Abstract

Statement of the Problem and Objective: Discourse analysis is a contemporary approach in linguistics and literary criticism (in Persian often termed sokhan-kāvī or taḥlīl-e kalām) that does not confine itself to lexical items as the sole means of explicating textual meaning; rather, it integrates extra-textual factors, notably the context of situation. In literary discourse analysis, textual structures are examined in conjunction with their situational context, and interpretation outside this context is considered inadequate. Applying discourse analysis to Qur’anic passages reveals how literary devices interact with context to generate coherence between textual form and situational demands, thereby deepening comprehension of latent semantic layers and the speaker’s intent. Concepts proximate to “context of situation” in the Islamic scholarly tradition include siyāq (co-text/context), qarīnah (contextual cue/indicator), and moqtazā-ye hāl (exigencies of the circumstance). In Qur’anic studies, these map onto siyāq-e maqāmī (situational/external context) and qarāʾin-e mottaṣil-e ghayr-lafẓī (connected non-verbal indicators), encompassing the circumstances of revelation, the characteristics of speaker and audience, and the occasion of utterance. The Qur’an’s eloquence—long recognized for its multiple dimensions of iʿjāz (miraculousness)—lies in tailoring expression to context and marshalling linguistic resources to convey divine intent with precision. Yet many studies have focused chiefly on traditional rhetoric while underexamining the systematic relation between linguistic structure and situational context. Surah al-Dukhān, a Meccan chapter revealed amid the specific social, political, and cultural conditions of the ninth and tenth years of the Prophetic mission, exhibits a distinctive textual configuration in its verses on the Hereafter (al-Maʿād). This configuration amplifies the message’s persuasive force. The present study analyzes these verses to elucidate the interplay between textual context and context of situation.
Methodology: Using a descriptive–analytical design and drawing on documentary and library sources, this study examines the Hereafter verses of Surah al-Dukhān through the lens of literary discourse analysis. Building on Islamic scholarly treatments of situational context in the Qur’an, it analyzes both the textual context and the context of situation and uncovers their interrelations, with the aim of demonstrating how their harmony and cohesion enhance message transmission to the audience.
Discussion and Analysis: Surah al-Dukhān was revealed during the Prophet’s public proclamation, in a milieu where the Meccan polytheists, having rejected the Qur’an’s revelatory message, adopted an antagonistic posture. They not only refused belief themselves but also impeded dissemination of the divine message. Reports from the closing years of the Prophet’s mission attest to heightened insolence, mockery, and disrespect toward the Prophet (pbuh), alongside denial of the Hereafter and skepticism about the Qur’an’s divine origin. Within this situational context, the Hereafter verses speak with clarity about life after death, the primacy of the otherworldly life, human immortality, and they vividly depict scenes of Resurrection. At the level of textual structure—following a three-tier model (phonological/phonetic, syntactic, semantic)—a tight fit between text and situation emerges. Phonologically, the Qur’an exploits verse-endings (fawāṣil), letter qualities (ṣifāt al-ḥurūf), and patterned repetition of sounds and words to draw attention and arouse affect. Syntactically, extensive use of emphatic constructions and a calibrated mix of declaratives and performatives (injunctive/optative forms) serve the communicative aims of proving resurrection, reproaching opponents, and refuting their claims, doubts, and denials—features that mirror an audience disposed to reject the Hereafter. Semantically, through imagery (simile), figurative transfer (metonymy/synecdoche, majāz), and contrast (taḍādd), the text renders punishments and blessings of the afterlife with concreteness and rhetorical economy, immersing the audience while conveying maximal meaning with minimal wording.
Findings: The findings show that the denial of the Hereafter and opposition of the Meccan polytheists constituted a decisive situational backdrop shaping the surah’s divine discourse. In Surah al-Dukhān, God mobilizes the Qur’an’s linguistic and rhetorical resources to substantiate the epistemic foundations of the Hereafter, while issuing stern warnings of worldly and otherworldly consequences for obstinacy, enmity, and persistent denial. The surah delineates the ultimate destinies of deniers and the pious in the afterlife. Analyzing the systematic correlation between textual context and context of situation clarifies the surah’s overarching communicative objective: to transform and rectify beliefs regarding the Hereafter and to admonish hostile polytheists about the grave consequences of doubting and denying resurrection.