LessonsʿIlm al-Maʿānī: Predication, Emphasis, and Rational MetaphorQuiz

Transferred attribution depends on a meaningful connection, such as cause, time, place, or another association with the act.

Cause: أَنْبَتَ الرَّبِيعُ الْبَقْلَ — growth is attributed to the season.
Time: أَشَابَ الصَّغِيرَ وَأَفْنَى الْكَبِيرَ كَرُّ الْغَدَاةِ وَمَرُّ الْعَشِيِّ — the recurring mornings and evenings are said to age and wear people away.
Commerce: فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ — Their trade yielded no profit. (al-Baqarah 2:16)

In the last expression the act of making a profit is attributed to the trade rather than directly to the traders. The hearer understands the intended connection through the surrounding meaning.

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Relations supporting transferred attribution

ʿIlm al-Maʿānī: Predication, Emphasis, and Rational Metaphor

Transferred attribution depends on a meaningful connection, such as cause, time, place, or another association with the act.

Cause: أَنْبَتَ الرَّبِيعُ الْبَقْلَ — growth is attributed to the season.
Time: أَشَابَ الصَّغِيرَ وَأَفْنَى الْكَبِيرَ كَرُّ الْغَدَاةِ وَمَرُّ الْعَشِيِّ — the recurring mornings and evenings are said to age and wear people away.
Commerce: فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ — Their trade yielded no profit. (al-Baqarah 2:16)

In the last expression the act of making a profit is attributed to the trade rather than directly to the traders. The hearer understands the intended connection through the surrounding meaning.