"The 'Rāsikhūn fī al-ʿIlm' as Discursive Intervention: A Semantic-Structural and Communicative-Functional Analysis of Khutbat al-Ashbāḥ"

Document Type : علمیه تحقیقیه

Authors

1 PhD student in Quran and Hadith Sciences, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University

2 A member of the faculty of Ardabil Islamic Azad University

3 A member of the academic staff of Ardabil Islamic Azad University

10.22034/uh.2025.51602.3611

Abstract

The concept of "al-Rāsikhūn fī al-ʿIlm" (those firmly grounded in knowledge) constitutes one of the most pivotal epistemological notions in the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balāgha. The definition presented in Khutbat al-Ashbāḥ—which paradoxically links the pinnacle of knowledge (rusūkh) to "acknowledging incapacity"—has posed a profound exegetical challenge. The core issue of this study is to analyze the linguistic and communicative strategy underlying this seemingly paradoxical formulation. Employing a hybrid methodology of network semantics (to deconstruct semantic structures) and context-driven semantics (to examine communicative functions), this research demonstrates: 1- Structural Reconfiguration: A fundamental reorganization of the epistemic network, where rusūkh is redefined as "steadfastness in knowledge that recognizes its own limits." 2- Functional Intervention: This definition operates as a discursive intervention—a response to a misconceived question—serving as a tool for "disciplining the intellect" by inverting epistemic values (valorizing "incapacity"). 3- Pedagogical Objective: The Imām’s formulation transitions the audience’s framework from "seeking direct access to the unseen" to cultivating "conscious surrender" as the highest epistemic virtue. The study concludes that Imām ʿAlī’s (ʿa) discourse in Khutbat al-Ashbāḥ is not merely a doctrinal assertion but a transformative pedagogical strategy to establish "wisdom of boundaries" as the supreme epistemological ideal.

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Ulum-i Hadith

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 July 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 11 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 15 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 28 July 2025

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