LessonsLiteral and Figurative Meanings: Principles and Legal ApplicationsQuiz

إذا حلف لا يأكل من هذه الشجرة أو من هذه القدر
Suppose someone swears not to eat from this tree or this cooking pot.

In normal food-related speech, “eating from a tree” refers to consuming its fruit, not gnawing its trunk. Eating from a pot refers to the food it holds, not the metal or clay vessel.

These are illustrations of mutaʿadhdhirah: the direct literal object is not a feasible instance of the intended action. Interpretation transfers to a related, practically intelligible referent, such as fruit or contents.

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Impossible literal use: eating a tree

Literal and Figurative Meanings: Principles and Legal Applications

إذا حلف لا يأكل من هذه الشجرة أو من هذه القدر
Suppose someone swears not to eat from this tree or this cooking pot.

In normal food-related speech, “eating from a tree” refers to consuming its fruit, not gnawing its trunk. Eating from a pot refers to the food it holds, not the metal or clay vessel.

These are illustrations of mutaʿadhdhirah: the direct literal object is not a feasible instance of the intended action. Interpretation transfers to a related, practically intelligible referent, such as fruit or contents.