Analysis of the Textual Coherence in Nahj-Al-Balagheh Based on Halliday and Hassan Model: A Case Study of Ashbah Sermon

One of the main arguments between the proponents and the opponents of religious books has been the lack of coherence and semantic connection in these books. After Holy Quran, Nahj-Al-Balaghe is the most important book of Muslims (Esp. Shia). Hence, the present paper aims to investigate one of the famous sermons of Nahj-Al-Balaghe. Coherence is the semantic connection in a text or spoken language that creates a connection between the author or speaker with the reader or listener. Coherence includes the structural and lexical relationships of a text. The present study uses the text coherence model of Michael Halliday and Roghayeh Hassan (1985) to examine the textual coherence of one of the famous sermons of Nahj-Al-Balagheh. So, for this purpose, Ashbah Sermon was selected and the factors of text coherence were evaluated using the Halliday and Hassan model. Finally, the obtained results revealed that this sermon despite being short has a strong and significant coherence. The results of the present study can be beneficial to scholars, students, professors, and all who are interested in Islamic Studies, religion as well as political science and its links to Islamic thoughts. Similar studies can also be conducted on other Islamic texts paramount among Muslim scholars and political analysts. To put it another way, this study can attract the attention of a large number of stakeholders and practitioners focusing on political science and religious studies as it considers the significance and the prominent role of Nahj-Al-Balagheh in Islamic philosophy in today's world.

Analysis of the Textual Coherence in Nahj-Al-Balagheh Based on Halliday and Hassan Model: A Case Study of Ashbah Sermon Keywords:

Ashbah Sermon , coherence , lexical Coherence , Structural Coherence , Halliday and Hassan model