WISE: Wise Response

    From The Encyclopedia of Arabic Rhetoric

    أسلوب الحكيم
    WISE: Wise Response
    CategoryLinguistic Embellishments
    (‘ilm al-badī‘)
    SubcategoryIndirectness & Ambiguity
      
    Balagha-Corpus.com
    Corpus dataSee examples
      
    Balaghascore.com
    CodeCE-10
      
    BalaghaBase.org
    CodeQ77
      
    OpenAlex
    IDW4415372159
      
    Cite this page
    🔗 DOI10.64393/balagha.Q77
     Download PDF
      
    Taxonomy
    ARDTv0.1.0, v0.1.1

    Definition

    Wise Response (al-uslūb al-ḥakīm) is an Arabic rhetorical device in which the addressee is met with other than what they expect:[1][2][3][4] either by (1) setting aside the questioner's question and answering a question they did not ask, or (2) by carrying the speaker's words to a meaning other than what they intended — signalling that this is the question they ought to have asked, or the meaning they ought to have intended.[1][2][3][4]

    Mechanism

    • In the first subtype, the respondent sets aside the question actually posed and answers a different, implied question - one the respondent deems more appropriate or instructive.[1][2][3][4]
    • In the second subtype, the respondent takes the interlocutor's words and carries them to a meaning other than what the speaker intended, steering the exchange toward a more fitting or more edifying interpretation.[1][2][3][4]
    • In both cases, the response indicates that the questioner ought to have asked another question, or intended another meaning.[1][2][3][4]

    Recognition

    The following diagnostic tests aid identification:

    • Test 1 (Subtype 1): Can you identify a question that was posed and a response that addresses a different — typically more important or more appropriate — question? If so, the first subtype may be operative.
    • Test 2 (Subtype 2): Can you identify words whose apparent meaning (as intended by the speaker) is set aside, with another meaning substituted and presented as what the speaker ought to have intended? If so, the second subtype may be operative.

    Diagnostic Rhetorical Effects

    • Signalling to the questioner that the question posed was less apt or less important than the question implied by the answer - that is, guiding the interlocutor toward what they ought to have asked.[1][2][3]
    • Producing wit (al-ẓarf) by moving the speech from the apparent intended meaning to another meaning.[2]
    • Deflecting a questioner or extracting oneself from an uncomfortable inquiry.[2]
    • Presenting what is more important, more fitting, or more worthy of attention in place of the matter explicitly asked about.[2][3]
    • ʿAkkāwī (1996) notes that al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 255 AH) devoted a chapter to this style under the name al-lughz fī al-jawāb (the riddle in the answer), and that it was used by the Arabs for various rhetorical purposes — including wit, deflecting a questioner, presenting what is more important, and mockery of the questioner (al-tahakkum).[2][4]

    Applying the Recognition Framework

    The information on this page can be used to evaluate whether this device is present in a candidate lexical item using the Specific Device Recognition part of the Universal Framework for Identifying Arabic Rhetorical Devices:

    • Use the Definition, Mechanism, and Recognition sections of this page in Step 1.
    • Apply the substitution test in Step 2.
    • Consider contextual indicators in Step 3.
    • Use the Diagnostic Rhetorical Effects section of this page in Step 4.

    Types of Wise Response

    ʿAkkāwī (1996), al-Hāshimī (2019), ʿAbbās (2007), and ʿAtīq (2002) each enumerate two subtypes:[1][2][3][4]

    Type 1: Setting aside the question

    The respondent sets aside the questioner's actual question and answers a different question - one deemed more appropriate or important - thereby indicating that this is the question that ought to have been asked.[1][3][4][2]

    Source Example

    يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ

    They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: they are signs to mark fixed periods for people and for pilgrimage. (al-Baqara 2:189)

    Explanation
    The Companions asked about the crescents and their condition. The Qurʾān sets aside that question and answers a different one: what is the benefit and purpose of the moon's phases for human life and worship. ʿAbbās (2007) notes that it is as if the response says: "it befits you to ask about this" — the practical and spiritual significance — rather than another matter.[3]
    Source Example

    يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلْ مَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ

    They ask you what they should spend. Say: whatever good you spend should go to parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer. (al-Baqara 2:215)

    Explanation
    The questioners asked what they should spend. The response instead specifies the recipients of expenditure — the more practically important matter — indicating that this is the question more worthy of being asked.[1][3]
    Source Example

    قِيلَ لتاجر: «كم رأس مالك؟» فقال: «إني أمين وثقة الناس بي عظيمة.»

    A merchant was asked: "How much is your capital?" He replied: "I am trustworthy, and people's confidence in me is great."

    Explanation
    The questioner asked about the merchant's financial capital. The merchant sets aside that question and answers a different one — the qualities that help secure profit and success in trade: trustworthiness and the confidence of others. ʿAtīq (2002) notes that this signals to the questioner that these two qualities are what bring profit and guarantee success in trade.[4]
    Source Example

    قِيلَ لشيخ هَرِم: «كم سنك؟» فقال: «إني أنعم بالعافية.»

    An aged shaykh was asked: "How old are you?" He replied: "I am blessed with good health."

    Explanation
    The questioner asked about the shaykh's age. The shaykh sets aside that question and redirects to what is more apt: his enjoyment of good health — implying that this is the question more worthy of being asked.[4]
    Constructed Example

    سألَ طالبٌ أستاذَه: «بأيِّ قلمٍ كتبتَ هذا الكتاب؟» فأجابه: «كُتِبَ هذا الكتابُ لينفعَكَ، فاقرأْهُ وانتفِعْ به.»

    A student asked his teacher: "With what pen did you write this book?" The teacher replied: "This book was written to benefit you — so read it and benefit from it."

    Explanation
    The student asked about the instrument of composition. The teacher sets aside that question and answers a different one: what is the purpose of the book and what ought the student to do with it — implying that this is the question more worthy of being asked.

    Type 2: Carrying words to an unintended meaning

    The respondent takes the interlocutor's words and interprets them in a sense other than what the speaker intended, steering the exchange in a direction more fitting or more favourable — thereby implying that this is the meaning the speaker ought to have intended.[1][2][3][4]

    Source Example

    قال الحجاج للقبعثري متوعدًا: «لأحملنك على الأدهم.» فقال القبعثري: «مثل الأمير يحمل على الأدهم والأشهب.» فقال الحجاج: أردت الحديد. فقال القبعثري: لأن يكون حديدًا خير من أن يكون بليدًا.

    Al-Ḥajjāj threatened al-Qubʿatharī: "I will load you upon the adham." — intending the black iron shackle. Al-Qubʿatharī replied: "A prince like you loads people upon the adham and the ashab" — taking the words to mean the black horse and the white horse. Al-Ḥajjāj said: "I meant the iron." Al-Qubʿatharī replied: "Better to be iron [ḥadīd = sharp, keen] than to be dull [balīd]."

    Explanation
    Al-Qubʿatharī twice carries al-Ḥajjāj's words to meanings other than those intended. First, adham (intended as "black iron shackle") is redirected to "black horse." Second, ḥadīd (intended as "iron") is redirected to its sense of "sharp/keen" — implying that it is better to be sharp-witted than dull.[2][3][4]
    Source Example

    ولقد أتيت لصاحبي وسألته — في قرض دينار لأمر كانا
    فأجابني والله داري ما حوت — عيناً فنقلت له ولا إنسانا

    I came to my companion and asked him for the loan of a dinar for a matter that had arisen. He answered me: "By God, my house contains neither an ʿayn nor a person."

    Explanation
    The questioner asked for a dinar (gold coin). The companion replied using ʿayn — which can mean both "gold" and "eye" — carrying it to the sense of "eye." ʿAtīq (2002) notes that the speaker intended "gold" but the respondent carried the word to the sense of "eye," signalling that lending from what he does not possess is impossible.[4]
    Source Example

    طلبتُ منه درهماً — يوماً فأظهر العجب
    وقال ذا من فضة — يصنع لا من الذهب

    I asked him one day for a dirham — he showed astonishment and said: "This is made of silver, not gold."

    Explanation
    The questioner asked for a dirham (silver coin). The respondent diverts the request by speaking about the dirham itself rather than responding to the request for it, thereby redirecting the exchange away from the intended request.[4]
    Source Example

    قال ابن حجاج البغدادي:
    قلتُ: ثقلتُ؛ إذ أتيت مرارًا — قال: ثقلتَ كاهلي بالأيادي
    قلتُ: طولتُ! — قال: أوليتُ طوْلا — قلتُ: أبرمتُ! — قال: حبلَ ودادي

    I said: "I have become a burden, coming so often." He said: "You have weighed down my shoulder with gifts."
    I said: "I have overstayed." He said: "You have bestowed generosity."
    I said: "I have wearied you." He said: "You have braided the rope of my friendship."

    Explanation
    The poet says he fears he has imposed through frequent visits. His companion each time redirects his words to a more flattering meaning. Each word is carried to a meaning other than what the speaker intended.[1][2][3]
    Constructed Example

    قال رجلٌ لصديقه متذمِّرًا: «لقد أثقلتُكَ بزياراتي المتكرِّرة.» فردَّ عليه صديقُه: «نعم، أثقلتَني — أثقلتَني بالمحبَّة والأُنس.»

    A man said to his friend, apologetically: "I have burdened you with my repeated visits." His friend replied: "Yes, you have burdened me — burdened me with affection and companionship."

    Explanation
    The visitor uses أثقلتُكَ intending the negative sense of imposing or becoming a nuisance. His friend carries the word to a warmer meaning — that the weight is one of love and good company — implying that this is the sense the speaker ought to have intended.

    Different From

    Notes

    • Al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 255 AH) devoted a chapter to this phenomenon in al-Bayān wa-l-Tabyīn under the name al-lughz fī al-jawāb (the riddle in the answer).[2]
    • Later rhetoricians (al-mutaʾakhkhirūn) applied the name al-qawl bi-l-mūjib to this device. Al-Qazwīnī divided it into two subsections in al-Talkhīṣ and al-Īḍāḥ. ʿAtīq (2002) notes that Ibn Abī al-Iṣbaʿ al-Miṣrī defined it as the speaker addressing the interlocutor with the interlocutor's own words, taking a term from those words and establishing through it the opposite of the interlocutor's intended meaning — because it is a refutation of the opponent using the content of their own speech.[4]

    References

    1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Aḥmad al-Hāshimī, Jawāhir al-Balāgha fī al-Maʿānī wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Windsor: Hindāwī Foundation, 2019), 383-384, ISBN 9781527316386.
    2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Inʿām Fawwāl ʿAkkāwī, Al-Muʿjam al-Mufaṣṣal fī ʿUlūm al-Balāgha: Al-Badīʿ wa-al-Bayān wa-al-Maʿānī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1996), 143-144.
    3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Faḍl Ḥasan ʿAbbās, Al-Balāgha: Funūnuhā wa-Afnānuhā - ʿIlm al-Bayān wa-al-Badīʿ (Amman: Dār al-Furqān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2007), 292-298.
    4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Atīq, ʿIlm al-Badīʿ (Beirut: Dār al-Nahḍa al-ʿArabiyya lil-Ṭibāʿa wa-al-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2002), 182-188.



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