Iltifat
310 Iltifat · 16 disputed
An Iltifat is a sudden turn between the one speaking (I, We), the one spoken to (you) and the one spoken about (he, they), while still meaning the same person. In Al-Fatihah, praise of Allah as He turns into “You alone we worship” (1:2–5). To a reader who does not know the rhetoric such a turn can look like a slip in the grammar; it is one of the most deliberate moments in the text.
Each Iltifat turns one of four ways. Disputed Iltifat are shown on their pages but not counted here.
- He → WeSpeech about Allah turns into Allah speaking as We.144 Iltifat
- We → HeAllah speaking as We turns into speech about Him.95 Iltifat
- He → YouSpeech about someone turns into speaking to them directly.51 Iltifat
- You → HeSpeaking to someone turns into speech about them.20 Iltifat
There is no page for I → You: the one classical example of it, at 36:22, is one Abdel Haleem rejects.