ʿIlm al-Badīʿ: Verbal Embellishments — Paronomasia, Rhymed Prose and Related Figures

1. Verbal embellishment and its dependence on meaning

«وَأَمَّا اللَّفْظِيُّ فَمِنْهُ الْجِنَاسُ بَيْنَ اللَّفْظَيْنِ»
“Among verbal embellishments is paronomasia between two expressions.”

Verbal figures enhance discourse through the sound, letters, sequence and cadence of words. Resemblance alone is not eloquence: the wording must also suit the intended meaning and context.

Key contrast: Antithesis depends primarily on opposing meanings, while jinās depends on similarity of expression. Similar-sounding forms can evoke distinct meanings, adding an extra layer to the utterance.

2. Complete jinās: four dimensions of agreement

«وَهُوَ تَشَابُهُهُمَا فِي اللَّفْظِ، وَالتَّامُّ مِنْهُ: أَنْ يَتَّفِقَا فِي أَنْوَاعِ الْحُرُوفِ، وَفِي أَعْدَادِهَا، وَفِي هَيْئَاتِهَا، وَفِي تَرْتِيبِهَا»
“Jinās is resemblance in expression; its complete form agrees in kinds, number, vocalic forms and order of letters.”

Its four tests are:
1. The same letters.
2. The same number of letters.
3. The same vocalization or letter states.
4. The same sequence of letters.

All four must agree. Yet the intended senses must differ: a mere repetition of the same word with the same meaning is not the rhetorical point of the figure.

3. A Qur’anic example: two senses of “the Hour”

«وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ»
“On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear that they remained for no more than an hour.”

The first sāʿah refers to the Day of Resurrection, while the second refers to a brief span of time. The article on the first occurrence does not change the core lexical form compared for this figure. Their audible likeness contrasts sharply with their meanings.

The echo makes the tremendous Hour and the brief duration claimed by the speakers stand against each other.

4. Two complete forms: identical word class and differing word class

Complete jinās includes the similar-category type and the differing-category type.

Similar-category: The paired expressions are of the same grammatical kind, such as two nouns, but denote different things. The two uses of “hour” exemplify the underlying idea.

Differing-category: The outward form agrees even though one occurrence may function as a noun and the other as a verb. Formal resemblance does not require identical grammatical roles.

Method: Verify the four formal conditions first, then examine the contextual meaning and grammatical class of each occurrence.

5. Yaḥyā as a proper name and a verb

«مَا مَاتَ مِنْ كَرَمِ الزَّمَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْيَا لَدَى يَحْيَى بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ»
“What has died of the age’s generosity comes alive with Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd Allāh.”

The first yaḥyā is an imperfect verb meaning “lives,” while the second is the proper name Yaḥyā. The audible form coincides but both the grammatical function and meaning differ.

The figure is more than matching final sounds: the entire word form participates. It also reinforces the claim that generosity lives again in the praised person.

6. Compound jinās: a phrase echoing a single word

«إِذَا مَلِكٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَا هِبَةٍ فَدَعْهُ فَدَوْلَتُهُ ذَاهِبَةٌ»
“If a king is not generous, leave him, for his realm is passing away.”

Dhā hibah (“possessing a gift”) and dhāhibah (“passing away”) create a compound play on words: one side is a two-word expression and the other a single word.

What matters is how the sequence sounds, not merely how many graphic words are visible. Written separation helps distinguish some of the subtypes.

7. Distinguishing the two compound subtypes

In compound jinās with close graphic resemblance, the phrase and the single form may resemble each other both when pronounced and when written.

In the separated-writing form, the sounds are close but word boundaries appear differently in writing. A multiword phrase is placed opposite a separate lexical expression.

The criterion is neither visual complexity nor merely a shared rhyme. First identify the full phonetic correspondence, then ask whether the writing preserves or reveals the different divisions.

8. Incomplete jinās: classify the divergence

Incomplete jinās occurs when the paired expressions resemble one another without satisfying all four requirements of complete jinās.

The divergence may concern:
1. Vowel states or letter shapes in pronunciation.
2. The number of letters.
3. The identity of a letter.
4. The order of letters.

These are distinct diagnostic classes. A small difference prevents the figure from being complete, but need not eliminate paronomasia altogether.

9. Difference in vocalization or gemination

«جُبَّةُ الْبُرْدِ جُنَّةُ الْبَرْدِ»
“A cloak of fine cloth offers protection from cold.”

The expressions are acoustically close, yet their vocalic patterns and particular letters shape different meanings. The source also attends to differences caused by doubling or lightening a letter.

«الْبِدْعَةُ شَرَكُ الشِّرْكِ»
“Innovation is likened to a snare of polytheism.”

The rhetorical purpose is a memorable connection of sounds and meanings. Such likeness must not lead us to flatten distinct words into one meaning.

10. Unequal letter counts: deficiency and addition

«وَالْتَفَّتِ السَّاقُ بِالسَّاقِ ۝ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمَسَاقُ»
“Leg will be entwined with leg; on that Day the passage is to your Lord.”

Al-sāq and al-masāq echo one another, but one contains an additional letter, so the test of equal number fails.

Diagnostic point: Unequal length can yield several incomplete types depending on the number and position of added letters. This differs from merely changing syntactic case endings.

11. Added letters at the beginning, middle or end

«جِدِّي جَهْدِي»
“My earnestness is my effort.”

When the difference occurs near the start of a word, the shared structure is still readily heard. A medial addition preserves sounds on either side; a final addition modifies the ending while retaining much of the overall resemblance.

Classification requires more than saying that one form is longer: the position of the difference matters as well. An effective method is to write both expressions separately and identify their common and extra letters.

12. Substitution of a letter rather than insertion

«وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْأَوْنَ عَنْهُ»
“They forbid others from it, while themselves keeping away from it.”

Yanhawna and yanʾawna are similar in sound but differ in the identity of a letter: h versus hamzah. This is substitution, not insertion of an additional letter.

The meanings also differ: one is to forbid, the other to withdraw. The close sounds allow a sharp comparison of two related behaviors.

13. Phonetic closeness in letter substitution

«وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ»
“Woe to every slanderer and faultfinder.”

Humazah and lumazah differ by one letter while sharing the remainder of their pattern and rhythm. Their pairing strengthens the condemnation of closely related vices.

In replacement-type jinās, the phonetic proximity of the differing consonants may matter as well as the number of shared letters. Count letters, but also listen to the sound created by the change.

14. Reordering letters: reversal-type jinās

Reversal jinās arises when the words may share the same letters and total length but differ in their order. The reshuffling can be complete or partial.

Complete reversal: The sequence is reversed throughout.
Partial reversal: Only some letters exchange positions.

This is a matter of letter order, not opposition of meaning. A reversal figure must therefore be distinguished from antithesis and from cases where only one consonant has been replaced.

15. Winged reversal and visible ordering

In winged reversal, the two reversed expressions occupy specially prominent positions, commonly toward opposite ends of an utterance.

Its distinction lies not only in reordered letters but in placement within the discourse. Position makes the echo visible and audible across the expression.

To classify it, identify both facts: which letters have changed order, and where each corresponding form appears in the sentence or verse.

16. Derivational affinity: forms from a shared root

«فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الْقَيِّمِ»
“So set your face toward the upright religion.”

Aqim and al-qayyim arise from the same root in different forms. The source treats derivational similarity as a figure allied to jinās rather than simply as complete jinās.

That distinction matters: sharing a root is not full agreement of letters, vocalization and sequence. The rhetorical strength here lies in the return of a common root and its associated sense.

17. Apparent derivation without a shared root

«قَالَ إِنِّي لِعَمَلِكُمْ مِنَ الْقَالِينَ»
“He said: I am among those who detest what you do.”

Qāla means “he said,” while al-qālīn means “those who detest.” They sound close but do not share the same derivational root. This is apparent derivation.

A true derivational figure relies on a common root; an apparent one relies on surface resemblance. Keeping them apart protects both morphological accuracy and rhetorical analysis.

18. Returning the end to the beginning

Echoing the opening at the close occurs when a word, or a cognate, homophonous or related expression, returns at a prominent closing point after appearing earlier in the discourse.

Two features are essential:
1. A verbal echo linking the earlier and later terms.
2. Significant position within the line or clause.

It may overlap with jinās but is not identical to it. The art lies in how the phrase begins and resolves, creating cohesion and a sense of closure.

19. A Qur’anic example of a returned word

«وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَاهُ»
“You fear people, while God has a greater right that you should fear Him.”

The form takhshā recurs as takhshāhu later in the clause. Alongside the audible return, the meaning moves from fear of people to the one who has the greater claim to reverence.

Thus position and purpose matter as much as repetition. The echoed form reinforces the core moral contrast rather than simply decorating the sentence.

20. Another example: seeking forgiveness and Forgiving

«اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا»
“Ask your Lord for forgiveness; indeed, He is ever most forgiving.”

Istaghfirū and ghaffārā share the root associated with forgiveness. The earlier imperative calls for pardon, and the later description explains why such a request is fitting.

The verbal echo also supplies reasoning: the act of seeking forgiveness is connected to the divine quality of granting it. Meaning leads; sound reinforces it.

21. Positions of the echo within poetry

In verse, the returned word may first occur at the opening, middle or end of the initial hemistich, and then reappear at the close of the second. The position of the pair determines the particular configuration.

«سَرِيعٌ إِلَى ابْنِ الْعَمِّ يَلْطِمُ وَجْهَهُ وَلَيْسَ إِلَى دَاعِي النَّدَى بِسَرِيعٍ»
“He is quick to slap his cousin’s face, but not quick to answer the call of generosity.”

The return of sarīʿ at the end underlines the subject’s contradictory priorities and sharpens the irony.

22. Sajʿ: phonetic correspondence between prose endings

«وَمِنْهُ السَّجْعُ، وَهُوَ تَوَاطُؤُ الْفَاصِلَتَيْنِ مِنَ النَّثْرِ عَلَى حَرْفٍ وَاحِدٍ»
“Sajʿ is the agreement of two prose clause-endings on a common letter.”

A fāṣilah is the terminal expression of a prose segment. Sajʿ resembles rhyme, but its primary rhetorical setting is prose; poetic end-rhyme has its own conventional classification.

The best examples retain a coherent and balanced meaning. Merely forcing clauses to end with the same letter can diminish rather than enhance eloquence.

23. Three principal patterns of sajʿ

TypeDistinguishing feature
MuṭarrafSame final rhyme letter but different metrical forms
MutawāzīFinal words match in both pattern and rhyme
MuraṣṣaʿSeveral corresponding words within the clauses align in pattern and rhyme

Diagnostic question: Do only the terminal letters agree, do the two final words also match in pattern, or do several corresponding word pairs line up? This determines the subtype.

24. Muṭarraf sajʿ: shared rhyme, differing patterns

«مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا ۝ وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا»
“What is wrong with you that you do not revere God, though He created you in successive stages?”

Waqārā and aṭwārā share an audible terminal rhyme but differ in their underlying formal patterns. This illustrates muṭarraf sajʿ.

The defining feature is not full identity of ending words: it is a common rhyme letter alongside unequal patterns.

25. Mutawāzī sajʿ: balanced ending words

«فِيهَا سُرُرٌ مَرْفُوعَةٌ ۝ وَأَكْوَابٌ مَوْضُوعَةٌ»
“In it are elevated couches and cups set in place.”

Marfūʿah and mawḍūʿah match in pattern and terminal rhyme. This illustrates mutawāzī sajʿ.

Their senses remain distinct—elevation versus placement. The clauses balance an imagined scene rather than merely repeating a pleasing sound.

26. Muraṣṣaʿ sajʿ: multiple aligned verbal pairs

In muraṣṣaʿ sajʿ, several corresponding words—not just the final terms—are arranged with patterned symmetry. Words in matching positions echo one another.

Ask two questions:
1. How many corresponding word pairs are present?
2. How closely do they agree in morphological pattern and final sounds?

If the last words alone match, the passage may be mutawāzī; a claim of muraṣṣaʿ requires a broader alignment within the clauses.

27. Qur’anic verse-endings and terminology

Qur’anic verse endings frequently exhibit sonic harmony. Rhetorical analysis may compare these with sajʿ, while fawāṣil al-āyāt remains an appropriate separate term for Qur’anic endings.

«وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ ۝ مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ»
“By the star when it sets: your companion has neither strayed nor erred.”

Hawā and ghawā provide a clear cadence. Yet the central effect is the movement from oath to affirmation, not a sound pattern imposed on the meaning.

28. Tashṭīr: sajʿ within the halves of a verse

Tashṭīr is a patterned division within poetry, where the hemistichs or their segments adopt a sajʿ-like verbal arrangement.

«تَجَلَّى بِهِ رُشْدِي وَأَثْرَتْ بِهِ يَدِي وَفَاضَ بِهِ ثَمَدِي وَأَوْرَى بِهِ زَنْدِي»
“Through him my judgment shone, my hand prospered, my store overflowed and my spark was kindled.”

The clustered sounds in rushdī, yadī, thamadī, zandī shape the verse internally. This is more specific than the poem’s ordinary final rhyme.

29. Muwāzanah: balancing patterns without rhyme

«وَمِنْهُ الْمُوَازَنَةُ: وَهِيَ تَسَاوِي الْفَاصِلَتَيْنِ فِي الْوَزْنِ دُونَ التَّقْفِيَةِ»
“Muwāzanah is equality of the two endings in metrical pattern, without rhyming.”

For sajʿ, agreement in the terminal letter is central; in muwāzanah, balanced word form is primary. They can coincide, but their definitions are distinct.

Practical test: If two final words have an equivalent formal weight but differ in final consonants, they may exemplify balancing rather than ordinary rhymed prose.

30. Mumāthalah compared with muwāzanah

In mumāthalah, one or more corresponding words across the clauses are aligned by pattern; the concise definition of muwāzanah concentrates on balancing the terminal expressions.

Analytical illustration: Imagine two clauses containing more than one corresponding pair in similar morphological patterns but without a common rhyme. The effect is broader than mere equality between their final words.

The lesson is that rhyme and metrical or morphological form are separate dimensions. Neither should be inferred automatically from the other.

31. Tashrīʿ: a verse with two possible rhyme endings

«وَمِنْهُ التَّشْرِيعُ: وَهُوَ بِنَاءُ الْبَيْتِ عَلَى قَافِيَتَيْنِ يَصِحُّ الْمَعْنَى عِنْدَ الْوُقُوفِ عَلَى كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا»
“Tashrīʿ constructs a verse upon two rhyme points, each of which yields a valid sense when the recitation stops there.”

Two rhyming words alone are insufficient. There must be an earlier legitimate stopping place and a later one; the utterance must remain meaningful at both points.

Test: Read the line stopping at the first candidate, then at the second. Both versions should be syntactically and semantically viable.

32. Luzūm mā lā yalzam: a voluntary extra constraint

«وَمِنْهُ لُزُومُ مَا لَا يَلْزَمُ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يَجِيءَ قَبْلَ حَرْفِ الرَّوِيِّ أَوْ مَا فِي مَعْنَاهُ مِنَ الْفَاصِلَةِ مَا لَيْسَ بِلَازِمٍ»
“An extra sound pattern, not required by the normal rhyme, is maintained before the rhyme letter or the corresponding prose ending.”

«فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ ۝ وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ»
“So do not oppress the orphan, nor rebuke the petitioner.”

Taqhar / tanhar repeat more phonetic structure than the bare rhyme rule requires. The figure names this deliberate added constraint.

33. The criterion of success: meaning first, sound second

«وَأَصْلُ الْحُسْنِ فِي ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْأَلْفَاظُ تَابِعَةً لِلْمَعَانِي دُونَ الْعَكْسِ»
“The foundation of beauty in all these figures is that words serve meanings, not the reverse.”

Jinās, sajʿ and phonetic balance are not ends in themselves. They should clarify or strengthen the intended meaning without artificial strain.

When an unsuitable term is forced in merely to preserve a rhyme, the surface figure may remain identifiable, but rhetorical excellence is weakened.

34. Comparing jinās, sajʿ and balancing

FigureWhat is compared?Main condition
JināsTwo expressionsPhonetic/letter resemblance, distinct senses
Echoing end and beginningOpening and closing positionsReturn of a related form
SajʿProse endingsCommon terminal rhyme
MuwāzanahEnding patternsEqual weight, no necessary rhyme
TashrīʿTwo possible rhyme pointsComplete sense at each stopping place

Several figures may occur together, but each classification needs its own evidence.

35. A full procedure for analyzing a verbal figure

Analyze any Qur’anic, poetic or prose example in this order:
1. Establish the meaning and context of the full utterance.
2. Isolate matching words or clause endings.
3. Compare letter identity, number, vocalic form and order.
4. For prose endings, check the rhyme consonant and formal weight separately.
5. Ask whether the form strengthens the meaning or merely creates an empty sound effect.

Example: “the Hour / an hour” highlights similar lexical form with different senses; “dignity / stages” illustrates the relation between prose endings. The evidence for each classification differs.