Ghazali's Methods of Communicating His Intended Meaning in His " Nasihat-ol-Mouluk"

“Nasihat-ol-Molouk”, by Imam Mohammad Ghazali, is a book written, in clear and simple prose, on practical wisdom in religion, and intended for providing guidance for kings and courtiers. Ghazali adopts certain powerful linguistic structures to express his ideas and thoughts, while sustaining its clarity and simplicity, making it into a discursive text in Persian literature. The present study explores stylistic features of Nasihatol-Molouk in relation to its intra-textual ideological elements to show how linguistic structures serve to convey ideologies to readers. Results of the study implied that Ghazali’s mystical attitude, derived from the unity of Sharia and Sufism, influences his recourse to certain linguistic structures. Recurrent use of Koranic verses, Hadith, and sayings, and frequent references to anecdotes show how ideological thoughts drive the text. Moreover, the study proved that literary figures such as metaphor and allegory are used by the author in the service of dominant ideology.