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Instructor and Level Four Seminary Student, Qom Seminary (Ḥawza ʿIlmiyya of Qom); Ph.D. Graduate in Philosophy of Religion
10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
Abstract
The analysis of the process through which majāz and metaphor are realized is not merely a linguistic discussion pertaining to the field of literature, but rather is primarily a mental process concerned with the realm of meanings. Within the history of rhetoric, two prominent viewpoints have been cited to explain this process. This article, after presenting the views of Muslim rhetoricians, reveals that, firstly, there are three perspectives in the analysis of majāz, and that what is known as al-Sakkākī’s view is actually al-Jurjānī’s perspective, with al-Sakkākī himself having offered a third opinion on the nature of majāz. Secondly, al-Jurjānī’s viewpoint emerges unscathed from the critiques al-Sakkākī leveled against it, even though al-Sakkākī’s perspective in analyzing majāz is intrinsically noteworthy and serves as a reasonable justification for the realization of certain types of figurative usage. In line with the two prevailing views in rhetoric, these same two perspectives have predominantly been addressed within legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh), while al-Sakkākī’s view has been overlooked for reasons that will be elaborated upon. ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī posits the necessity of a specific type of designation (waḍʿ nawʿī) with a particular interpretation in lexical majāz, a designation that may also be applicable to rational majāz. It appears that Ākhūnd Khurāsānī’s analysis of majāz opens the possibility for another form of majāz that transcends the denotative meaning and the intended referent (mawḍūʿ lahu) of the utterance, becoming linked to implicative meaning (maḻmūl iltizāmī). Finally, after reviewing the various opinions, it becomes clear that the primary focus of rhetoricians, and consequently legal theorists, in discussing literal (ḥaqīqah) and figurative (majāz) meaning is directed towards the mawḍūʿ lahu. However, it seems that what should be the focal point of discussion in majāz is the apparent meaning (al-maʿnā al-ẓāhir) rather than the mawḍūʿ lahu, as these two are not necessarily identical.
Kermanshahani, E. , Islami, A. and Sabzi, H. (2025). A Philosophical Analysis of Majāz (Figurative Usage) and Metaphor in Rhetoric and Legal Theory. Literary Studies of Islamic texts, 10(28), 31-58. doi: 10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
MLA
Kermanshahani, E. , , Islami, A. , and Sabzi, H. . "A Philosophical Analysis of Majāz (Figurative Usage) and Metaphor in Rhetoric and Legal Theory", Literary Studies of Islamic texts, 10, 28, 2025, 31-58. doi: 10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
HARVARD
Kermanshahani, E., Islami, A., Sabzi, H. (2025). 'A Philosophical Analysis of Majāz (Figurative Usage) and Metaphor in Rhetoric and Legal Theory', Literary Studies of Islamic texts, 10(28), pp. 31-58. doi: 10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
CHICAGO
E. Kermanshahani , A. Islami and H. Sabzi, "A Philosophical Analysis of Majāz (Figurative Usage) and Metaphor in Rhetoric and Legal Theory," Literary Studies of Islamic texts, 10 28 (2025): 31-58, doi: 10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
VANCOUVER
Kermanshahani, E., Islami, A., Sabzi, H. A Philosophical Analysis of Majāz (Figurative Usage) and Metaphor in Rhetoric and Legal Theory. Literary Studies of Islamic texts, 2025; 10(28): 31-58. doi: 10.22081/jrla.2026.72004.1411
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