Semantic Analysis of Words Expressing Hope in the Qur’ān

Kur’ân’ın üzerinde önemle durduğu, insan hayatının huzurunu ve mutluluğunu ilgilendiren konulardan biri de ümittir. Beşer ve toplum hayatı için ümit, insanın manevi güç kaynaklarından biridir. Ümit, ummaktan doğan ve arzu edilen şeyin gerçekleşme ihtimalinin verdiği son derece rahatlatıcı, huzur verici duygunun adıdır. Bu duygu, istenmeyen durumlara karşı kişiye tahammül yetisi kazandırırken aynı zamanda doğru kararlar alabilmesini temin eder. Bununla kalmayarak insanın plan ve programlarını, istek ve arzularını gerçekleştirme yolunda ciddi rol üstlenir. Nitekim ümit duygusu, insanın hayatı boyunca karşılaşacağı problemlerin çözümü olduğu bilgisi ve bilinci ile insana güven verir. Çalışma, Kur’ân’da ümidi anlatan bazı kelimelerin semantik süreçlerini ele almayı hedeflemektedir. Bu doğrultuda recâ, ṭamaʿ ve emel kelimeleri klasik Arapça sözlüklerden ve Garîbü’l-Kur’ân, Meâni’l-Kur’ân, Vücûh ve Nezâir türü eserlerden araştırılmış, Kur’ân başta olmak üzere Câhiliye şiiri, hadisler ve Kitâb-ı Mukaddes’teki kullanımları incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı, Kur’ân’da geçen bu kelimelerin semantik süreçlerinin incelenmesi ve bu sayede doğru anlaşılmalarına katkıda bulunulmasıdır.

The Qur’ān is a light revealed to humanity from the infinite sea of wisdom, a drop of divine mercy descending from the heavens and enriching the earth. It is not merely an ordinary book but a reminder that not only gives meaning to life but also addresses the purpose of human existence with profound seriousness. The Qur’ān, which serves as a guide in every aspect, also leads humanity in matters of hope, emphasizing that there is a solution to the difficulties a person may encounter throughout life. In this study, the terms رجاء/ recā, طمع/ ṭama‘, and امل/ emel, all of which fundamentally convey the meaning of hope and are recurrent in the Qur’ān, are examined using the semantic method. The term “semantics,” referred to in Turkish as “anlambilim,” is usually expressed in Arabic as علم الدلالة/ʿilm al-dalāla. The semantic method aims to analyze not only the root meaning but also how the word has gained or lost meanings over time. There are two commonly used methods in semantic analysis. The first is synchronic semantics, which investigates the world of meanings without considering changes in the words' meanings. The second is diachronic semantics, which examines the reasons behind the development, enrichment, narrowing, or loss of word meanings over time. Unlike the static nature of synchronic semantics, the diachronic semantic method provides much more reliable information by showing the evolutionary journey of words. Therefore, in this article, an effort has been made to examine the words in question using the diachronic semantic method, focusing on their pre- and post-revelation meanings in the Qur’ān. The words in the Qur’ān, which was revealed in Arabic to humanity, can be classified into two categories: monosemic (single-meaning) or polysemic (multiple-meaning). However, even words considered monosemic may have multi-layered semantic dimensions within the rich content of the Qur’ān. The most important reason for this is perhaps the desire of Allah to address every period of history using a limited number of words. As a result, the Qur’ān employs the most significant semantic aspects of the Arabic language to their full extent. The divine text of the Qur’ān, filled with eloquence and demanding careful attention, emerges, with the infinite power of boundless authority manifested in every verse. In this study, the terms rajāʾ, ṭama‘, and emel were researched, taking into account their rich semantic dimensions, historical and cultural contexts, and the aforementioned framework. The research begins by examining the Bible. Although the exact counterparts of hope-related words in the original, untampered text are unknown, it is observed that in the Old and New Testaments, the word hope is generally expressed using terms like qawah, yahal, and batah. Hope is often defined as “a feeling of confidence born of expectation, especially regarding the future.” The terms were also analyzed in Jahiliyyah poetry, which reflects the spirit of the pre-Qur’ānic era. In these poems, it is understood that rajāʾ expresses “an anticipated expectation”, ṭama‘ conveys “a state of concrete gain”, and emel refers to “a wish that seems difficult to achieve.” In the ḥadith literature, which explains the revelation and how it should be applied to human life, it is observed that rajāʾ was used in its meaning known from the Jahiliyyah period. However, in the ḥadiths, ṭama‘ appears to carry meanings such as “desire”, “wish”, “goal” and “ambition”, while emel is used to mean “wish.” In the Qur’ān, the word rajāʾ appears in twenty-six verses, usually meaning “waiting with hope.” The word ṭama‘ occurs in twelve verses, signifying “desire” or “wishing with lust.” Emel, on the other hand, is found in only two verses, where it denotes “passion” or “desire.”