Genealogy of Words “تحسس” and “تجسس” in the Holy Quran

Words “تحسس” and “تجسس” are among those quranic words which in addition to formal similarity, are semantically equivalent as well. While in the Holy Quran, one is used imperatively; “O my sons, go and find out about Joseph and his brother and despair not of relief of Allah” (Surat Yusuf: 87) and the other in prohibitive form “avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other” (Al-Hujraat, 12), this question can be raised that whether these two words are synonymous or different semantically? The present study is to investigate and compare these two quranic words using the descriptive-analytical method and semantic approach. Therefore, by investigating the genealogy of these two words and investigating the hypertext, collocations, register, and contexts of quranic verses, the semantic layers hidden in these two words can be explained and finally, their distinction can be found out. Findings of the present research indicate that in case of “تحسس”, a human achieve a general information about news which he want to follow up and then, he pursues it to sensually ensure, while in case of “تجسس”, he knows nothing of the news and via senses and assumptions, he tries to achieve the news. The genealogy of these two words can draw the pragmatic function of them and these functions is the expression of “تحسس” in imperative and “تجسس” in prohibitive forms in the Holy Quran.