Printed pp. 286–294: muṭarraf, muraṣṣaʿ, mutawāzī, Qurʾānic verse endings, tashṭīr, and muwāzanah Read the bilingual lesson for Sajʿ and Muwāzanah: Rhymed Prose, Rhythmic Endings, and Balance and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Sajʿ among verbal ornaments
The verbal ornaments of badīʿ create aesthetic effects through sound and arrangement, but their purpose is not sound detached from meaning. Jinas concerned similarity between expressions, while radd al-ʿajz ʿalā al-ṣadr recalled an earlier expression at the end of a passage.
Sajʿ draws attention to the closing expressions of successive prose units. Correspondence between those endings creates an audible relation across the prose. Identifying it first requires distinguishing a prose unit from its ending word.
The ornament is effective when it supports sense, fluency, and context rather than forcing expression solely to obtain a rhyme.
2. The core definition of sajʿ
تواطؤ الفاصلتين من النثر على حرف واحد
The agreement of the ending words of two prose clauses upon one final letter.
Tawāṭuʾ means correspondence; fāṣilatayn identifies the ending words of the prose units. The phrase min al-nathr places the definition in prose, while poetry also uses the concept of rhyme, qāfiyah.
Equality of every word’s metrical or morphological pattern is not required by this general definition. Agreement at the ending is central, though the patterns and lengths of the two units may differ.
3. A prose unit and its terminal word
A faqrah is a coherent unit of prose, and its fāṣilah is the final word of that unit. For sajʿ, one must identify the units and their terminal words, not merely adjacent words that sound alike.
For example:
“marfūʿah” — ending of the first unit.
“mawḍūʿah” — ending of the second unit.
These endings can then be compared for final sound and word pattern. Mistaking a coincidental internal rhyme for a fāṣilah leads to an incorrect classification.
4. Why the final sound matters
Sajʿ requires correspondence at the terminal letter, not identity of the two words’ lexical roots. Its final-letter criterion differs from the detailed comparison of letter type, number, vocalization, and sequence used to classify forms of jinas.
The recited or spoken ending, including pauses, can affect the audible pattern; written spelling alone does not settle every question about phonetic correspondence.
Once terminal correspondence is recognized, the relative word patterns and possible matching internal expressions determine whether the form is muṭarraf, muraṣṣaʿ, or mutawāzī.
5. Al-Sakkākī’s formulation
Al-Sakkākī’s treatment makes the agreement at the ending central to recognizing sajʿ, even though different formulations may describe correspondence of fawāṣil more generally. The end of each prose unit is evaluated for its audible relation to the next.
The term sajʿ can denote the device, while fāṣilah denotes the closing word in which correspondence is heard. Practical analysis therefore identifies the clauses and the relevant closing expressions.
A semantic comparison or equality of pattern alone is not sufficient for sajʿ when the requisite ending correspondence is absent.
6. Sajʿ and poetic rhyme
In prose, correspondence among clause endings is sajʿ. In poetry, the system of recurrent final sound is qāfiyah, so sajʿ can be compared with rhyme in poetry.
This analogy does not turn every similar ending in verse into every technical variety of sajʿ. Poetry has its own metrical and rhyming constraints, while the basic sajʿ analysis compares endings of prose units.
The expression sajʿ in poetry may also describe a comparable internal sound device in verse, with a special treatment under tashṭīr.
7. Three principal varieties of sajʿ
Two tests underlie the division of sajʿ: taqfiyah, agreement at the ending, and wazn, correspondence of word patterns. One type also compares internal expressions across clauses.
TypeDistinguishing condition
MuṭarrafShared terminal rhyme, differing patterns in the end words
MutawāzīEnd words agree in pattern and terminal rhyme
MuraṣṣaʿMost or all paired expressions throughout the clauses agree in pattern and rhyme
These are organizing criteria; muraṣṣaʿ must be analyzed across the paired clauses, not just the final word.
8. Definition of muṭarraf sajʿ
Muṭarraf sajʿ occurs when the terminal letters agree but the final words have different patterns. The ending sounds correspond even though the words differ structurally, producing variety within audible coherence.
“waqārā” and “aṭwārā” have a similar final sound; the first broadly follows a faʿāl shape, whereas the second has an afʿāl shape. Rhyme is present without equal word pattern.
The different patterns do not make muṭarraf defective: they identify this type. Mutawāzī adds pattern correspondence to the ending correspondence.
9. A Qurʾānic example illustrating muṭarraf
مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا
Why do you not regard Allah with due reverence, although He created you in stages?
In Qurʾān 71:13–14, the endings “waqārā” and “aṭwārā” share an audible closing sound, while having different word patterns and meanings. This is the distinctive combination of rhyme and unequal patterns.
For Qurʾānic passages, fawāṣil al-Qurʾān remains the preferred designation. The example demonstrates the corresponding phonetic relationship studied under muṭarraf sajʿ in rhetorical classification.
10. Muraṣṣaʿ: detailed parallelism
Muraṣṣaʿ occurs when most or all words in one prose unit correspond to paired words in the other in both pattern and rhyme. Its sound design extends across several positions rather than only the final word.
The test is phonetic and structural, not a requirement that corresponding words be synonymous. Some examples have fuller correspondence than others, and a nearly complete arrangement may be distinguished from a completely matched one.
Simply identifying a common final letter captures ordinary sajʿ, not the broader parallel ornamentation of muraṣṣaʿ.
11. Worked example of muraṣṣaʿ
يَطْبَعُ الْأَسْجَاعَ بِجَوَاهِرِ لَفْظِهِ، وَيَقْرَعُ الْأَسْمَاعَ بِزَوَاجِرِ وَعْظِهِ
He crafts rhymed phrases with the jewels of his diction and strikes the ears with the admonitions of his counsel.
Compare the matching positions:
“yaṭbaʿu / yaqraʿu” — pattern and terminal sound.
“al-asjāʿ / al-asmāʿ” — structure and ending.
“bi-jawāhir / bi-zawājir” — sound and pattern.
“lafẓihī / waʿẓihī” — closing sound correspondence.
Recurrent matching across positions distinguishes this form from a rhyme restricted to the final words.
12. Tarṣīʿ is more than repetition
Tarṣīʿ does not require the exact same word to recur. Its core is a patterned correspondence between expressions occupying parallel positions in two units. Different words can create ornament through related patterns and endings.
Simple repetition is not automatically tarṣīʿ. Jinas may concern the relation between two expressions, whereas tarṣīʿ typically arranges correspondence over multiple word pairs.
To analyze an example, align the clauses word by word, then test both pattern and final rhyme for each comparable pair.
13. Mutawāzī: matching the end words
Mutawāzī sajʿ occurs when the ending words of the two units agree in both pattern and rhyme, without requiring word-for-word matching throughout the clauses.
The focus is the structure of the fawāṣil: compare their final letter and morphological or verbal pattern. Correspondence among every earlier expression is unnecessary.
Both mutawāzī and muraṣṣaʿ can share matching end words, but muraṣṣaʿ extends the correspondence across multiple paired expressions.
14. Mutawāzī in balanced endings
فِيهَا سُرُرٌ مَرْفُوعَةٌ وَأَكْوَابٌ مَوْضُوعَةٌ
There are raised couches there, and cups set in place.
In Qurʾān 88:13–14, “marfūʿah” and “mawḍūʿah” display corresponding verbal patterns and endings. The intervening nouns “surur” and “akwāb” need not also have identical patterns.
The example shows how strong agreement at the clause endings differs from extended parallel correspondence throughout the clauses.
15. A systematic classification procedure
For a new example, follow these questions:
1. Where do the two prose units and their final words fall?
2. Do the final letters correspond?
3. Do the end words share a pattern or differ?
4. Are additional paired expressions arranged with pattern-and-rhyme correspondence?
Same ending with differing pattern points to muṭarraf. Same ending and pattern indicate mutawāzī. More extensive matching across paired words points toward muraṣṣaʿ.
This method allows classification from the Arabic text itself rather than recognition by memorized labels.
16. What “wazn” means here
Wazn here is not simply the meter of a poetic line. It concerns corresponding verbal or morphological patterns. Equal letter counts alone do not settle the issue; the arrangement of sounds and vocalization matters.
“Marfūʿah” and “mawḍūʿah” exhibit obvious structural similarity. “Waqārā” and “aṭwārā” share a closing sound but differ structurally.
A pause may influence how a verse-ending is heard, yet the underlying form of the word remains relevant to technical analysis.
17. Meaning must lead the sound
The discussion of the best sajʿ puts meaning before sound. If a speaker predetermines an ending and bends every sentence unnaturally to reach it, the rhyme becomes artificial and weakens eloquence.
Good sajʿ chooses expressions for the subject, meaning, and occasion; the harmonious ending then sounds like a natural result of apt diction.
This is more than a matter of taste: replacing a precise word with an awkward one merely to preserve sound can reduce clarity and force.
18. Clause lengths and elegance
Proportionate clause length helps sajʿ sound balanced. Equal or nearly equal lengths often create coherence. A somewhat longer second unit is not always defective, but a severe imbalance can weaken the relation heard between the endings.
Muraṣṣaʿ especially benefits from parallel ordering of internal expressions; muṭarraf and mutawāzī rely on the closing words together with reasonable proportionality.
When an excessively long passage intervenes before a very short conclusion, the first ending may fade from the listener’s ear. Balance, clarity, and effect therefore matter together.
19. The effect of concise endings
Very long units can obscure the listener’s perception of corresponding endings. Relatively concise and well-proportioned units make the echo clearer, provided they still express complete meanings.
Observe the Qurʾānic sequence:
«فِي سِدْرٍ مَخْضُودٍ» — among thornless lote trees.
«وَطَلْحٍ مَنْضُودٍ» — and layered fruit-bearing trees.
«وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ» — and extended shade.
Here the closeness of the endings supports a coherent sequence of images. Sound and meaning reinforce each other.
20. Qurʾānic verse-endings as fawāṣil
The technical term fawāṣil is used for Qurʾānic endings. A fāṣilah marks the close of a verse or Qurʾānic unit. Their sonic effects may resemble prose rhyme in some respects, but Qurʾānic fawāṣil are not simply equated in every respect with poetic rhyme or contrived sajʿ.
For example:
«وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ»
By the star when it descends: your companion has neither strayed nor erred.
Their analysis also respects meaning, pauses, Qurʾānic composition, and rhetorical context.
21. Pause and phonetic agreement in recitation
Pausing at the ending helps explain how Qurʾānic fawāṣil sound. At a pause, some case endings are not pronounced, and the audible end of a word may differ from its fully inflected form. Apparent differences of inflection do not always destroy the perceived harmony.
At the opening of Sūrat al-Fīl:
«أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ»
Have you not seen what your Lord did to the people of the elephant, and how He made their plot fail?
The correspondence between “al-fīl” and “taḍlīl” is audible at the verse endings.
22. Why “sajʿ” is debated for Qurʾānic endings
There is a terminological discussion about calling Qurʾānic fawāṣil asjāʿ. Audible correspondence can be recognized if sajʿ is understood broadly as matching endings. Yet where the term suggests forced rhyming, fawāṣil is the more fitting designation for Qurʾānic passages.
A further explanation concerns the limits of applying literary terms to revealed speech. Sonic resemblance alone does not make Qurʾānic discourse ordinary rhymed prose.
Thus the endings can be studied for sound and meaning while retaining the designation fawāṣil al-Qurʾān.
23. A sajʿ-like effect in poetry
Poetry has its own rhyme system, but poets may also arrange matching sounds within a single couplet. This motivates discussion of a sajʿ-like effect in verse.
Parts of the verse may echo each other while the poetic meter remains intact. This creates inner sound correspondence in addition to the ordinary final rhyme.
Prose sajʿ and poetic rhyme should not be collapsed. A couplet’s final rhyme and its internal sound pattern are two different levels; a particular structured form is known as tashṭīr.
24. Definition of tashṭīr
Tashṭīr is a poetic arrangement in which each hemistich of a couplet is divided into two units, with the resulting endings arranged in a systematic sound pattern. It creates internal pauses and rhyme-like echoes.
The important feature is not merely cutting a hemistich into two textual pieces: audible correspondence must link the relevant ends, while the poetic meter is preserved.
To identify tashṭīr, analyze the internal endings of both halves; the couplet’s final rhyme alone is insufficient.
25. Tashṭīr versus tarṣīʿ
Tashṭīr concerns larger segments of verse and the correspondence of their internal endings. Tarṣīʿ is closer word-by-word, comparing the pattern and rhyme of paired expressions.
A couplet may exhibit tashṭīr without all corresponding words being arranged in the fully ornamented manner of muraṣṣaʿ. Conversely, a locally ornamented pair need not create the complete segmented design of tashṭīr.
DeviceMain test
TashṭīrSegmented hemistichs and corresponding internal endings
TarṣīʿExtended pattern-and-rhyme agreement between paired words
26. Muwāzanah: correspondence without rhyme
تساوي الفاصلتين في الوزن دون التقفية
The equality of two ending words in pattern, without equality in final rhyme.
This is the basic definition of muwāzanah. Its beauty comes from balanced patterning, while it does not require the final-letter match central to sajʿ.
Longer passages may contain several balanced expressions, but the basic test looks at the patterns of the relevant ending words. Equal patterns with different terminal letters provide the clearest case.
27. A Qurʾānic example of muwāzanah
وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌ وَزَرَابِيُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ
And cushions arranged in rows, and fine carpets spread out.
In Qurʾān 88:15–16, “maṣfūfah” and “mabthūthah” have related patterns, but their terminal consonants are not identical. This illustrates muwāzanah without the terminal rhyme required for sajʿ.
Equal word patterns therefore do not necessitate matching rhyme. One kind of phonetic balance can give elegance even when another is absent.
28. Sajʿ and muwāzanah compared
DevicePatternFinal rhyme
Muṭarraf sajʿDifferentAgrees
Mutawāzī sajʿAgreesAgrees
Clear muwāzanahAgreesDiffers
Muraṣṣaʿ also requires assessing additional paired expressions; end-word matching alone does not establish that extended correspondence.
Where both pattern and final rhyme agree, the conditions of mutawāzī are apparent. When pattern agrees but rhyme does not, muwāzanah is the more precise term.
29. A qualification about overlapping categories
The restriction dūn al-taqfiyah in the definition of muwāzanah keeps two sonic features apart: corresponding pattern and corresponding rhyme. Rhetoricians discuss whether their broader categories can overlap or remain mutually exclusive.
Final-letter agreement is fundamental to sajʿ; pattern correspondence is fundamental to muwāzanah. Some technical schemes therefore distinguish them sharply, while more expansive usages allow possible overlap.
For classification practice, maṣfūfah / mabthūthah is the clearest illustration: matching patterns without the same terminal rhyme.
30. Worked comparison across verbal devices
Ask where the correspondence is located in each example.
“waqārā / aṭwārā” — same terminal rhyme, different patterns: muṭarraf.
“marfūʿah / mawḍūʿah” — same pattern and terminal rhyme: mutawāzī condition.
“maṣfūfah / mabthūthah” — equal patterns without terminal rhyme: muwāzanah.
“yaṭbaʿu al-asjāʿ … yaqraʿu al-asmāʿ …” — multiple paired expressions are arranged in correspondence: muraṣṣaʿ.
Sonic similarity is the general phenomenon, but its technical classification depends on where and how correspondence occurs.
31. Consolidated principles
Sajʿ centers on correspondence among the endings of prose clauses. Pattern and internal word-pair correspondence further distinguish its types: muṭarraf has differing end-word patterns, mutawāzī has corresponding patterns, and muraṣṣaʿ extends correspondence through multiple word pairs.
Excellent sajʿ serves meaning without artificial constraint, joining proportion and appropriate diction. Qurʾānic fawāṣil retain their distinct designation even when studied for sonic elegance.
Muwāzanah centers on corresponding patterns without requiring the same final rhyme. The next verbal ornament, qalb, concerns reversal or rearrangement rather than correspondence of clause endings.
Practice questions
Question 1
What is the defining condition of sajʿ?
- Agreement in the final letter of two prose endings
- Opposition in the meanings of two clauses
- Equal pattern of every word
- All words sharing the same root
Question 2
Relative to a prose unit, what is its fāṣilah?
- Its first letter
- Its entire grammatical structure
- Its final word
- Its main verb
Question 3
Which distinction holds between “waqārā” and “aṭwārā”?
- Same pattern, different ending
- Different patterns, shared final rhyme
- Same root and meaning
- No similarity in either pattern or ending
Question 4
Same ending rhyme but differing end-word patterns indicates which type?
- Only muraṣṣaʿ
- Muwāzanah
- Ṭibāq
- Muṭarraf
Question 5
What identifies mutawāzī sajʿ?
- End words matching in both pattern and rhyme
- Similarity of meaning alone
- Identity of all words in each clause
- Different final rhyme alone
Question 6
What extra feature distinguishes muraṣṣaʿ from mutawāzī?
- Muraṣṣaʿ never shares an ending
- Muraṣṣaʿ occurs only in verse
- Several paired words match in pattern and rhyme in muraṣṣaʿ
- Opposed meaning alone defines muraṣṣaʿ
Question 7
Which device is prominent in “yaṭbaʿu al-asjāʿ ... yaqraʿu al-asmāʿ ...”?
- Excessive hyperbole
- Muraṣṣaʿ sajʿ
- Implicit metaphor
- Laff wa-nashr
Question 8
Does repeating one word automatically establish tarṣīʿ?
- Yes, pattern need not be considered
- Yes, if meanings oppose
- No, only the final letters must differ
- No, systematic correspondence of paired words is needed
Question 9
What stands out in the pair “marfūʿah / mawḍūʿah”?
- Agreement in pattern and terminal sound
- Only opposed meanings
- Different patterns and endings
- They share one root
Question 10
Why need not all preceding words match in “marfūʿah / mawḍūʿah”?
- Because weight never matters in sajʿ
- Because there is always only one word
- Because mutawāzī primarily compares the end words
- Because the example has no fāṣilah
Question 11
What does verbal “wazn” mean in this classification?
- Only the meter of an entire poem
- Correspondence in word or morphological pattern
- The semantic topic of each clause
- Only the written form of the last letter
Question 12
How should word choice relate to meaning in excellent sajʿ?
- Meaning should be sacrificed to rhyme
- Every clause should be maximally long
- Every word must have the same pattern
- Diction suits meaning and context; sound ornament remains subordinate
Question 13
What can a severe imbalance in clause lengths do?
- Weaken the audible relation between the endings
- Automatically create muraṣṣaʿ
- Turn every sajʿ into jinas
- Change the lexical roots
Question 14
Which feature is prominent in “fī sidrin makhḍūdin ...”?
- Opposing meanings in every unit
- All words sharing one root
- Harmony of concise, connected endings
- No correspondence among endings
Question 15
Which term is preferred for Qurʾānic verse endings?
- Prosodic qāfiyah
- Fawāṣil al-Qurʾān
- Only complete jinas
- Radd al-ʿajz
Question 16
Why is pausing relevant to Qurʾānic fawāṣil?
- Pausing can change the pronunciation of final inflections
- Pausing reverses every verse’s meaning
- Pausing gives every word the same root
- Pausing requires adding letters
Question 17
What matters in the ending pair “al-fīl / taḍlīl”?
- Their having one meaning
- Their initial letters being identical
- A genitive relation between the two words
- Corresponding final sounds at a pause
Question 18
Why are Qurʾānic fawāṣil not merely forced prose rhymes?
- Because the Qurʾān lacks harmonious endings
- Because sound and meaning can never be discussed separately
- Because revealed discourse, meaning and terminology require distinct consideration
- Because all verses share one poetic meter
Question 19
What is central to tashṭīr?
- Conjugating the same word
- Dividing hemistichs and matching internal endings
- Comparing two things by simile
- Contrary interpretations of a proposition
Question 20
How do tashṭīr and tarṣīʿ differ?
- Tashṭīr concerns segment endings; tarṣīʿ concerns paired words
- Tashṭīr concerns balance only and tarṣīʿ semantics only
- There is no discernible difference
- Verbal correspondence is prohibited in tarṣīʿ
Question 21
What is the essential shared feature in muwāzanah?
- Semantic opposition
- Mandatory shared final letter
- A shared lexical root
- Correspondence of the end-word patterns
Question 22
Why is “maṣfūfah / mabthūthah” an example of muwāzanah?
- Because both mean the same thing
- Because their final consonants are identical
- Because patterns match but terminal consonants differ
- Because both are active participles
Question 23
Equal patterns but different rhymes most clearly indicate what?
- Muṭarraf sajʿ
- Muwāzanah
- Muraṣṣaʿ sajʿ
- Reversal jinas
Question 24
Must every word of two clauses share a pattern for muwāzanah?
- No; the essential comparison concerns the endings
- Yes, otherwise it is jinas
- Yes, and meanings must also be identical
- No, but the terminal consonants must always be identical
Question 25
Which pair of criteria correctly distinguishes muṭarraf and muwāzanah?
- Muṭarraf matches pattern; muwāzanah matches final rhyme
- Both require matching pattern and rhyme
- Muṭarraf concerns meanings; muwāzanah syntax
- Muṭarraf shares final rhyme; muwāzanah shares pattern
Question 26
How should a multiword muraṣṣaʿ example be analyzed?
- By translating only the last word
- By considering opposed meanings sufficient
- By aligning word pairs and testing pattern and rhyme
- By measuring clause length only
Question 27
Which feature is directly apparent in Qurʾān 88:15–16?
- Two opposed judgments
- Matching ending patterns and differing final consonants
- An extended representational metaphor
- Repeated use of the same word
Question 28
Why can concise and proportionate clauses improve sajʿ?
- They abolish rhyme
- They make all words synonymous
- They always turn prose into poetry
- They help the listener hear and retain the related endings
Question 29
If a rhyming word damages the intended sense, what takes precedence?
- Appropriate and accurate meaning
- The rhyme word in all cases
- The number of letters in the clause
- Surface similarity alone
Question 30
What accounts for differing views on the relation between muwāzanah and sajʿ?
- The number of prepositions
- Only the difference between Qurʾān and Hadith
- Treating pattern and rhyme as separate or potentially coexisting features
- Moving every device to ʿilm al-maʿānī
Question 31
When must one investigate whether a mutawāzī-looking passage is muraṣṣaʿ?
- When final letters necessarily differ
- When additional paired words also match in pattern and rhyme
- When the units have no endings
- When only the subject matter is the same
Question 32
What is the next independent topic after this lesson?
- Ṭibāq
- Ḥusn al-taʿlīl
- Kināyah ʿan al-nisbah
- Al-qalb
Question 33
In muṭarraf sajʿ, the end words may differ in pattern despite sharing a terminal rhyme.
Question 34
In muraṣṣaʿ, matching only the last words in pattern is sufficient.
Question 35
The term fawāṣil is used for Qurʾānic endings.
Question 36
A clear instance of muwāzanah can have matching patterns but differing final rhyme.
Question 37
Tashṭīr and tarṣīʿ have identical conditions and both require verse.
Question 38
Using an unsuitable word merely to preserve rhyme can weaken sajʿ.
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