Exploring the Function of Dhihn/Zihin (Cognitive Link) in Majāz in Islamic Legal Theory

Abstract

Simon Udo and Michiel Leezenberg point to the cognitive traces in the works of ‘Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī (d. 1078), named Asrār al-Balāgha and Dalā’il al-i‘jāz. However, neither Simon nor Leezenberg provide an insight whether these traces can be found in other classical sources, where majāz and isti‘āra are discussed. This paper argues that Simon’s and Leezenberg’s argument that the awareness of the cognitive elements in the classical Islamic approach to majāz and isti‘āra cannot be reduced in ‘Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī’s works. Rather, that the Hanafī legal theorists were aware of the function of dhihn/mind in the mechanism of majāz. Due to presenting a remarkable theoretical examination of the tropes and metaphors, 13th and 14th century Hanafī uṣūl al-fiqh sources are chosen. To clarify my argument, I will mainly focus on the analysis of the terminology, which expounds the relationship between majāz and mind: Such as, ittiṣāl (ilink/connection), dhihn (mind,) maḥal (space/domain).