A Historical, Descriptive and Cognitive Semantic Evaluation of the Phrase ‘Mītẖāqā Gẖalīẓā’ in the Holy Qur’an

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Department of Theology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

2 Attar Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran

10.22081/ttais.2025.70394.1045

Abstract

The semantic analysis of Qur’anic vocabulary has emerged as a significant area of study in recent years. In the Holy Qur’an, God specifically uses the phrase mītẖāqā gẖalīẓā (a firm covenant) to describe the marriage agreement, warranting a semantic investigation to understand the reasoning behind this choice. This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore why this phrase was selected for the marriage covenant. It employs historical, descriptive, and cognitive analyses of the phrase. The term mītẖāqā gẖalīẓā appears three times in the Qur’an: first, in reference to God’s covenant with the prophets (Al-Ahzab: 7); second, regarding God’s covenant with the people of Israel (An-Nisaa’: 154); and third, in the context of marriage (An-Nisaa’: 21). Through historical semantics, the study traces the semantic evolution of mītẖāq. Using descriptive semantics, it analyzes the phrase contextually and examines its paradigmatic and syntagmatic dimensions to uncover its semantic features and components. Furthermore, by applying the principle of authenticity of Qur’anic terms within cognitive semantics, the study concludes that no synonym or alternative phrase adequately conveys the profound semantic depth and layers of mītẖāqā in the given contexts.

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Main Subjects

©2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.

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International Journal of Textual and Translation Analysis in Islamic Studies
Volume 2, Issue 2 - Serial Number 6
April 2024
Pages 119-137

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History

  • Receive Date: 25 November 2023
  • Revise Date: 21 December 2023
  • Accept Date: 04 February 2024
  • Publish Date: 01 April 2024

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