Critical Discourse Analysis of the Representation of the Day of Judgment in the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha and Its Role in the Production of Political Legitimacy

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Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate of General Linguistics, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran

2 Department of Linguistics, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran

3 Department of English, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran

10.30465/cps.2025.51887.3560

Abstract

This study employs the theoretical framework of Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how the concept of the Day of Judgment is represented in the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha, and how this representation contributes to the construction of political legitimacy. The central issue of the research is the analysis of linguistic and discursive mechanisms through which the notion of the Hereafter functions as a tool for reinforcing social order, exercising moral authority, and legitimizing political and ethical structures within Qur’anic and Alawite discourse. This is a qualitative study based on textual analysis, focusing on two levels: interpretation and explanation. The data include selected verses from the Qur’an and excerpts from the sermons of Nahj al-Balagha that deal with eschatological themes. The findings reveal that the Qur’an, through its emphatic assertions, vivid imagery, and a system of divine promises and warnings, utilizes the concept of the Day of Judgment as a means of individual discipline and reinforcement of obedience to divine authority. In contrast, Nahj al-Balagha connects the concept directly to political ethics and social responsibility, linking it explicitly to structures of power and political justice. The study concludes that in both discourses, the Day of Judgment serves not only a religious function but also an ideological one, contributing to the stabilization of a morally justified political order.

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