LessonsAl-Dhikr wa al-Hadhf: Rhetorical Purposes of Mention and OmissionQuiz

نَحْنُ بِمَا عِنْدَنَا وَأَنْتَ بِمَا عِنْدَكَ رَاضٍ وَالرَّأْيُ مُخْتَلِفُ
We are content with what we have, and you with what you have, though opinions differ.

In the first clause “naḥnu bimā ʿindanā,” the understood predicate is rāḍūn (“content”). Expressing it would add syllables that disturb the metrical pattern. The predicate “rāḍin” in the parallel second clause makes the first recoverable.

Metre (wazn) is the patterned rhythm of verse. The omission protects that rhythm, not simply brevity; the parallel clause must still provide enough evidence for the unspoken word.

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Omission 7: maintaining poetic metre

Al-Dhikr wa al-Hadhf: Rhetorical Purposes of Mention and Omission

نَحْنُ بِمَا عِنْدَنَا وَأَنْتَ بِمَا عِنْدَكَ رَاضٍ وَالرَّأْيُ مُخْتَلِفُ
We are content with what we have, and you with what you have, though opinions differ.

In the first clause “naḥnu bimā ʿindanā,” the understood predicate is rāḍūn (“content”). Expressing it would add syllables that disturb the metrical pattern. The predicate “rāḍin” in the parallel second clause makes the first recoverable.

Metre (wazn) is the patterned rhythm of verse. The omission protects that rhythm, not simply brevity; the parallel clause must still provide enough evidence for the unspoken word.