Semantic analysis of Surah al-Kafrun based on Halliday's role-oriented theory and its comparison with Muslim interpretations

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Theology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 PhD student, Department of Quran and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.

10.30512/kq.2024.20793.3773

Abstract

Modern linguistic theories, by systematically presenting meaning within the framework of vocabulary and text, can, if employed correctly, broaden the scope and field of interpretation in the contemporary age and enhance the connection of new audiences with the discourse of the Quran. According to Halliday's theory, the semantic, lexical, and logical interconnectedness of a text is termed "cohesion," which categorizes the factors that create a text into two divisions: grammatical and lexical. This theory finds application in the analysis of literary texts.
In the present research, to leverage the governing system of this theory, which to a certain extent facilitates a methodical understanding of the divine word, it has been applied to Surah Al-Kafirun. Through the utilization of the three metafunctions – experiential, interpersonal, and textual – novel insights into the comprehension of the Surah were attained, and the arduous mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the face of revelation was illuminated. Two entirely distinct boundaries for monotheism and disbelief are delineated within the Surah, and the majority of references are internal to the text, indicating a high degree of cohesion within the Surah. Furthermore, it was discerned that within the interpretative opinions of certain Muslim scholars, there exist traces of similarities between their Quranic understandings and the system governing Halliday's theory. It might even be posited that some of them alluded to these systems and utilized them for a better grasp of the verses' meaning, without necessarily subscribing to the invention or application of such a theory according to its present-day terminology.

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References

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Ketab-E-Qayyem
Volume 15, Issue 32
March 2025
Pages 41-61

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History

  • Receive Date: 27 October 2023
  • Revise Date: 25 March 2024
  • Accept Date: 16 April 2024

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