Critical Discourse Analysis of Maʿārif by Bahāʾ al-Walad Using Norman Fairclough's Approach

Abstract

The book Maʿārif by Bahāʾ al-Walad, as a prominent mystical work, possesses distinctive structural and content-related features that set it apart from other similar texts due to its specific literary genre. This work, employing the language and rhetorical style of religious preachers, expounds upon intellectual, theological, and mystical doctrines, and in doing so, maintains a profound connection with Qur'anic teachings and the Islamic law of Muhammad. In the critical discourse analysis of this work using Norman Fairclough’s approach—at the three levels of analysis (description, interpretation, and explanation)—various layers of language and power in the text can be examined. The main objective of this research is to conduct a critical discourse analysis of Maʿārif by Bahāʾ al-Walad through the lens of Norman Fairclough's framework. The research method employed in this study is descriptive–analytical. The results of the analysis indicated that the critical discourse analysis of Maʿārif using Fairclough's model demonstrates that this mystical text not only conveys religious and mystical teachings but also interacts with the sociocultural and ideological contexts of its time. Bahāʾ al-Walad, by employing a distinctive language and a discourse rooted in spiritual and divine authority, forges a deep connection between mysticism and Islamic law. At the descriptive level, the use of religious and mystical vocabulary and terminology, emphasis on the definitiveness of verb forms, and the influence of Ashʿarite theology in his expression are evident. At the interpretive level, the relationship between the text and the historical-cultural context of the period is analyzed, reflecting the intellectual and social perspectives of the era. Finally, at the explanatory level, Bahāʾ al-Walad’s discourse is introduced as a social practice shaped by spiritual and ideological power, emphasizing individual spirituality and the Islamic identity of the community.