“Refining Expression with the Subtlest Indication in the Art of Metaphor” Authored by the eminent scholar and revered Sheikh of Islam, Imam Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Badiri Al-Dumyati Al-Shafi’i—may Allah grant us benefit through him. (Study and Verificati

“Refining Expression with the Subtlest Indication in the Art of Metaphor” Authored by the eminent scholar and revered Sheikh of Islam, Imam Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Badiri Al-Dumyati Al-Shafi’i—may Allah grant us benefit through him. (Study and Verification)

Abstract

This research undertakes the verification of a manuscript that deals with metaphor, defined as: the use of a word in a sense other than its original meaning due to a similarity between the transferred meaning and the employed meaning, accompanied by an indicator diverting attention from the original meaning. The manuscript is titled “Refining Expression with the Subtlest Indication in the Art of Metaphor”, authored by the eminent scholar and revered Sheikh of Islam, Imam Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Budayri Al-Dumyati Al-Shafi’i.

The significance of this research lies in the scholarly value of the manuscript, which addresses a complex topic intersecting multiple fields in rhetoric, such as divisions of speech, literal and figurative meanings, metaphor, and metonymy. The research aims to present the manuscript as intended by its author, uncover a new dimension of the art of metaphor through its verification, highlight the academic standing of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Budayri Al-Dumyati Al-Shafi’i, and trace the sources cited in his treatise, attributing views to their respective authors.

The study relied on two manuscript copies for its verification:

1. A primary copy from the Azhar Library, denoted as (A).
2. A comparative copy from the Al-Najah National Library in Palestine, denoted as (B).

The research confirmed the attribution of the manuscript to its author, Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al-Budayri Al-Dumyati, through an investigation into the Heritage Treasury and its Manuscript Index. The study revealed that the treatise “Refining Expression with the Subtlest Indication in the Art of Metaphor” reflects the educational methodology prevalent in Al-Azhar during the author’s era. It was structured as a response to a student’s query to Sheikh Al-Budayri Al-Dumyati Al-Shafi’i concerning divisions of speech, literal and figurative meanings, and types of metaphor.

The author explicitly cited figures such as Al-Sakkaki, Al-Khatib Al-Qazwini, Al-Zamakhshari, Saad Al-Din Al-Taftazani, Al-Zamakhshari (again), and Al-‘Isam Al-Isfaranini, with a particular influence from Al-Sakkaki in categorizing metaphors.