The Linguistic Analysis of the Final Verses of Surah al-Ḥamd with Special Emphasis on the Qur'anic Metaphor "Religious Life as a Journey"

The Holy Qur'an has repeatedly used metaphors made from concepts that are related to the institution of transportation and its components in the context of revelation. The main example of these kinds of metaphors occurs in the final verses of Surah al-Ḥamd, in which the religious life of human beings is considered as a movement or travel. Providing a linguistic analysis, the present research is an attempt to (A) study the metaphors of Q. ۱:۶-۷, and (B) reinterpret the Qur'anic concepts based upon Semitic etymology. This study shows that the Qur'anic phrase "al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm" refers to the paved way with intermediate stops, which, as a result, make it easy for travelers to navigate. Moreover, this study reveals that contrary to the prevalent exegetical views, the last verse of Surah al-Ḥamd refers to the three different types of travelers on the path of guidance metaphorically.

Keywords:

The Language of Qur'an , Qur'anic Metaphors , Etymology , Semitic linguistics , al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm