An Analysis of the Structure o Surah Ash-ShamsBased on John Searle's Speech Act Theory

The application of linguistic topics in the study of religious texts including the Holy Qur’an contribute to a systematic reading of them. The pragmatics of language is one of the subfields of linguistics, which is reflected in approaches such as speech act theory. Considering the centrality of purgation in Surah Ash-Shams that depicts the desired value system, the present descriptive-analytical study seeks to identify the different types of speech acts in Surah Ash-Shams and what the results of analyzing these actions and the relationships between them are. The retrieval of speech acts in some of the existing utterances indicates the three-part structure of Surah Ash-Shams. The main message of the surah defines a new value system in the form of declarative act. The commitment act in the form of oaths, which go from the obvious and the tangible to the unseen and the intangible, provides reassurance and an expression of the importance of the subject to speech-seekers. In fact, the speaker of the discourse intends to lead the audience to the action he wants and to adopt a favorable position that is depicted in the face of an unfavorable one through the oaths he mentions. The commitment made in these utterances means that if speech-seekers choose one of the two paths announced in the ninth and tenth ayahs (as the answer to the oath), surely they will be lead to that fate and destiny. In the final ayah, و لا یخاف عقباها"" the realization of the punishment in the form of the declarative act is emphasized.