Stylistics Studies of the Holy Quran

Stylistics Studies of the Holy Quran

Representation of the discursive confrontation between Hezbollah and the Party of Satan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD in Arabic Language and Literature, Lorestan University, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Khorramabad, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/sshq.2026.582738.1637
Abstract
The confrontation between the front of faith and the front of disbelief constitutes one of the central semantic structures of Sūrat al-Anfāl, represented through the boundary-making between *Ḥizb Allāh* (the Party of God) and *Ḥizb al-Shayṭān* (the Party of Satan). The main question of this study is how this sūrah, through discursive mechanisms, reproduces the identity of the believers and differentiates it from the “Other.” Drawing upon Laclau and l-Anfāl. The findings indicate that the sūrah articulates elements such as faith, obedience to the Prophet, jihad, patience, and divine support within a chain of equivalence, thereby consolidating the identity of *Ḥizb Allāh*. Conversely, elements such as disbelief, hypocrisy, satanic temptation, and treachery are positioned on the opposing side, forming the identity of *Ḥizb al-Shayṭān*. In this framework, othering functions as the primary discursive mechanism that stabilizes the boundary between the “self” and the “.” Through processes of foregrounding, positive attributes are ascribed to the believers’ camp, while negative attributes are assigned to the opposing camp. Furthermore, the narrative of the Battle of Badr and the representation of the Prophet’s small group of companions as divinely supported acquires a mythic function. This is because the narrative transforms a historical event into an identity-forming model that reinforces the discourse of *Ḥizb Allāh* in opposition to *Ḥizb al-Shayṭān*. Accordingly, Sūrat al-Anfāl can be understood as a text that, through discursive mechanisms, constructs and stabilizes an
Keywords
Subjects


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 August 2026

  • Receive Date 23 May 2026
  • Revise Date 03 August 2026
  • Accept Date 05 August 2026
  • Publish Date 05 August 2026