LessonsIntroduction: Structure, Three Disciplines and Kinds of PrefaceQuiz

Consider: إِنَّ الْعِلْمَ نُورٌ وَالْجَهْلَ ظَلَامٌ — Indeed, knowledge is light and ignorance is darkness.

Maʿani: Why use the emphatic particle 'inna'? It may suit an audience denying the idea.
Bayan: Why call knowledge 'light' and ignorance 'darkness'? Figurative terms evoke guidance and lack of insight.
Badiʿ: Does the contrast of light and darkness enrich the intended point? Here it can sharpen the lesson rather than merely decorate it.

One passage can be examined from all three standpoints.

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Worked example across the three disciplines

Introduction: Structure, Three Disciplines and Kinds of Preface

Consider: إِنَّ الْعِلْمَ نُورٌ وَالْجَهْلَ ظَلَامٌ — Indeed, knowledge is light and ignorance is darkness.

Maʿani: Why use the emphatic particle 'inna'? It may suit an audience denying the idea.
Bayan: Why call knowledge 'light' and ignorance 'darkness'? Figurative terms evoke guidance and lack of insight.
Badiʿ: Does the contrast of light and darkness enrich the intended point? Here it can sharpen the lesson rather than merely decorate it.

One passage can be examined from all three standpoints.