Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 306

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ عَلَاقَتُهُ الْمُشَابَهَةَ سُمِّيَ اِسْتِعَارَةً تَمْثِيلِيَّةً، كَمَا يُقَالُ لِلْمُتَرَدِّدِ فِي أَمْرٍ: «أَرَاكَ تُقَدِّمُ رِجْلًا وَتُؤَخِّرُ أُخْرَى».

If the relationship is one of similarity, it is termed a representative metaphor, such as when one says to a hesitant person, "You seem to be blowing hot and cold."

فَلَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لَهُ زَمِيلُهُ: «أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَأْتِيَ مَعِي إِلَى مَكَّةَ لِنُؤَدِّيَ عُمْرَةً؟»، فَتَرَدَّدَ، أَيْ لَمْ يَجْزِمْ بِهَذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ، فَيَقُولُ: عَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ نُسَافِرَ لِلْعُمْرَةِ، فَجَعَلَ يُقَدِّمُ رِجْلًا وَيُؤَخِّرُ أُخْرَى»،

If a man asks his colleague, "Would you like to join me in Mecca for Umrah?" and the man hesitates—unable to commit either way—the first might say, "I invited him to travel for Umrah, but he just kept blowing hot and cold."

فَالْمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ مُتَرَدِّدٌ، فَاسْتُعِيرَ هَذَا التَّرْكِيبُ لِلتَّرَدُّدِ فِي الْأَمْرِ؛ لِأَنَّ مَنْ يُقَدِّمُ رِجْلًا وَيُؤَخِّرُ أُخْرَى يَبْقَى فِي مَكَانِهِ حَائِرًا لَا يَتَقَدَّمُ، كَمَا أَنَّ مَنْ يَجْزِمُ بِشَيْءٍ يُقَدِّمُ الْكُلَّ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْزِمْ يَكُونُ مُتَرَدِّدًا.

The phrase signifies hesitation; it is borrowed to describe indecision because someone who cannot commit remains stuck in place, unable to move forward. Just as a person who makes a firm decision commits fully, one who remains undecided is caught in a state of hesitation.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (17 verbs · 17 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• سَمَّى — to name
• قَالَ — to say
• عَلَاقَةٌ — relationship
• مُشَابَهَةٌ — similarity
• اِسْتِعَارَةٌ — metaphor