The Phenomenon of Repetition in Al-Shatibiyyah’s Poem: Its Types and Implications — A Stylistic Approach, with the Prologue as a Model

Abstract

This research looks into one of the rhetorical and artistic techniques, namely repetition, with its psychological and artistic consequences that improve the rhythmic quality of poetry texts and support the building of semantic ideas catching the reader's attention. The study's importance stems from its attempt to investigate this phenomenon in the poetic composition of Al-Shatibiyyah, known as “Hizr al-Amani wa Wajh al-Tahani” in the seven canonical readings of the Quran by Imam Al-Shatibi. This is achieved through an analysis of the introduction of the composition, referred to as the Khutbat al-Kitab (the preface), as a model, looking at the repetition of letters, words, and phrases in the verses from a literary perspective, and analyzing the role of these repetitions in forming a poetic context with strong and diverse connotations. The study aims to highlight the value of repetition as an aesthetic tool in Al-Shatibiyyah, and to uncover its semantic implications within the text, and to identify the aspects of its application by Imam Al-Shatibi. This is achieved through a descriptive approach to the types of repetition, an analytical method to examine its semantic aspects, and a stylistic lens to elucidate its phonetic and semantic effects. Among the study’s findings is that repetition in Al-Shatibiyyah carries multiple meanings within its poetic context, and that the poetic structure employed by Imam Al-Shatibi demonstrates his unique creative ability, distinguishing his work from many other didactic poems. The study also shows his skillful use of repetition for verbal enhancement, and that its emphatic function served to reinforce certain meanings in the reader’s mind. The research also concludes that Imam Al-Shatibi possessed a literary genius and a unique poetic language merit further study and contemplation