Note

The degrees of the styles of speech are numerous. Some are so soft and light, they blow more gently than the morning breeze. Some are so secret, they are more covert than the subterfuges of war employed by the diplomats of the present. To divine them, a diplomat has to possess a keen sense of smell.

In Short: al-Zamakhsharī [^7] divined from from the verse, "Who can give life to [dry] bones and decomposed ones [at that]?"(36: 78), "Are there any contenders for the fight?" Yes, by rebelling, man in effect opposes and combats the Creator's commands.

[^7]:Jār Allāh al-Zamakhsharī (d. 538/1144) in Khwārazm, where he was born. An outstanding scholar of the linguistic sciences, and of kalām and tafsīr. He is most famous for his Qur'an commentary, al-Kashshāf'an Ḥaqā'iq Ghawāmiḍ al-Tanzīl.

The Fourth Matter

The Fourth Matter

The power and strength of speech is achieved through all its parts responding to one another and assisting one another, and by all indicating the basic aim to its own extent and pointing the finger at what is intended, representing the rule:

Our expressions are diverse but your beauty is one,

And all [of us] point to that beauty.

That is to say, the parts should be like streams or ditches feeding a pool at the centre of them, which is the aim of the speech.

In Short: Mutual response and co-operation are necessary so that the form of the speech's aim, which is traced on the mind's networks by the view of reason, should not be confused.

Indication

Order emerges from this point, from which proportion is born and beauty and elegance shine. If you wish, ponder over the word of the Lord of Dignity. Consider, for instance, the verse,

But if a breath of your Sustainer's punishment touches them (21:46).