Analysis of the Concept of Crisis in Quranic Discourse

"Social crisis" is a modern concept developed in contemporary literature of social sciences, for which no exact equivalent can be found in the Holy Quran. Therefore, in order to achieve its Quranic definition, we looked for and analyzed the Quranic words that are equivalent and relevant to the concept of crisis. The Quranic equivalents were chosen based on two criteria: common semantic area and similar exterior examples. This approach is a kind of Izutsuian meaning in order to understand the concepts of the Holy Quran. Twelve words were extracted which were explained in a conceptual analysis, compared with the conventional meaning of social crisis and explained in four-fold logical relations. The analysis showed that social crisis is not desirable; therefore, passive confrontation with it is not acceptable. In a dynamic and active perspective, social crisis in nature is a creation of human society and a divine tradition; crisis is regarded as a definite test which is not unexpected. Believers regard dealing with crisis as an opportunity to grow. Crisis is a two-fold concept, which means both opportunity and threat. The Quranic management of social crisis is a proactive approach.