Structural analysis of al-Tahakkom in the sermons of Nahj al-Balagha

Mockery or irony (al-Tahakkom) has always been one of the most common literary styles in order to punish or to awake the addressee. al-Tahakkom in its original definition refers to the art of using one verb instead of another with the purpose of insulting, humiliating or punishing the addressee. The use of eulogy instead of criticism is a common example for this kind of figures of speech. Such rhetorical expression has always been important for scholars in both semantics and rhetoric. In this regard, al-Tahakkom has been used in many sermons of Nahj al-Balagha which points out to the importance of this structure form the viewpoint of Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH). The present article intends to extract various types of Mockery (al-Tahakkom) in the sermons of Nahj al-Balagha and analyze them with the purpose of classifying them in different categories. Most examples of al-Tahakkom in Nahj al-Balagha are situated in the area of semantics, in comparison with rhetoric, and appear in the forms of predicative sentences which include secondary purposes. And finally the paper concluded that this structure has been used by Imam Ali (A.S) in most sermons of Nahj al-Balagha for informing and awakening of his friends and companions, and only in special and rare cases this method has been used for humiliation or insult.