LessonsConcluding the Classification of Simile: Mention, Omission, and Emphatic ForceQuiz

حمل المشبه على المشبه به بأنه هو
To predicate the comparison term of the subject as though the subject were that very thing.

In “Zayd is like a lion,” the kāf openly mediates likeness between distinct terms. In “Zayd is a lion,” that mediation is removed and the predication becomes direct. The hearer is encouraged to picture Zayd in the identity of a lion.

This effect follows from omission of the particle, not from omission of the respect. “Zayd is a lion in courage” retains this direct predication while separately specifying the feature involved.

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Particle omission and identification with the model

Concluding the Classification of Simile: Mention, Omission, and Emphatic Force

حمل المشبه على المشبه به بأنه هو
To predicate the comparison term of the subject as though the subject were that very thing.

In “Zayd is like a lion,” the kāf openly mediates likeness between distinct terms. In “Zayd is a lion,” that mediation is removed and the predication becomes direct. The hearer is encouraged to picture Zayd in the identity of a lion.

This effect follows from omission of the particle, not from omission of the respect. “Zayd is a lion in courage” retains this direct predication while separately specifying the feature involved.