Tadbīj employs color terms in a meaningful contrast, often allowing them to suggest qualities or states beyond literal color. Merely saying “red” and “green” is not sufficient; the arrangement and contextual import of the colors matter.
«تَرَدَّى ثِيَابَ الْمَوْتِ حُمْرًا فَمَا أَتَى لَهَا اللَّيْلُ إِلَّا وَهِيَ مِنْ سُنْدُسٍ خُضْرِ»
He donned death’s red garments; before night had passed, they were green silk.
The red suggests a bloodstained garment of death; the green silk suggests the attire of Paradise. This color contrast gives visible form to martyrdom and heavenly recompense.
Some uses retain literal colors; others develop figurative implications. The surrounding verse decides how those levels operate.