Majāz is a rich concept in classical Arabic thought. Its meaning ranges from interpretation to figurative expression (Heinrichs). It encompasses, but is a greater category than, istiʿāra (metaphor). It entails some sense of crossing over or expanding the apparent meaning. The concept was flexible enough for authors to apply it to a range of literary and expressive features, including semiotic and syntactical components of linguistic expression. Although the technical meaning of majāz is standardized by the 13th century in ʿilm al-balāgha (the science of eloquence) to refer to specific kinds of figurative expression, it is a term that is used to describe all kinds of linguistic and literary transgressions beyond this technical meaning. These transgressions are said to always be more beautiful than saying something plainly. Because they go beyond the surface meaning, I argue, they require interpretation. This characteristic, in turn, is a crucial aspect of what renders majāz eloquent and beautiful. Overviews of majāz in modern scholarship tend to focus on its meaning as trope or figurative speech, then highlight exceptions to this technical meaning. By looking at premodern Arabic works of literary theory, Quranic hermeneutics, and adab, this paper seeks to expose a unified concept of majāz as “transgression that requires interpretation,” which applies to individual words, sentences, and even stories. This approach is important as it highlights aesthetic features common to all levels of transgression that are otherwise not apparent. Furthermore, building on the work of Alexander Key and Avigail Noy, the paper will consider the implications of this argument on the relationship between majāz and ḥaqīqa, exposing salient aspects of the conception of literary representation in classical Arabic thought.