A Linguistic Study of Ontological Metaphors of Divine Punishment and Their Implications in the Holy Qur’an: Based on Olaf Jäkel’s Approach in Cognitive Linguistics

Document Type : Research Article

Author

أستاذ مشارك في قسم اللّغة العربية وآدابها بجامعة ولايت، إيرانشهر، إيران

10.22034/dqm.2025.19402.1114

Abstract

Historical studies on metaphor have often remained confined to linguistic aspects. Traditionally, metaphor was viewed primarily from aesthetic and linguistic perspectives, which led to the neglect of many of its deeper implications. This perspective persisted for centuries and has been reformulated in modern times through the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). This theory has reshaped the understanding of metaphor by anchoring it in cognition and thought, arguing that linguistic metaphors are merely the surface manifestations of underlying conceptual metaphors—which are products of mental processes. According to this theory, a text's author conveys their worldview and conceptual understanding through metaphors. By studying the metaphorical system used by speakers of a language, one can gain insight into their cognitive framework. From this perspective, analyzing conceptual metaphors in the Holy Qur’an reveals its unique worldview and conceptual approach. One significant category of conceptual metaphors is ontological metaphors, where abstract concepts are understood through the physical world or human actions. In this context, the concept of divine punishment, an abstract notion in the Qur’an, is expressed through various metaphorical representations. This study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine ontological metaphors of divine punishment in the Qur’an, drawing on Olaf Jäkel’s principles of cognitive metaphor theory. The findings indicate that to elucidate the concept of punishment, the Qur’an renders its intended meanings tangible and comprehensible for the audience by employing diverse metaphorical domains, including phenomenological or material metaphors, container metaphors, and personification metaphors.

Keywords

References

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Contemporary Quranic Studies
Volume 3, Issue 10
March 2025
Pages 144-167

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