Some people frequently say about an old thing that time has passed over it or that time has eaten and drunk it. What is the ruling on this saying?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner says that some people frequently say about an old thing "time has passed over it" or "time has eaten and drunk it". What is the ruling on this saying?
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with saying that this is old and that time has passed over it. The root of "afa" means to be erased and for its trace to disappear. It is well known that as time passes over a thing, time passes over it. As for the saying "it has eaten and drunk," this is called by rhetoricians what? It is a metaphor, a metaphorical metaphor, because the thing compared to is omitted and indicated by one of its attributes, which is eating and drinking. Yes.
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with saying that this is old and that time has passed over it. The root of "afa" means to be erased and for its trace to disappear. It is well known that as time passes over a thing, time passes over it. As for the saying "it has eaten and drunk," this is called by rhetoricians what? It is a metaphor, a metaphorical metaphor, because the thing compared to is omitted and indicated by one of its attributes, which is eating and drinking. Yes.