Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 342

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْمُرَادُ مِنْ عُمُرِ مُعَمَّرٍ آخَرَ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ نَقَصَ مِنْ عُمُرِ هَذَا الْمُعَمَّرِ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُعَمَّرًا، وَبِهَذَا يَكُونُ هَذَا مِنْ بَابِ الِاسْتِخْدَامِ؛ حَيْثُ اسْتُخْدِمَ الضَّمِيرُ وَأُرِيدَ بِهِ غَيْرُ مَرْجِعِهِ، وَهَذَا كَثِيرٌ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَكَثِيرٌ أَيْضًا فِي كَلَامِ الْعَرَبِ.

The intended meaning is the lifespan of another long-lived person, because if it were subtracted from the lifespan of this long-lived person, he would not be considered long-lived; thus, this falls under the category of 'istikhdam' (usage), where a pronoun is used but something other than its literal referent is intended, and this is frequent in the Quran and also frequent in the speech of the Arabs.

وَهُنَاكَ نَوْعٌ آخَرُ مِنَ الِاسْتِخْدَامِ وَهُوَ: إِعَادَةُ ضَمِيرَيْنِ تُرِيدُ بِثَانِيهِمَا غَيْرَ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِأَوَّلِهِمَا، مِثَالُهُ قَوْلُ الشَّاعِرِ: فَسَقَى الْغَضَا وَالسَّاكِنِيهِ... إِلَخ.

There is another type of 'istikhdam', which is: the repetition of two pronouns where you intend by the second something other than what you intended by the first, an example of which is the poet's saying: 'May [rain] water the Ghadha [tree] and those who dwell in it...' etc.

وَالْغَضَا: شَجَرٌ مَعْرُوفٌ يُوقَدُ بِهِ، بَلْ هُوَ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ مَا يَكُونُ وَقُودًا، وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَضْرِبُونَ بِهِ الْأَمْثَالَ وَالضَّمِيرُ فِي وَالسَّاكِنِيهِ يَعُودُ عَلَى الْغَضَا، لَكِنَّ حَقِيقَةَ الْأَمْرِ أَنَّ الْغَضَا ذَاتَهُ لَا يُسْكَنُ؛ وَالسَّبَبُ أَنَّهُ شَجَرٌ، فَكَيْفَ يُسْكَنُ؟! لَكِنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ السَّاكِنِي مَحَلَّهُ، أَوْ مَكَانَهُ؛ وَلِهَذَا يَقُولُ الْمُؤَلِّفُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: الْغَضَا شَجَرٌ بِالْبَادِيَةِ، وَضَمِيرُ سَاكِنِيهِ يَعُودُ إِلَيْهِ بِمَعْنَى مَكَانِهِ.

The Ghadha is a well-known tree used for fuel; in fact, it is among the best types of fuel, and poets often use it in proverbs. The pronoun in 'those who dwell in it' refers to the Ghadha, but the reality of the matter is that the Ghadha itself cannot be dwelt in; the reason being that it is a tree, so how could one dwell in it? However, the intended meaning is those who dwell in its location or its place. For this reason, the author, may Allah have mercy on him, says: 'The Ghadha is a tree in the desert, and the pronoun in 'its dwellers' refers to it in the sense of its place.'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (19 verbs · 38 nouns)

• نَقَصَ — to decrease
• كَانَ — to be
• اِسْتَخْدَمَ — to use
• مُرَاد — intended meaning
• عُمُر — age
• مُعَمَّر — long-lived person