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