Studying the Guiding Strategy in Imam Ali’s discourse (A Case study of the Letter Sent by Imam Ali to Othman Ibne Hunayf)

Using various language strategies and tools to present an effective discourse is a great advantage that eloquent should be aware of to achieve the main goal which is communication, and in turn its impact on the audience. The pragmatic competence of the speaker in determining the special mechanisms and tools of any strategy guarantees the achievement action of the receiver. This article aims to investigate the guidance strategy in the letter of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to Uthman bin Hunayf, his agent in Basra, by using the pragmatic method. The result of the research shows that Amir al-Mu'minin Ali, peace be upon him, as a unique orator in the social political history of Islam, using various discourse strategies, including the guidance strategy, made the thoughts of the audience dynamic in their real world or in the world of the mind. The diversity of guidance mechanisms such as indirect dynamic verbs, reprimanding and warning sentences and interrogative consecutive sentences, moreover the harmony caused by words and rhythm play a big role in the process of persuading the audience. The use of speech act with more frequency shows the dominance of the respect strategy, followed by the questioning mechanism means challenging the audience's mind to find a logical answer and persuading him through inference. The first part of the letter is reprimanding, but after that, it takes on the color of guidance until the end of the letter.