Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 338

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَمِنَ الطِّبَاقِ المُقَابَلَةُ: وَهِيَ أَنْ يُؤْتَى بِمَعْنَيَيْنِ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ، ثُمَّ يُؤْتَى بِمَا يُقَابِلُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى التَّرْتِيبِ، نَحْوَ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَلْيَضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا وَلْيَبْكُوا كَثِيرًا﴾.

Among the types of antithesis (tibaq) is correspondence (muqabala): it is when two or more meanings are presented, then what corresponds to them is presented in order, such as His saying, the Almighty: 'So let them laugh a little and weep much.'

وَمِنْ أَمْثِلَةِ الطِّبَاقِ: ﴿وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى﴾، فَالطِّبَاقُ بَيْنَ «ضَالًّا» وَ«هَدَى»، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ يَعْلَمُونَ ظَاهِرًا مِنَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا﴾.

Among the examples of antithesis is: 'And He found you lost and guided [you],' so the antithesis is between 'lost' and 'guided,' and likewise in His saying, the Almighty: 'But most of the people do not know. They know what is apparent of the worldly life.'

أَتَى الْمُؤَلِّفُ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - بِمِثَالَيْنِ، لَكِنْ بَيْنَهُمَا فَرْقٌ مِنْ بَعْضِ الْوُجُوهِ، فَالْأَوَّلُ فِيهِ الطِّبَاقُ بَيْنَ لَفْظَيْنِ مُتَقَابِلَيْنِ بِاعْتِبَارِ الْمَادَّةِ: «أَيْقَاظًا» وَ«رُقُودٌ»، وَالْمِثَالُ الثَّانِي الطِّبَاقُ فِيهِ بَيْنَ لَفْظَيْنِ مُتَقَابِلَيْنِ بِاعْتِبَارِ السَّلْبِ وَالْإِيجَابِ، فَالْمَادَّةُ وَاحِدَةٌ وَهِيَ الْعِلْمُ، وَاللَّفْظُ الْأَوَّلُ «لَا يَعْلَمُونَ» مَنْفِيٌّ، وَالثَّانِي «يَعْلَمُونَ» مُثْبَتٌ، فَالْتَّقَابُلُ بَيْنَهُمَا لَيْسَ تَقَابُلًا بَيْنَ مَادَّتَيْهِمَا، وَلَكِنْ بَيْنَ السَّلْبِ وَالْإِيجَابِ، فَأَحَدُهُمَا مَسْلُوبٌ، وَالثَّانِي مُثْبَتٌ.

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—provided two examples, but there is a difference between them in some respects; the first contains antithesis between two words that are opposites in terms of their root: 'awake' and 'asleep,' while the second example contains antithesis between two words that are opposites in terms of negation and affirmation, for the root is one, which is knowledge, and the first word 'do not know' is negated, and the second 'they know' is affirmed, so the opposition between them is not an opposition between their roots, but rather between negation and affirmation, as one of them is negated and the second is affirmed.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 31 nouns)

• أَتَى — to bring
• قَابَلَ — to correspond
• ضَحِكَ — to laugh
• طِبَاق — antithesis
• مُقَابَلَة — correspondence
• مَعْنًى — meaning