ʿIlm al-maʿānī concerns the arrangement of discourse in relation to circumstance; ʿilm al-bayān explains alternative modes of expressing meaning and their signification; ʿilm al-badīʿ studies refinements that enhance expression.
Distinguishing iqtibās, taḍmīn, ʿaqd, ḥall and talmīḥ completes this integrated approach. Accuracy of sense, clarity of expression, contextual suitability and compositional unity reinforce one another.
The final discussions illustrate a governing point: a literary device is strongest when it serves meaning, not when it merely adds ornament or difficulty.