LessonsThe Dimyāṭī Maqāmah: Abū Zayd Unmasked and His Parting MessageQuiz

«ثُمَّ اسْتَنَّ اسْتِنَانَ الْجَوَادِ فِي الْمِضْمَارِ»
He then dashed off like a fine horse racing on a track.

Istanna evokes vigorous rapid movement. Al-jawād here means a noble or swift horse, and al-miḍmār a racing or training ground.

The pairing istanna istināna uses a verb and its cognate verbal noun for emphasis. There is humour in the scale of the comparison: an ordinary trip for a bath is described like a race.

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A horse breaking into a gallop

The Dimyāṭī Maqāmah: Abū Zayd Unmasked and His Parting Message

«ثُمَّ اسْتَنَّ اسْتِنَانَ الْجَوَادِ فِي الْمِضْمَارِ»
He then dashed off like a fine horse racing on a track.

Istanna evokes vigorous rapid movement. Al-jawād here means a noble or swift horse, and al-miḍmār a racing or training ground.

The pairing istanna istināna uses a verb and its cognate verbal noun for emphasis. There is humour in the scale of the comparison: an ordinary trip for a bath is described like a race.