Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 5

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

اَلْفَنُّ اَلثَّانِي: اَلدَّلَالَةُ.

The second art: Indication (al-dalalah).

وَتَقْيِيدُ اَلِاخْتِلَافِ بِالْوُضُوحِ؛ لِيَخْرُجَ مَعْرِفَةُ إِيرَادِ اَلْمَعْنَى اَلْوَاحِدِ بِطُرُقٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي اَللَّفْظِ.

The restriction of 'difference' by 'clarity' is to exclude the knowledge of expressing a single meaning through different ways of wording.

مُبْتَدَأٌ، خَبَرٌ عَنْ حَدِّ اَلْبَيَانِ وَالْعِبَارَةِ، وَاللَّامُ فِي اَلْمَعْنَى "اَلْوَاحِدِ" لِلِاسْتِغْرَاقِ اَلْعُرْفِيِّ أَيْ كُلُّ مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ يَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ قَصْدِ اَلْمُتَكَلِّمِ وَإِرَادَتِهِ، فَلَوْ عَرَفَ وَاحِدٌ إِيرَادَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِنَا: "زَيْدٌ جَوَادٌ" بِطُرُقٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ، مِمَّنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ تِلْكَ اَلْمَلَكَةُ فِي اَلْوُضُوحِ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِمُجَرَّدِ ذَلِكَ عَالِمًا بِالْبَيَانِ.

It is a subject, and the predicate is about the definition of al-bayan (eloquence/clarity) and expression; the 'al' (definite article) in 'the single' meaning is for conventional inclusion, meaning every single meaning that falls under the speaker's intention and will. Thus, if someone were to know how to express the meaning of our saying 'Zayd is generous' in different ways, but lacked that faculty for clarity, he would not, by that alone, be a scholar of al-bayan.

ثُمَّ لَمَّا لَمْ يَكُنْ كُلُّ دَلَالَةٍ قَابِلًا لِلْوُضُوحِ وَالْخَفَاءِ، أَرَادَ أَنْ يُشِيرَ إِلَى تَقْسِيمِ اَلدَّلَالَةِ وَتَعْيِينِ مَا هُوَ اَلْمَقْصُودُ هَهُنَا.

Then, since not every indication is susceptible to clarity and obscurity, he wanted to point to the classification of indication and specify what is intended here.

فِي هَذَا اَلْفَنِّ: [اَلدَّلَالَةُ، تَعْرِيفُهُ وَتَقْسِيمُهُ] فَقَالَ: وَدَلَالَةُ اَللَّفْظِ يَعْنِي دَلَالَتَهُ اَلْوَضْعِيَّةَ لِيَخْرُجَ مَعْرِفَةُ إِلَخْ أَيْ لِيُخْرِجَهَا عَنْ كَوْنِهَا مَشْمُولَةً لِعِلْمِ اَلْبَيَانِ وَجُزْءًا مِنْ مُسَمَّاهُ، وَإِلَّا فَالْمَعْرِفَةُ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ لَا يَصْدُقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلْحَدُّ بِطَرِيقِ اَلِاسْتِقْلَالِ أَصْلًا؛ لِأَنَّ اَلْمُرَادَ بِالْمَعْنَى جَمِيعُ اَلْمَعَانِي اَلدَّاخِلَةِ تَحْتَ اَلْقَصْدِ وَالْإِرَادَةِ.

In this art: [Indication, its definition and classification], he said: 'And the indication of the word,' meaning its conventional indication, to exclude the knowledge of, etc., meaning to exclude it from being included in the science of al-bayan and being a part of its designation. Otherwise, knowledge regarding a single meaning does not satisfy the definition independently at all, because what is meant by 'meaning' is all meanings that fall under intention and will.

إِيرَادُ اَلْمَعْنَى إِلَخْ حَاصِلُهُ أَنَّ تَقْيِيدَ اَلْمُصَنِّفِ اَلِاخْتِلَافَ بِوُضُوحِ اَلدَّلَالَةِ مُخْرِجٌ لِمَعْرِفَةِ إِيرَادِ اَلْمَعْنَى اَلْوَاحِدِ بِتَرَاكِيبَ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي اَللَّفْظِ مُتَمَاثِلَةٍ فِي اَلْوُضُوحِ، وَذَلِكَ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ اِخْتِلَافُهَا بِأَلْفَاظٍ مُتَرَادِفَةٍ كَالتَّعْبِيرِ عَنْ كَرَمِ زَيْدٍ بِقَوْلِنَا: "زَيْدٌ كَرِيمٌ" وَ "زَيْدٌ جَوَادٌ"، وَكَالتَّعْبِيرِ عَنِ اَلْحَيَوَانِ اَلْمُفْتَرِسِ بِالْأَسَدِ وَالْغَضَنْفَرِ، فَمَعْرِفَةُ إِيرَادِ اَلْمَعْنَى اَلْوَاحِدِ بِأَلْفَاظٍ مُتَرَادِفَةٍ لَيْسَتْ مِنَ اَلْبَيَانِ فِي شَيْءٍ.

The gist of 'expressing the meaning, etc.' is that the author's restriction of 'difference' by 'clarity of indication' excludes the knowledge of expressing a single meaning through structures that differ in wording but are identical in clarity. This is when their difference is through synonymous words, such as expressing Zayd's generosity by our saying 'Zayd is karim' (generous) and 'Zayd is jawad' (bountiful), or expressing the predatory animal as 'asad' (lion) and 'ghadanfar' (lion). Thus, knowledge of expressing a single meaning through synonymous words is not part of al-bayan at all.

اَللَّفْظُ: مَعَ كَوْنِهَا مُتَمَاثِلَةً فِي اَلْوُضُوحِ لِلِاسْتِغْرَاقِ اَلْعُرْفِيِّ: لَا اَلْحَقِيقِيِّ؛ لِأَنَّ قُوَى اَلْبَشَرِيَّةِ لَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَى اِسْتِحْضَارِ جَمِيعِ اَلْمَعَانِي.

The word: while they are identical in clarity, it is for conventional inclusion, not real inclusion, because human faculties are unable to summon all meanings.

أَيْ كُلُّ مَعْنًى: فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَعْنًى لَوَازِمَ بَعْضُهَا بِلَا وَاسِطَةٍ وَبَعْضُهَا بِوَاسِطَةٍ، فَيُمْكِنُ إِيرَادُهُ بِعِبَارَاتٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي اَلْوُضُوحِ.

Meaning every meaning: for every meaning has implications, some without an intermediary and some with an intermediary, so it is possible to express it with phrases that differ in clarity.

تَفْرِيعٌ عَلَى كَوْنِ اَللَّامِ لِلِاسْتِغْرَاقِ.

A derivation based on the 'al' being for inclusion.

فَلَوْ عَرَفَ وَاحِدٌ بَلْ لَوْ عَرَفَ مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ هَذِهِ اَلْمَلَكَةُ إِيرَادَ كُلِّ مَعْنًى يَدْخُلُ فِي قَصْدِ اَلْمُتَكَلِّمِ كَالْعَرَبِيِّ اَلْمُتَكَلِّمِ بِالسَّلِيقَةِ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَالِمًا بِعِلْمِ اَلْبَيَانِ.

If someone were to know, or rather if someone who lacks this faculty were to know, how to express every meaning that enters into the speaker's intention, like an Arab speaker by natural instinct, he would not be a scholar of the science of al-bayan.

بِمُجَرَّدِ ذَلِكَ: أَيْ بَلْ لَابُدَّ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ إِيرَادِ كُلِّ مَعْنًى دَخَلَ تَحْتَ قَصْدِهِ بَعْدَ حُصُولِ اَلْمَلَكَةِ اَلْمَذْكُورَةِ.

By that alone: meaning, rather, it is necessary to have knowledge of expressing every meaning that falls under his intention after the attainment of the aforementioned faculty.

قَابِلًا بَلْ مِنْهَا مَا لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا وَاضِحًا كَالْوَضْعِيَّةِ، وَمِنْهَا مَا لَا يَكُونُ قَابِلًا لِلْوُضُوحِ أَوِ اَلْخَفَاءِ وَهُوَ اَلْعَقْلِيَّةُ.

Susceptible, or rather, some of it is only clear, such as the conventional, and some of it is not susceptible to clarity or obscurity, which is the rational.

وَدَلَالَةُ اَللَّفْظِ إِلَخْ اِحْتَرَزَ بِإِضَافَةِ اَلدَّلَالَةِ إِلَى اَللَّفْظِ عَنِ اَلدَّلَالَةِ اَلْغَيْرِ اَللَّفْظِيَّةِ عَقْلِيَّةً كَانَتْ أَوْ وَضْعِيَّةً أَوْ طَبْعِيَّةً وَبِقَيْدِ اَلْوَضْعِيَّةِ فِي اَلشَّرْحِ خَرَجَ دَلَالَةُ اَللَّفْظِيَّةِ اَلْعَقْلِيَّةِ وَاللَّفْظِيَّةِ اَلطَّبْعِيَّةِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَنْقَسِمُ شَيْءٌ مِنْهَا سِوَى اَلدَّلَالَةِ اَللَّفْظِيَّةِ اَلْوَضْعِيَّةِ إِلَى اَلْأَقْسَامِ اَلْآتِيَةِ.

And 'the indication of the word,' etc. He guarded by attributing the indication to the word against non-verbal indication, whether it be rational, conventional, or natural. And by the restriction of 'conventional' in the explanation, the verbal rational indication and the verbal natural indication are excluded, because none of them, except for the verbal conventional indication, is divided into the following categories.

Vocabulary · المفردات (16 verbs · 59 nouns)

• خَرَجَ — to be excluded
• دَخَلَ — to be included
• عَرَفَ — to know
• كَانَ — to be
• أَرَادَ — to want
• أَشَارَ — to point
• عَيَّنَ — to determine
• قَالَ — to say
• عَنَى — to mean
• شَمَلَ — to include
• صَدَقَ — to be true
• قَدَرَ — to be able
• اِسْتَحْضَرَ — to summon
• أَمْكَنَ — to be possible
• اِحْتَرَزَ — to guard against
• اِنْقَسَمَ — to be divided
• فَنٌّ — art
• دَلَالَةٌ — indication
• تَقْيِيدٌ — restriction
• اِخْتِلَافٌ — difference
• وُضُوحٌ — clarity
• مَعْرِفَةٌ — knowledge
• إِيرَادٌ — bringing
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• طَرِيقٌ — way
• لَفْظٌ — word
• مُبْتَدَأٌ — subject
• خَبَرٌ — predicate
• حَدٌّ — definition
• بَيَانٌ — clarification
• عِبَارَةٌ — expression
• لَامٌ — lam
• اِسْتِغْرَاقٌ — comprehensiveness
• عُرْفِيٌّ — customary
• قَصْدٌ — intention
• مُتَكَلِّمٌ — speaker
• إِرَادَةٌ — will
• مَلَكَةٌ — faculty
• عَالِمٌ — scholar
• تَقْسِيمٌ — division
• مَقْصُودٌ — intended
• تَعْرِيفٌ — definition
• وَضْعِيٌّ — conventional
• عِلْمٌ — science
• جُزْءٌ — part
• مُسَمًّى — named
• اِسْتِقْلَالٌ — independence
• مُصَنِّفٌ — author
• تَرْكِيبٌ — structure
• مُتَمَاثِلٌ — similar
• مُتَرَادِفٌ — synonymous
• تَعْبِيرٌ — expression
• كَرَمٌ — generosity
• كَرِيمٌ — generous
• جَوَادٌ — generous
• حَيَوَانٌ — animal
• مُفْتَرِسٌ — predatory
• أَسَدٌ — lion
• غَضَنْفَرٌ — lion
• حَقِيقِيٌّ — real
• قُوَّةٌ — power
• بَشَرِيَّةٌ — human
• اِسْتِحْضَارٌ — summoning
• لَازِمٌ — necessity
• وَاسِطَةٌ — medium
• تَفْرِيعٌ — derivation
• عَرَبِيٌّ — Arab
• سَلِيقَةٌ — natural disposition
• حُصُولٌ — attainment
• خَفَاءٌ — obscurity
• عَقْلِيٌّ — rational
• طَبْعِيٌّ — natural
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• قِسْمٌ — section