A Study on “Science” in Nahj al-Balaghah from the Perspective of Lexical Opposition and Synonymy

One of the ways to achieve the main meaning and intention of the narrator of a text is the analysis of its words from a semantic point of view. Semantics is one of the approaches dealing with language and can be used to find a reliable relation between language, outside experiences, thoughts, and social experiences. Understanding the meaning of a word requires the use of various semantic methods through which it is possible to accurately describe the meaning of that word .In the conceptual system of Nahj al-Balaghah, “science” is used as one of the key words. The present research has studied the meaning of science in Nahj al-Balaghah from the perspective of reciprocal and semantic relations in order to gain a more accurate and deeper understanding of the meaning of this word. The result of this research shows that Imam Ali uses words such as “ignorance,” “conjecture,” and “whimsy” in semantic opposition to science, and words such as “contemplation,” “thinking,” and “reasoning” in a relation of lexical synonymy with science; thus the meaning of science is extracted. This, in addition to having a great impact on aesthetics in explaining concepts and clarifying meanings, has also led to the development of the semantic system of that era, which is due to the eloquence and rhetoric of these texts. The way these words replace science indicates the breadth of the semantic domain of “science” in Nahj al-Balaghah; on the one hand, there are the owners and possessors of knowledge who, with correct understanding and knowledge, reach certainty and heartfelt assurance and are guided to the right path. On the other hand, there are people who do not know the truth and are confused and misled by suspicion, doubt and ignorance. The difference between these two groups of human beings depends on the epistemelogical meaning that is understood from science.