Does figurative language exist in the Arabic language?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : What is our answer regarding al-Fakhr al-Razi? He says: Using expressions in the manner of figurative language is a form of eloquence.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says, for example, "Zayd came to me" and "A lion came to me." "A lion came to me" is more expressive than "Zayd came to me."
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Because "a lion" indicates Zayd's arrival, as well as his description, which is that he is brave.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, that is correct, but we say that this is not figurative language at all. Because if a word indicates its meaning in its context, it is literal in that context. Therefore, if I say, "A lion came carrying his bag," what does the addressee understand? That he is a brave man. So it is literal in its context. If you intended the actual lion in this statement, people would not accept it; they would not accept that. And this is the argument used by the Shaykh al-Islam: there is no figurative language in the language, because it is agreed that figurative language must have a context (qarinah). This context makes the word literal in its meaning in that position.
The student : Shaykh, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says, for example, "Zayd came to me" and "A lion came to me." "A lion came to me" is more expressive than "Zayd came to me."
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Because "a lion" indicates Zayd's arrival, as well as his description, which is that he is brave.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, that is correct, but we say that this is not figurative language at all. Because if a word indicates its meaning in its context, it is literal in that context. Therefore, if I say, "A lion came carrying his bag," what does the addressee understand? That he is a brave man. So it is literal in its context. If you intended the actual lion in this statement, people would not accept it; they would not accept that. And this is the argument used by the Shaykh al-Islam: there is no figurative language in the language, because it is agreed that figurative language must have a context (qarinah). This context makes the word literal in its meaning in that position.
The student : Shaykh, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Shaykh.