Mawārid literally relates to places of arrival or access; here it denotes watercourses or points where water is received. Khalqāʾ characterizes a smooth, bare rock face, and qurdud refers to hard, stony elevated ground.
The comparison unites three features: a hard surface, the fine channels marked by water, and the lines left by straps on the camel’s back. The likeness depends upon the appearance of the traces rather than on the objects being identical.
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Ṭarafah: The She-Camel’s Strength, Movement, and Similes (Verses 24–29)
Mawārid literally relates to places of arrival or access; here it denotes watercourses or points where water is received. Khalqāʾ characterizes a smooth, bare rock face, and qurdud refers to hard, stony elevated ground.
The comparison unites three features: a hard surface, the fine channels marked by water, and the lines left by straps on the camel’s back. The likeness depends upon the appearance of the traces rather than on the objects being identical.