Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 41

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُقَدِّمَةٌ فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ.

An introduction to eloquence and rhetoric.

صُورَةُ الْإِيجَازِ فَهَلْ ذَكَاءُ الْمُخَاطَبِ يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يُطِيلَ؟

The form of conciseness: does the intelligence of the interlocutor require you to be lengthy?

بِالطَّبْعِ لَا يَحْتَاجُ؛ لِأَنَّكَ لَوْ أَطَلْتَ لَهُ فَقَدْ يَصِيرُ بَلِيدًا لِمَلَلِهِ مِنْ كَلَامِكَ، لَكِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ الْغَبِيَّ يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ تُطِيلَ لَهُ، وَتُكَرِّرَ، وَتُبَيِّنَ، وَتَضْرِبَ لَهُ الْأَمْثِلَةَ، حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ، مِثْلَ قَوْلِنَا لِغَبِيٍّ: «الرَّئِيسُ كَلَّمَنِي فِي أَمْرِكَ، وَالرَّئِيسُ أَمَرَنِي بِمُقَابَلَتِكَ»، فَقَدْ كَرَّرْتَ كَلِمَةَ «الرَّئِيسِ» مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَكَانَ يُغْنِي أَنْ تَقُولَ: «الرَّئِيسُ كَلَّمَنِي فِي أَمْرِكَ، وَأَمَرَنِي بِمُقَابَلَتِكَ»، وَلَكِنْ كَرَّرْنَا كَلِمَةَ «الرَّئِيسِ» لِغَبَاءِ الْمُخَاطَبِ، فَهُوَ مُطَابِقٌ لِمُقْتَضَى الْحَالِ.

Of course it does not require it; for if you were to be lengthy with him, he might become dull due to his boredom with your speech, but the unintelligent person needs you to be lengthy for him, to repeat, to clarify, and to provide examples for him until it becomes clear to him, like our saying to an unintelligent person: 'The boss spoke to me about your matter, and the boss ordered me to meet you.' You have repeated the word 'boss' twice, whereas it would have sufficed to say: 'The boss spoke to me about your matter and ordered me to meet you.' However, we repeated the word 'boss' because of the interlocutor's lack of intelligence, so it is in accordance with the requirements of the situation.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (20 verbs · 33 nouns)

• اِحْتَاجَ — to need
• أَطَالَ — to prolong
• صَارَ — to become
• مُقَدِّمَة — introduction
• فَصَاحَة — eloquence
• بَلَاغَة — rhetoric