LessonsSupplementary Practice — Advanced Rhetorical Analysis and Worked TextsQuiz

«وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ»
In just retribution there is life for you.

The striking connection between retribution and life communicates a substantial social principle: proportionate justice can deter killing and protect lives. Dense meaning in few words is a hallmark of concision through compression (ījāz al-qaṣr).

Brevity is valuable only if the intended meaning remains accessible. Omitting a necessary qualification so that the statement becomes misleading is defective omission, not eloquence.

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Conciseness versus damaging omission

Supplementary Practice — Advanced Rhetorical Analysis and Worked Texts

«وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ»
In just retribution there is life for you.

The striking connection between retribution and life communicates a substantial social principle: proportionate justice can deter killing and protect lives. Dense meaning in few words is a hallmark of concision through compression (ījāz al-qaṣr).

Brevity is valuable only if the intended meaning remains accessible. Omitting a necessary qualification so that the statement becomes misleading is defective omission, not eloquence.