The Application of Metaphorical Structures of “Love” Concept in the Nahj Al-Balagheh Based on Likaff and Johnson’s Theory [In Persian]

From a cognitive linguistics viewpoint, metaphor not only is a linguistic process but also is connected with human thought and we can be aware of the speaker's method of thought with it. The main cognitive application of metaphor is to provide an understanding of an abstract concept through a more tangible concept. Then it plays a significant role in the determination of mystical concepts. One of the main and fundamental issues in religious literature is the concept of "Love" due to its abstractness, it is expressed generally at the framework of conceptual metaphor.  Imam Ali has used this art structure in Nahj Al-Balagheh as a tool to understand abstract concepts. Therefore, in the current study, those metaphorical statements containing the concept of "Love" are extracted from Nahj Al-Balagheh's speeches adapting a quality approach and analytical-descriptive method and they were analyzed and studied based on cognitive metaphorical theory. The conceptual metaphor has been categorized from different aspects. Metaphors in the first category are studied from the role viewpoint (structural, ontological, and orientational), and in the second category from the nature viewpoint (propositional, pictorial-schematic, and pictorial). According to the results of this study, Imam Ali made the abstract concept of "love" understandable for the audiences at the cognitive metaphorical framework, schema, and tangible and objective areas of destination. In structural metaphors, he depicted the concept of "love" using "Hijab", "Disease", "Commodity", and "Object' as the areas of origin for the audiences. The ontological metaphors play an important role in the description of the "love" concept and the sentences implied it. He tried to stabilize its meaning in the mind of the audience by objectification to abstract concepts, sometimes using description and animatism. He used the volumetric schema for conceptualization of the "love" and introduced the love of God internalized in the angels' beings as the cup of love. On the other place imagined the concept of "guidance" as a place where its doors are open for the entrance of lovers and the people should use this opportunity, to enter the atmosphere of divine mercy, and be on the way of guidance before the door is closed. Imam Ali at a motion schema used the motion that is an inevitable and objective behavior of every person to do daily affairs to describe the concept of "love". In such a way, using "God" visualization at a place framework, encouraged the God lovers to step and move toward the path of salvation through jihad and fighting which is a means to reach the true god.