الْفَصْلُThe chapterالْخَامِسُfifth
The fifth chapter
فِيRegardingالْمُحْكَمِthe decisiveوَالْمُتَشَابِهِand the ambiguousوَالْكِنَايَةِand metonymyوَالتَّعْرِيضِand insinuationوَالْمَجَازِand the figurative speechالْعَقْلِيِّrational
Regarding the decisive, the ambiguous, metonymy, insinuation, and rational figurative speech
[تَعْرِيفُ[Definition ofالْمُحْكَمِ:]the decisive:]
[Definition of the decisive:]
لِيُعْلَمَIt should be knownأَنَّthatالْمُحْكَمَthe decisiveهُوَisمَاwhatلَاnotيُدْرِكُunderstandمِنْهُfrom itأَهْلُthe peopleاللُّغَةِof the languageإِلَّاexceptمَعْنًىa meaningوَاحِدًا.one.
It should be known that the decisive is what the people of the language understand from it only one meaning.
إِدْرَاكُThe understandingالْعَرَبِof the Arabsالْأَوَّلِينَthe firstلَاnotإِدْرَاكُthe understandingاللُّغَوِيِّينَof the linguistsالْمُتَفَلْسِفِينَ:the philosophers:
The understanding of the first Arabs, not the understanding of the philosophizing linguists:
وَالْمُعْتَبَرُAnd what is consideredهُوَisإِدْرَاكُthe understandingالْعَرَبِof the Arabsالْأَوَّلِينَthe firstلَاnotإِدْرَاكُthe understandingالْمُتَفَلْسِفِينَof the philosophersفِيinعَصْرِنَاour eraالَّذِينَwhoيَشُقُّونَsplitالشَّعْرَةَ،the hair,
And what is considered is the understanding of the first Arabs, not the understanding of the philosophers in our era who split hairs,
فَإِنَّfor indeedشَقَّsplittingالشَّعْرَةِthe hairفِيinغَيْرِother thanمَحَلِّهَاits placeدَاءٌis a diseaseعُضَالٌchronicيَجْعَلُthat makes"الْمُحْكَمَ""the decisive""مُتَشَابِهًا""ambiguous"وَالْمَعْلُومَand the knownمَجْهُولًا.unknown.
for indeed splitting hairs in other than its place is a chronic disease that makes 'the decisive' 'ambiguous' and the known unknown.
تَعْرِيفُDefinition ofالْمُتَشَابِهِthe ambiguousوَوُجُوهُهُ.and its aspects.
Definition of the ambiguous and its aspects.
وَالْمُتَشَابِهُAnd the ambiguousهُوَisمَاwhatاحْتَمَلَboreمَعْنَيَيْنِtwo meaningsإِمَّاeitherلِسَبَبٍ:for a reason:
And the ambiguous is what bore two meanings either for a reason:
- The possibility of the pronoun returning to two referents,
such as a person saying: 'As for the emir ordering me to curse so-and-so, may Allah curse him'
(فَيَحْتَمِلُ(so it is possibleأَنْthatيَرْجِعَreturnsالضَّمِيرُthe pronounإِلَىtoالْأَمِيرِthe emirأَوْorإِلَىtoفُلَانٍ)so-and-so)
(so it is possible that the pronoun returns to the emir or to so-and-so)
- Or due to the homonymy of the word in two meanings, such as the word "lamastum" which comes in the meaning of intercourse and touching by the hand also.