LessonsṬarafah: The She-Camel’s Anatomy, Similes, and Roman Arch (Verses 17–23)Quiz

كَأَنَّ جَنَاحَيْ مَضْرَحِيٍّ تَكَنَّفَا
حِفَافَيْهِ شَكًّا فِي الْعَسِيبِ بِمِسْرَدِ
It is as though the two wings of a pale vulture flank her tail, fastened along its core as if stitched with a needle.

Maḍraḥī denotes a pale kind of vulture. The focus is the hair-bearing extent on both sides of the tail. Al-ʿasīb is the tail’s central bone, while al-misrad is a stout needle or stitching implement.

The image does not claim that the she-camel possesses wings; it visualizes the way the tail’s two sides spread and appear securely attached.

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Verse 17: Wings as an image of the tail

Ṭarafah: The She-Camel’s Anatomy, Similes, and Roman Arch (Verses 17–23)

كَأَنَّ جَنَاحَيْ مَضْرَحِيٍّ تَكَنَّفَا
حِفَافَيْهِ شَكًّا فِي الْعَسِيبِ بِمِسْرَدِ
It is as though the two wings of a pale vulture flank her tail, fastened along its core as if stitched with a needle.

Maḍraḥī denotes a pale kind of vulture. The focus is the hair-bearing extent on both sides of the tail. Al-ʿasīb is the tail’s central bone, while al-misrad is a stout needle or stitching implement.

The image does not claim that the she-camel possesses wings; it visualizes the way the tail’s two sides spread and appear securely attached.