COGNITIVE METAPHOR IN QURANIC NARRATIVE: AN ANALYSIS OF FEAR REPRESENTATIONS IN THE STORY OF MOSES (PEACE BE UPON HIM) IN LIGHT OF COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the cognitive, emotional, and influential dimensions of fear representations in the story of Moses (peace be upon him) in the Holy Quran, moving beyond traditional rhetorical perspectives. The research employs cognitive metaphor as a primary analytical tool, given its effectiveness in revealing the relationship between language, thought, and emotional experience. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology based on cognitive linguistics tools, structured into an introduction and two main sections: a theoretical framework addressing the distinction between traditional and cognitive linguistic approaches, examining Lakoff and Johnson's classification of cognitive metaphors; and an applied section treating fear as a cognitive concept, investigating fear situations in Moses' story, conducting analysis, and deriving conclusions. The findings demonstrate the cognitive role of metaphor in the research examples, serving as a cognitive tool the mind employs to comprehend and interpret fear as an emotion and lived experiential reality. Humans require sensory mental representations to express, internally perceive, and emotionally experience such concepts, as the mind alone cannot grasp fear as a purely abstract mental concept. The value of cognitive metaphor emerges in depicting fear and transforming it into tangible, comprehensible data. Cognitive metaphor not only explains fear but visually and emotionally reconstructs it, playing a pivotal role in highlighting and understanding the psychological and emotional dimensions of the character, thereby making the Quranic experience vivid in the recipient's consciousness and emotions.