Qurʾanic Strategies for Enhancing the Social Face of Needy Believers: A Pragmatic Analysis Based on Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Sayed Jafar Sadeghi

Assistant Professor, Department of Theology Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jquran.2026.94842.1872

Abstract

This study offers a qualitative discourse analysis of the Qurʾan from an interpretive–pragmatic perspective, focusing on linguistic strategies that enhance the social face of needy believers. The central issue is how this group is represented in Qurʾanic language and how such representation contributes to the reconstruction of their collective identity within the socio-historical context of early Islam, where poverty could lead to social marginalization. The research method is based on an analysis of relevant Qurʾanic verses within the theoretical framework of Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, with data examined under the two categories of positive and negative politeness. The findings indicate that praising virtues such as chastity and honesty through positive politeness strategies contributes to elevating the social face of needy believers, while recommending secret charity and forbidding reproach, as forms of negative politeness, play a significant role in preserving their independence and dignity. Overall, the results demonstrate that these strategies, by balancing collective belonging and individual autonomy, lead to a redefinition of the social status of needy believers within Qurʾanic discourse. Consequently, the linguistic capacities of the Qurʾan provide a practical model for contemporary social policymaking in reducing inequality, reforming media representations of the poor, and designing support mechanisms grounded in the preservation of human dignity.

Keywords

The Holy Qurʾan

pragmatics

linguistic strategies

needy believers

social face

Subjects

• Linguistics of the Qurʾan

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