Grammar of Narration in Punishment-oriented Stories (Research Sample: the Story of Noah, Hud, Lot, Salih, Jethro (Shu‘ayb) and Moses)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University

10.22081/jqr.2023.66613.3761

Abstract

This article examines the grammar of narration in a selection of Qur’an’s punishment-oriented stories. The general structure of these stories is based on the fact that God sends a Prophet to guide a nation or a group; the deniers oppose the call of the Prophet; the Prophet endures many hardships and sufferings; the opponents keep on being stubborn and opposing; the Prophet asks God for help; God answers the Prophet's prayers and punishes that nation and group in different ways. The question is whether it is possible to provide a general model of the analysis of the narrative deep structures of these stories? The main events of these stories are based on the three main structures of monotheism, denial, and justice, which are performed by the three practitioners: God, the Prophet, and the people. According to the semiotic square of Greimas, monotheism (life) comes against disbelief (non-life): from disbelief come oppression and injustice, and subsequently, oppression turns into non-oppression or justice. In the light of the revelation context, the inter-narrative relationship between the story of the Prophets of the past times and the biography of the Prophet (S.A.W.) can also be seen. These stories have the criterion for measuring the actions of the addressees. Therefore, these stories leave mere history and, in terms of discourse, enter the continuous flow of time.

Keywords

References

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