علاقة التوافق في أسلوب المقابلة ولطائفها في الأوصاف القرآنية دراسة بلاغية تأصيلية

The Relationship of Correspondence in the Style of Antithesis and Its Rhetorical Nuances in Qur’anic Descriptions: A Foundational Rhetorical Study

Abstract

Antithesis is one of the established rhetorical principles in Arabic expression. It is based on the principle of opposition—as widely recognized by the majority of rhetoricians—whether between words, meanings, or images, to achieve rhetorical purposes. It also represents a form of harmony in speech, through which the creative writer seeks to structure the components of discourse with precision and to establish coherence and congruity among its parts. One of the forms of muq?balah (antithesis) that has not received sufficient scholarly attention—despite being a phenomenon worthy of in-depth investigation and application—is what may be termed “corresponding antithesis” (muq?balat al-taw?fuq). This study aims first to establish and define this term, then to analyze selected examples of it in the Qur’an, and finally to explore its aesthetic dimensions. 

The novelty of the topic was a key reason for its selection, in addition to the fact that corresponding antithesis (muq?balat al-taw?fuq) is a prominent phenomenon in Qur’anic descriptions. This type of correspondence functions as a structural foundation within the components and interrelations of antithesis, contributing artistically to the precision and fluidity of Qur’anic meaning. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, focusing on tracing scholars’ definitions of muq?balah and the concept of taw?fuq in order to establish the term theoretically, followed by a stylistic analysis of selected Qur’anic examples in accordance with rhetorical principles.

The study concluded that the stylistic device of muq?balah (antithesis) can be constructed not only upon contrast (ta??dd) alone but also upon correspondence (taw?fuq) in conjunction with contrast. It found that muq?balat al-taw?fuq serves as an effective means of refining meanings, ensuring coherence between the meanings of verses, and contributing to the completeness and perfection of Qur’anic description. The study also found that muq?balat al-taw?fuq takes two distinct forms: one is structural, characterized by a degree of ordering and balance between its components; the other is contextual, where the opposing elements lack structural symmetry or balance. Nevertheless, both forms aim at achieving subtle rhetorical effects, such as emphasizing the Islamic concern for the beauty of both the outward and inward aspects of the human being, illustrating the connection between the external and the internal, and between the sensory and the abstract—along with other rhetorical insights tied to their specific contexts, as revealed throughout the study.

Keywords: Antithesis – Contrast – Rhetoric – Qur’an – Correspondence – Descriptions. 

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