The Grammatical Structure of Certainty in Nahj al-Balagha

Abstract

This research represents an attempt to analyze the grammatical structures that frame the epistemology of certainty in Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) Nahj al-Balagha, using a descriptive approach that describes the grammatical phenomenon after surveying its grammatical examples in Nahj al-Balagha to reach the addressees with a precise grammatical construction. The reason for choosing this topic is that it constitutes a valuable subject offering a grammatical analysis of the syntactic structure that carries a general intellectual image of certainty in Nahj al-Balagha. There are no previous grammatical studies specialized in this topic, as prior grammatical studies on Nahj al-Balagha did not link grammatical structure with epistemic certainty. Its importance lies in connecting grammar with epistemic certainty, as precise awareness of reality influences the production of clear and uncomplicated structures that harmonize the intuition of meaning with the smoothness of construction. This topic requires the researcher to survey grammatical structures indicating certainty, excluding those that may indicate conjecture or doubt. The research journey consists of an introduction to the concept of certainty in language and terminology. The first section opens with nominal grammatical structures focusing on fixed truths, supported by an analysis of examples from Nahj al-Balagha. This is followed by the second section, which specializes in verbal grammatical structures and their patterns in Nahj al-Balagha, focusing on grammatical constructions with intellectual content that lead actions to certainty. The research concludes with findings revealed by the researcher through examining the texts under the lens of grammatical analysis.