Semiotic Analysis of Political Sermons in Nahjul-Balagha Based on Michael Rifater’s Theory

Balavi, Rasoul; Hazabizadeh, Ali

doi:10.22034/icwj.2026.598543.1073

Semiotic Analysis of Political Sermons in Nahjul-Balagha Based on Michael Rifater’s Theory

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

rasoul balavi ¹

Ali Hazabizadeh ²

¹ Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

² PhD Student of Arabic Language and Literature, shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

10.22034/icwj.2026.598543.1073

Abstract

Semiotics, as a new approach in the humanities, focuses on identifying hidden signs and connotations in the text, allowing access to deeper layers of meaning. Among the scholars in this field, Michael Riffaterre, by presenting a dual reading model (heuristic and semiotic) and the four elements of accumulation, descriptive systems, hypograms, and matrices, has provided a systematic tool for discovering hidden semantic networks in texts. By going beyond superficial and referential meaning, this model penetrates the depth of the text and reveals secondary connotations and the central core of meaning. The present study, using a descriptive-analytical method, has analyzed six of the key political sermons of Nahj al-Balagha (7, 13, 34, 35, 36, and 39) based on this model. The results show that the heuristic reading presents a superficial picture of the linguistic signs in the sermons, while the semiotic reading seeks their fundamental roots in the two key concepts of "egoism" and "collective ignorance."

Keywords

Semiotics

Riffaterre

Nahj al-Balagha

Political Sermons

Subjects