LessonsDescription and Emphasis of the Subject: Rhetorical Purposes and Fine DistinctionsQuiz

A qualifier can also serve to make the intended reference explicit when a broader expression might permit more than one reading.

وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ
There is no creature on the earth, nor bird that flies with its two wings… (Qurʾān 6:38, excerpt)

The phrase «يطير بجناحيه» is not merely teaching that birds have wings. It highlights the intended bird flying with actual wings and shapes the scope of the expression, in contrast to wider figurative or customary applications discussed by the commentators.

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The Qur’anic wording about a bird flying with wings

Description and Emphasis of the Subject: Rhetorical Purposes and Fine Distinctions

A qualifier can also serve to make the intended reference explicit when a broader expression might permit more than one reading.

وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ
There is no creature on the earth, nor bird that flies with its two wings… (Qurʾān 6:38, excerpt)

The phrase «يطير بجناحيه» is not merely teaching that birds have wings. It highlights the intended bird flying with actual wings and shapes the scope of the expression, in contrast to wider figurative or customary applications discussed by the commentators.