Religious Language

It seems that a great number of abstract religious concepts in Islamic texts are realized, both conceptually and linguistically, through cognitive strategies like metaphor and metonymy. This article tries to study the concept of death in the Holy Qurۥān, and Nahjul-Balāgha, the main Islamic Texts, to see how this (relatively) abstract concept is conceptualized in mind? Moreover, what component (s) of the recognized source concepts is (are) mapped onto the concept of death? The analysis of linguistic expressions about death shows that death is realized both metonymically and metaphorically in these two texts. There are structural, orientational and ontological metaphors in which death is the target domain of conceptualization, of which personification is more influential and specific than others. In all recognized metaphors, the death target is understood through different, but homogeneous, source concepts. The common component of nearly all these sources which is mapped on and highlighted is death power. Death has control over human and nobody can run away from it.

In the twentieth century language has become the most important philosophical issue. In the field of religious studies, one of the important issues is the issue of language too, and the language of religion and the way of understanding religious texts have become an important concern for religious scholars. The question that what is the nature of language used by God Almighty for expressing his meaning and purpose, is one of the most important issues in religious language controversies. As God in religious texts, including in the Holy Qur'an, has established a text-based communication with humans, does the Holy Quran, before responding to other human needs that are essential to his salvation, address this fundamental question about the nature of the language that has been used in this text-based communication? The importance of this question is that the methodology provides an understanding of the Qur'an. In this research, the author tries to provide a positive response to the fundamental question, expressing that the language of the Quran is a pragmatic language. In this regard, in order to defend the pragmatic language of the Qur'an, the author first describes the characteristics of the language suitable for the Qur'an and then shows that the pragmatic language has the features of the proper language for the Qur'an and is used in the Qur'an. The result of this study is that the language of the Qur'an is an existential and natural language.

SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Mystical literature has provided an extensive area in which the nature of religious language, as a common topic of philosophy and religion, can be considered from a mystical point of view as well. In the meantime, the large collection of “Masnavi-ye Ma'navi” is a paradigm example of mystical texts that helps investigate the views of its creator, Jalalu-’d-din Mohammad Rumi on the nature of religious language. Rumi (Mawlawi, Mawlana) is one of the greatest Iranian poets and probably one of the most renewed poets in world literature. METHOD AND FINDING: This paper, which was conducted with the method of qualitative research and documentary review of Rumi poems, is organized as follows: First, the seven main theories about the nature of religious language will be explained briefly. Then, some paradigm examples of “Masnavi” in which Rumi has expressed his views about religious language will be interpreted. Finally, it will be shown that, according to Rumi, religious language is mainly symbolic, then analogous, followed by univocal, and lastly equivocal. CONCLUSION: In the conclusion of the research, there will be a brief explanation of the reason behind the aforementioned order, which shows why Muslim mystics, as one of the main four groups of Muslim scholars, have chosen such a view about religious language.