Thresholds of Eloquence Metaphor: Between Linguistic Truth and the Breadth of Interpretation

Abstract

This study explores the issue of "Majaz" (Metaphor) as a fundamental pillar of Arabic eloquence and a cognitive problem where linguistic, rhetorical, and theological dimensions intersect. The research begins by tracing the roots of the term as a "semantic transition" from established literal truth to innovative usage, reviewing its structural divisions, including metaphors, synecdoche, and mental tropes. The research monitors a historical dialectic between two schools: First, the School of Expansion and Aestheticism, represented by Abu Ubaidah, Al-Jahiz, and Ibn Qutaybah, culminating in Abdul Qahir Al-Jurjani. They viewed metaphor as the "pinnacle of inimitability" and a linguistic necessity for depicting abstract meanings in tangible forms. Second, the School of Precaution and Certainty, led by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Al-Shanqiti. They rejected the technical division between literal (Haqiqah) and metaphorical (Majaz), proposing the theory of "Contextual Truth" instead, to safeguard the text from "interpretative fluidity" that might affect theological constants. The study concludes that the dispute over metaphor transcends verbal conflict; it is a methodological struggle to protect the sanctity of the text. The research crowns this vision with the rule of Imam Abu Amr al-Dani in "Al-Risala al-Wafiya," stating that "Everything proceeding from the Divine Truth is to be taken in its absolute literal reality," thus establishing a boundary between the aesthetics of eloquence and the discipline of meaning.