A Reflection on The Moral Virtues And Vices Described in Nahj al-Balāghah in The Light of Image Schemas

Document Type : Scientific Research

Authors
Arefeh Davoodi 1
fathiyeh fattahizadeh 2
Hayat Ameri 3
1 Ph.D Candidate of Quranic Science and Hadith, Alzahra University, Department of Quranic Studies and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies,Alzahra University/ Tehran, Iran
2 Professor, Department Of Quranic Science and Hadith, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate professor in linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.48311/lrr.2025.7103
Abstract
This study aims to explore the similarities and differences between moral virtues and vices in Nahj al-Balāghah with respect to conceptual metonymy, grounded in the image schema model proposed by Evans and Green. Research data were obtained from library sources and software assisted tools. To analyze the data, moral teachings were first selected on the basis of image schemas and subsequently examined. Accordingly, piety, perseverance, and expenditure were identified as the conceptual domains of moral virtues, whereas love of the world, greed, and envy were designated as moral vices. Owing to certain limitations of the article, two criteria governed the selection of these concepts: the high frequency of the selected moral virtues in Nahj al-Balāghah, and the contrast of the selected moral vices with the chosen moral virtues. Moreover, the cognitive semantics of moral virtues and vices as discussed in the sermons and ḥikam were examined and compared within the theoretical framework of image schemas. The number of schemas in each sample was determined, and the results were clarified according to frequency. The findings indicate that, in comparison with other schema types, force schemas exhibit the highest percentage frequency among both virtues and vices, followed by balance schemas in second position. The similarity between virtues and vices in their deployment of various image schemas in Nahj al-Balāghah sheds light on the humble and intellectual character of Imam Ali(a). Their principal difference, however, resides in the manner in which subsets of the general schema categories are employed.
Keywords
cognitive semantics
image schemas
Nahj al-Balāghah
moral virtues
moral vices
Subjects
Nahj al-Balāghah
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