The Semantics of Zeal in Nahj al-Balaghah
Subject Areas : Quarterly Sabzevaran Fadak
fateme alaee rahmani
1
,
maryam noori
2
1 - Associate Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Al-Zahra University, Tehran
2 - Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Faith, Nahj al-Balaghah, Disbelief, zeal, semantics,
Abstract :
Zeal (qhayrah) is an inner human trait, which according to the narrations, especially the hadiths narrated from Imam Ali (as), can be considered one of the highest human virtues. In this article, the semantic components of zeal in Nahj al-Balaghah have been studiedwith the approach of syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations. In Nahj al-Balaghah, zeal has a syntagmatic relation with words such as faith (iman), disbelief (kufr), and chastity (iffat), and has a paradigmatic relationwith the words jealousy and prejudice. According to the teachings of Nahj al-Balaghah, zeal is a moral virtue inmen, which has components such as courage, justice, certainty and patience. The zealou man, in anappropriate position, far from extremism and observing the limits of moderation and justice, I zealou for his wife, family and homeland. When he acquires knowledge that the ground for sin or danger is prepared, defends their existance by observing the side of truth, and rises to jihad. This trait is considered vice in women includes components like quarrel, pointless curiosity, enmity and deviation from accepting right and justice. Based on syntactic relations between zeal and chastity, a zealous person is chaste and has virtues like piety, ijtihad and sadad in word and deed. Prejudice and jealousy are the literal equivalents of zeal that can replace this concept in syntagmatic relation, but zeal is at a higher level than jealousy and prejudice.
