Zayd al-Ansārī, al-Asma‘ī, Abū ‘Amr al-Shaybānī and others, did not divide speech as these men did.
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As for “the second point of discussion,” it concerns the evidence for the two positions.
Al-Āmidī said:
“The argument of those who affirm figurative usage is that speakers of Arabic demonstrably apply the word ‘lion’ to a courageous person and ‘donkey’ to a dull-witted person. They also use such expressions as ‘the back and spine of the road,’ ‘so-and-so is on the wing of a journey,’ ‘the night’s locks have turned grey,’ ‘war has risen upon its leg,’ and ‘the liver of the sky,’ among others. Only obstinacy could lead anyone to deny these linguistic usages.
“Given this, these terms must be said to be either literal or figurative in these instances, since linguistic terms cannot fall outside these two categories, except at their initial coinage, as has already been established. They cannot be said to be literal in these instances, because they are agreed to be literal in other senses: ‘lion’ literally denotes the predatory beast, and ‘donkey’ the animal; ‘back,’ ‘spine,’ ‘leg’ and ‘liver’ literally denote the corresponding bodily organs of animals; and ‘locks’ denotes hair extending beyond the ears. Thus, if these terms were literal in the instances mentioned