Document Type : Original Research Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran. m.kaab@cfu.ac.ir
3
PhD student in Arabic Language and Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
10.22034/icwj.2026.599549.1081
Abstract
Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action emphasizes the role of linguistic communication in establishing mutual understanding, shaping the relationship between speaker and audience, and achieving rational consensus. From this perspective, language is regarded not merely as a tool for conveying messages but as a mechanism for shaping social action. The sermons of Imam Hussain also possess a distinctive communicative and social capacity, in that their discourse, while conveying meaning and expressing a stance, invites the audience to awareness, evaluation of the situation, and adopting a position toward social and ethical issues, thus aligning with the communicative components of Habermas's theory. The present study aims to analyze the patterns of communicative action in the sermons of Imam Hussain based on Jurgen Habermas's theory, employing a descriptive-analytical method. The findings indicate that communicative actions in these sermons operate across three interrelated levels: speech, performative, and normative, extending from the expression of stance and revelation of the speaker's subjective state to references to collective values and norms. Furthermore, the relationship between speaker and audience is based on a gradual process that moves the audience from encountering a problem and becoming aware of the situation to evaluation, choice, and acceptance of social responsibility. Within this framework, religious values are transferred from the level of belief to the realm of behavior and social responsibility within the structure of the sermons, and the language of oratory, by playing a norm-building role, establishes a connection between religious belief, individual positioning, and social action.
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