A Strategic Analysis of Verbal Politeness Mechanisms in the Fifteen Supplications of Imam Sajjad (AS): An Approach to Ahl al-Bayt Epistemological Insights

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

Abstract

Prayer, as one of the most prominent linguistic and spiritual acts in human-divine communication, possesses distinctive linguistic and theological structures. This qualitative, corpus-based research analyzes the discursive strategies in the English translation of Imam al-Sajjād's fifteen supplications (munājāt). Findings reveal that the most frequent discursive strategy in these supplications is the indirect strategy (encompassing request and allusion), deeply rooted in the theological and spiritual structures of devotional prayers. This approach, employed to preserve decorum and reverence in verbal discourse with the Divine, demonstrates the humility and spiritual depth of Imam al-Sajjād as the author of these supplications. Such a characteristic not only facilitates the deepening of spiritual and theological communication with God but also creates a respectful interpretive space within these texts. An examination of the English translation indicates that the translator, by adhering to the original Arabic text's theological structure and precisely conveying the embedded politeness and spirituality, successfully reflects a nuanced representation of Ahl al-Bayt theological insights in the English language. This research contributes to elucidating the theological dimensions of Imam al-Sajjād's supplications and their role in disseminating Shi'i theological knowledge on the international stage.

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References

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