In addition to letter count, the discussion examines whether wording states the desired conclusion directly. The Qur’anic formulation expressly names life, whereas the maxim states prevention of killing, from which preservation of life is inferred.
Assessment of concision should therefore distinguish accuracy, explicitness of the intended outcome and fit with the setting. A shorter phrase that leaves the goal obscure cannot claim the same achievement.
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Musāwāt and Ījāz al-Qaṣr: Proportionate Wording and the Rhetoric of Qiṣāṣ
In addition to letter count, the discussion examines whether wording states the desired conclusion directly. The Qur’anic formulation expressly names life, whereas the maxim states prevention of killing, from which preservation of life is inferred.
Assessment of concision should therefore distinguish accuracy, explicitness of the intended outcome and fit with the setting. A shorter phrase that leaves the goal obscure cannot claim the same achievement.