Requesting Acts in the Sermons of Imam al-Hasan (p.b.u.h)

A Pragmatic Study in Light of Speech Act Theory among the Arabs

Abstract

This research, "Imperative Verbs in the Sermons of Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him): A Pragmatic Study in Light of Speech Act Theory among the Arabs," seeks to uncover the pragmatic functions and performative meanings of imperative verbs in his sermons, and to demonstrate their ability to achieve communication and influence the recipient according to context and situation.

The research begins with the concept of pragmatics as the study of language use in its communicative context, and with speech act theory, which views utterance as an act linked to the speaker's intention and its effect on the listener. The researcher adopted the pragmatic approach in analyzing selected sermons from Imam al-Hasan's (peace be upon him) speeches, focusing on imperative verbs and their direct and situationally implied performative forces.

The research is divided into four sections that address: the imperative speech verb, the vocative speech verb, the interrogative speech verb, and the supplicatory speech verb, analyzing their forms, contexts, and intended purposes. The study revealed the diverse meanings conveyed by these verbs, including: advice and guidance, social direction, calling to piety, encouragement and warning, argumentation, insinuation, admonition, emphasis, supplication, complaint, rebuke, investigation, and entreaty. The researcher concluded that the imperative verbs in Imam al-Hasan's sermons (peace be upon him) are not limited to their direct syntactic meaning, but rather extend to multiple pragmatic functions determined by the context and situation. These verbs contributed to constructing an effective argumentative discourse based on the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah, aiming to guide the recipient and change their behavioral and intellectual stance.