Reworking the Meaning of “Tabe’a” (Obedience) in the Holy Quran Based on Paradigmatic Relations

Exploring the significance of synonymy is among the main objects of semantic studies in Holy Quran to show the varieties in their signification and semantic networks. One such word is “Tabe’a” (obedience) which is synonymous with “At’a” (obey), “Eqtadi” (follow), “Estejab” (abide), etc. Nonetheless, these words are different stylistically, a phenomenon clearly evident in Qur’anic verses. The present study focuses on the word “Tabe’a” and its derivatives to investigate its meaning in the lexical network of Holy Quran with respect to the words in the same lexical field, including synonyms, antonyms, and collocations in the paradigmatic axis, so that its signification could be substantiated within the lexicon network of Holy Quran. The word and its derivatives have been used in more than 170 verses in Quran. It is collocated with such words as  “Allah” (God), “Rasoul” (The Messenger), “Ol-ol-Amr” (Responsible), “Taqva” (Piety), , “Hedayat” (Guidance), “Osyan” (Disobedience), illustrating that obedience follows internal and external structures and has been used for both guidance and deviation, along with linguistic, practical, and mental forms. With regards to the verses, true obeisance is not merely bound to mental and linguistic aspects of the word, but requires to be practically implemented as well, manifested in full obedience of God’s, the Holy Prophet’s (pbuh), Ulu l-Amr’s, and just leaders’ orders.