Stylistics Studies of the Holy Quran

Stylistics Studies of the Holy Quran

Cognitive Stylistics of the Qur’anicDay of Resurrection

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/sshq.2026.579310.1631
Abstract
Abstract: The concept of the Resurrection is one of the most fundamental teachings of the Qur’an, and the remarkable diversity of its names is among the most distinctive linguistic and rhetorical features of the text. Each of these names highlights a particular aspect of the multilayered reality of the Afterlife and constructs its imagery in the mind of the audience through specific cognitive mechanisms. This study employs a cognitive-stylistic approach to analyze the Qur’anic names for the Day of Resurrection and aims to show how these names, through the activation of image schemas, conceptual metaphors, mental spaces, and semantic networks, create an intricate and impactful representation of the Day of Judgment. The research method is descriptive–analytical, and the data consist of all names of the Resurrection found throughout the Qur’an. The analysis is based on six cognitive components: image schemas, conceptual metaphors, phonological foregrounding, mental spaces, highlighting, and semantic prominence. The findings show that the names of the Resurrection are not a set of mere synonyms but a conceptual system that activates three major cognitive domains: the domain of “sudden and overwhelming event” (al-Qāriʿa, al-Ḥāqqa, al-Ṣākhkha), the domain of “court and judgment” (Yawm al-Dīn, Yawm al-Ḥisāb, Yawm al-Faṣl), and the domain of “cosmic transformation and collapse” (al-Ṭāmma, al-Wāqiʿa). These cognitive patterns, through lexical rhythm, phonological structures, and semantic networks, generate diverse yet complementary perceptions of the Resurrection in the audience’s mind. T
Keywords
Subjects


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 July 2026

  • Receive Date 22 April 2026
  • Revise Date 24 July 2026
  • Accept Date 24 July 2026
  • Publish Date 24 July 2026