Investigating the Relationship between Rhetoric and Arabic Syntax Based on the views of Jurjāni and Sakkāki (Case Study: Omission and Apposition in Simile and Metaphor)

The rhetoric, as we know it today, initially appeared in the early Islamic centuries as simple and scattered viewpoints within the margins of other disciplines such as literary criticism, Quranic interpretation, theology lexicography and syntax. It is worth noting that the autonomy of rhetoric can be attributed to the Holy Quran, with the validation of the Quran's miracles playing a pivotal role in its development. This led figures such Zamakhshari, to regard the two realms of rhetorical semantics and eloquence as exclusive to the Quran. Al-Jahiz’ Al-Bayan and Tabi'in, Abu Hilal Askari’s Al-Sanaatin: Al-Sha'ar and Katabah, and Abdul Qahir Jurjāni’s Dalal al-Ijaz and Asrar al-Balagheh contributed to the autonomy of Arabic rhetoric until Sakkāaki ultimately solidified it. Among the various fields discussing rhetorical matters is syntax, which has significantly influenced eloquence and, particularly, rhetorical semantics. Sakkaki is among the scholars who have frequently highlighted the interplay between rhetoric and syntax in Miftah al-Uloom, asserting proficiency in syntax as a prerequisite for the mastery of rhetoric. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach within a library-based framework, aimed to explore the relationship between syntax and rhetoric concerning omission and apposition. The findings suggest that, not only has syntax undeniably shaped rhetorical semantics, it has also affected eloquence. Many syntactic elements, including omission and appreciation, which have been incorporated into rhetorical semantics and eloquence, serve rhetorical purposes. Consequently, it is imperative to differentiate between syntactic and rhetorical omission and apposition, ensuring their qualitative distinction within rhetoric to prevent them from devolving into mere syntactic analogies.