، وَتَعَلُّقِ الْبَدِيعِ بِالتَّوَابِعِ، وَهُوَ عِلْمٌ أَيْ

He placed it before the Science of Rhetorical Devices (al-Badi') because of the need for it in eloquence itself, and because al-Badi' relates to the secondary aspects, and it is a science, meaning:

تَوَابِعِ الْبَلَاغَةِ

the secondary aspects of eloquence.

مَلَكَةٌ يُقْتَدَرُ بِهَا عَلَى إِدْرَاكَاتٍ جُزْئِيَّةٍ أَوْ أُصُولٍ وَقَوَاعِدَ مَعْلُومَةٍ يُعْرَفُ بِهِ إِيرَادُ الْمَعْنَى

A faculty by which one is enabled to grasp particular perceptions, or established principles and rules, by which one knows how to convey a meaning,

كَيْفِيَّةٌ رَاسِخَةٌ فِي النَّفْسِ

a firmly established quality in the soul.

عَطْفٌ عَلَى مَلَكَةٍ

This is a conjunction to the word 'faculty'.

الْوَاحِدِ أَيِ الْمَدْلُولِ عَلَيْهِ بِكَلَامٍ مُطَابِقٍ لِمُقْتَضَى الْحَالِ بِطُرُقٍ وَتَرَاكِيبَ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي

the single [meaning], that is, the one indicated by speech that conforms to the requirements of the situation, through various methods and structures that differ in

عَطْفُ تَفْسِيرٍ

This is an explanatory conjunction.

وُضُوحِ الدَّلَالَةِ عَلَيْهِ أَيْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْمَعْنَى بِأَنْ يَكُونَ بَعْضُ الطُّرُقِ وَاضِحَ الدَّلَالَةِ عَلَيْهِ،

the clarity of their indication of it, that is, of that meaning, such that some methods are clear in their indication of it,

وَبَعْضُهَا أَوْضَحُ، وَالْوَاضِحُ خَفِيٌّ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى الْأَوْضَحِ، فَلَا حَاجَةَ إِلَى ذِكْرِ الْخَفَاءِ.

and some are clearer, and the clear is obscure in relation to the clearer, so there is no need to mention obscurity.

الْفَنُّ الثَّانِي: الْفَنُّ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْ أَلْفَاظٍ كَمَا هُوَ مُقْتَضَى ظَاهِرِ قَوْلِ الْمُصَنِّفِ أَوَّلَ الْكِتَابِ: " وَرَتَّبْتُهُ عَلَى مُقَدِّمَةٍ إِلَخْ".

The Second Art: 'Art' refers to words, as is the implication of the apparent statement of the author at the beginning of the book: 'And I have arranged it upon an introduction, etc.'

فَإِنْ جُعِلَ عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ عِبَارَةً عَنِ الْمَسَائِلِ احْتِيجَ إِلَى تَقْدِيرِ مُضَافٍ أَيْ مَدْلُولِ الْفَنِّ الثَّانِي عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ أَوِ الْفَنُّ الثَّانِي دَالُّ عِلْمِ الْبَيَانِ، وَإِنْ جُعِلَ عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ عِبَارَةً عَنِ الْمَلَكَةِ أَوِ الْإِدْرَاكِ احْتِيجَ لِتَقْدِيرِ مُضَافٍ آخَرَ وَهُوَ مُتَعَلِّقٌ. [الدَّسُوقِيُّ:

If 'Science of Eloquence' is taken to mean the issues, one would need to assume a genitive construction, meaning 'the referent of the Second Art is the Science of Eloquence' or 'the Second Art indicates the Science of Eloquence'; and if 'Science of Eloquence' is taken to mean the faculty or the perception, another genitive construction would need to be assumed, which is 'related to'. [Al-Dasuqi: 3/256]

قَدَّمَهُ عَلَى الْبَدِيعِ أَيْ أَتَى بِهِ مُقَدَّمًا عَلَيْهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ مُؤَخَّرًا عَنْهُ ثُمَّ قَدَّمَهُ. (الدَّسُوقِيُّ)

He placed it before al-Badi', meaning he brought it forward before it; because it was originally placed after it, then he moved it forward. (Al-Dasuqi)

نَفْسِ الْبَلَاغَةِ: لِأَنَّ الْبَيَانَ يُفِيدُ الِاحْتِرَازَ عَنِ التَّعْقِيدِ الْمَعْنَوِيِّ، وَهُوَ شَرْطٌ فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ، وَهِيَ شَرْطٌ فِي الْبَلَاغَةِ.

Eloquence itself: Because al-Bayan provides protection against semantic complexity, which is a condition for clarity (fasaha), and clarity is a condition for eloquence (balagha).

التَّجْرِيدُ: ٢٩٦] أَوْ أُصُولٍ إِلَخْ عَطْفٌ عَلَى مَلَكَةٍ إِشَارَةٌ إِلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالْعِلْمِ هَهُنَا إِمَّا الْمَلَكَةُ أَوِ الْأُصُولُ بِمَعْنَى الْقَوَاعِدِ الْمَعْلُومَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ بِهَا يُعْرَفُ إِيرَادُ الْمَعَانِي بِطُرُقٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي الْوُضُوحِ وَالْخَفَاءِ، وَإِنَّمَا قُيِّدَتِ الْقَوَاعِدُ بِالْمَعْلُومَةِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُطْلَقُ عَلَيْهَا عِلْمٌ بِدُونِ كَوْنِهَا مَعْلُومَةً مِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الْمُرَادُ بِالْعِلْمِ هَهُنَا أَحَدَ الْأَمْرَيْنِ الْمَذْكُورَيْنِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ مَقُولٌ بِالِاشْتِرَاكِ عَلَى هَذَيْنِ الْمَعْنَيَيْنِ، فَيَجُوزُ إِرَادَةُ كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا. [الدَّسُوقِيُّ:

[Al-Tajrid: 296] 'Or principles, etc.' is a conjunction to 'faculty', indicating that what is meant by 'science' here is either the faculty or the principles in the sense of known rules; because through them, one knows how to convey meanings in ways that differ in clarity and obscurity. The rules were qualified as 'known' because the term 'science' is not applied to them unless they are known from evidence. The intention behind 'science' here is one of the two mentioned things, because 'science' is a term applied equivocally to these two meanings, so it is permissible to intend either of them. [Al-Dasuqi: 3/257]

إِيرَادُ الْمَعْنَى الْوَاحِدِ إِلَخْ اللَّامُ فِيهِ لِلِاسْتِغْرَاقِ الْعُرْفِيِّ، أَيْ إِيرَادُ كُلِّ مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ يَدْخُلُ فِي قَصْدِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ، وَإِرَادَتُهُ بِتَرَاكِيبَ يَكُونُ بَعْضُهَا أَوْضَحَ دَلَالَةً مِنْ بَعْضٍ. (الْمُطَوَّلُ)]

'Conveying the single meaning, etc.': The definite article (al-) here is for conventional generalization, meaning conveying every single meaning that enters into the speaker's intention, and conveying it through structures some of which are clearer in indication than others. (Al-Mutawwal)

تَقْيِيدُ الْمَعْنَى بِالْوَاحِدِ لِلدَّلَالَةِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَوْرَدَ مَعَانِيَ مُتَعَدِّدَةً بِطُرُقٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ فِي شَيْءٍ. [التَّجْرِيدُ:

Qualifying the meaning as 'single' is to indicate that if one were to convey multiple meanings through different methods, that would not be part of al-Bayan at all. [Al-Tajrid: 297]

أَيِ الْمَدْلُولِ عَلَيْهِ إِلَخْ فِيهِ إِشَارَةٌ إِلَى أَنَّ اعْتِبَارَ الْبَيَانِ بَعْدَ اعْتِبَارِ الْمَعَانِي، وَأَنَّ هَذَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمُرَكَّبِ مِنَ الْمُفْرَدِ. (التَّجْرِيدُ)

'That is, the one indicated by it, etc.': In this is an indication that the consideration of al-Bayan comes after the consideration of meanings, and that this is to that as the compound is to the simple. (Al-Tajrid)

بِطُرُقٍ إِلَخْ: سَوَاءٌ كَانَتْ تِلْكَ الطُّرُقُ مِنْ قَبِيلِ الْكِنَايَةِ أَوِ الْمَجَازِ أَوِ التَّشْبِيهِ (الدَّسُوقِيُّ)

'Through methods, etc.': Whether those methods are of the category of metonymy, metaphor, or simile. (Al-Dasuqi)

وُضُوحُ الدَّلَالَةِ: أَيِ الدَّلَالَةُ الْعَقْلِيَّةُ؛ لِأَنَّهَا الْمُخْتَلِفَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ التَّجْرِيدِ فَلَا حَاجَةَ إِلَخْ وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ الِاخْتِلَافَ فِي الْوُضُوحِ تَقْتَضِي أَنَّ بَعْضَهَا أَوْضَحُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ مَعَ وُجُودِ الْوُضُوحِ فِي كُلٍّ، وَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ الْوَاضِحَ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى الْأَوْضَحِ خَفِيٌّ، فَالِاخْتِلَافُ فِي الْوُضُوحِ يَسْتَلْزِمُ الِاخْتِلَافَ فِي الْخَفَاءِ، فَلَا حَاجَةَ إِلَى ذِكْرِ الْخَفَاءِ. (الدَّسُوقِيُّ)

'Clarity of indication': That is, the rational indication; because it is what differs in that regard. [Al-Tajrid] 'So there is no need, etc.': This is because the difference in clarity requires that some of them be clearer than others, while clarity exists in all of them. It is known that the clear, in relation to the clearer, is obscure. Thus, the difference in clarity necessitates a difference in obscurity, so there is no need to mention obscurity. (Al-Dasuqi)

Vocabulary · المفردات (8 verbs · 30 nouns)

• قَدَّمَ — to present
• تَعَلَّقَ — to relate
• اِقْتَدَرَ — to be able
• عَرَفَ — to know
• طَابَقَ — to correspond
• اِخْتَلَفَ — to differ
• كَانَ — to be
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• فَنٌّ — art
• عِلْمٌ — science
• بَيَانٌ — rhetoric
• بَدِيعٌ — innovation
• احْتِيَاجٌ — need
• نَفْسٌ — self
• بَلَاغَةٌ — eloquence
• تَابِعٌ — follower
• مَلَكَةٌ — faculty
• إِدْرَاكٌ — perception
• أَصْلٌ — foundation
• قَاعِدَةٌ — rule
• إِيرَادٌ — presentation
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• مَدْلُولٌ — signified
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• مُقْتَضًى — requirement
• حَالٌ — state
• طَرِيقٌ — way
• تَرْكِيبٌ — structure
• وُضُوحٌ — clarity
• دَلَالَةٌ — indication
• وَاضِحٌ — clear
• أَوْضَحُ — clearer
• خَفِيٌّ — hidden
• نِسْبَةٌ — relation
• حَاجَةٌ — need
• ذِكْرٌ — mention
• خَفَاءٌ — obscurity