What is the ruling on using metaphors in poetry such as "the sea marveled at my words" or "the wall said so-and-so"; is it permissible or is it considered a lie?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Metaphor is permissible in prose and poetry. It is the transfer of a phrase from its original linguistic usage to another for a purpose, such as explaining or emphasizing a meaning, alluding to it concisely, or beautifying expression. There are many examples of it in Arabic speech, such as their saying, "the earth laughed" when it sprouted, and "the clouds laughed with lightning." It is not a lie, because the listener understands the speaker's intent of exaggeration and the generalization of a calamity.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/142247
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 142247
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy