A Critical Discourse Analysis of Imam Ali's (PBUH) Sermon during the Kharijites' Sedition

Abstract

          Critical discourse analysis (ACD) is a qualitative approach to text analysis that stresses the dynamic interaction between the text and its context. The current study tries to investigate the three levels of interaction between Imam Ali (PBUH) and Kharijites—description, interpretation, and explanation adapting a descriptive-analytical method of Fairclough's theory. This study first focuses on the linguistic and rhetorical devices used in Imam`s sermons. Secondly, It exposes the betrayal of the Kharijites and the frustration of their confrontation with the dominant ideology of power in society. The results explain Imam Ali's ideological conflict with the Kharijites` ideology in his sermons, how he affects social and political events in society, and how he affects Kharijites` discourse.