Phonological Analysis in <i>Al-sahifa Al-Sajjādiyya</i> ( <i>Fī Al-isteāde</i> Supplication)

Abstract

Implication, taken from the root “implicate”, means directing; like the implication of smoke for fire. The denotative meaning of implication is: forming a meaning in mind by imagining the word. Word visualizetion in the human’s mind is done through different means such as: structure of the word, role of the word in the clause, use of the dictionary, style and manner of pronouncing a word, and phonemes in a word. The present study tries to analyze” Fī Al-isteāde Supplication “from Al-sahifa Al-Sajjādiyya based on the trends of phonology. Also, it tries to show the role of phonemes, having been used in Al-sahifa Al-Sajjādiyya , in communicating the message to the reader. In this article, the fact that the interrelatedness of form and content is obviously seen in all the supplications of Al-sahifa Al-Sajjādiyya is unraveled. The most important finding of this research is that all the phonemes employed in Al-sahifa are used as they are appropriate to the context. When Imām Sajjād is talking about God’s mercy, he uses soft and delicate sounds but when he is talking about heavenly retribution, he uses harsh and bitter sounds in a manner that one cannot replace one with another. The sounds have such an effect on the text that we can appreciate their meanings by merely listening to them.