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This study explores the intertextual relationships and conceptual chaining present in the punishment and mercy narratives of the four stories in Surah al-Naml. The primary objective is to identify and analyze the conceptual and semantic links that unify the stories within this chapter of the Quran. Employing a qualitative approach, the research utilizes content analysis and thematic analysis to investigate the narratives’ conceptual and textual connections at both micro and macro levels. The data comprises the verses related to the four stories in Surah al-Naml, analyzed through a comparative framework. Initially, the study defines key concepts such as intertextuality and conceptual chaining, followed by a discussion of the relevant theoretical background. The comparative analysis reveals robust intertextual links and intricate conceptual chains that enhance the coherence and semantic structure of the Surah. The findings demonstrate that these interrelations not only facilitate a deeper understanding of the narratives’ meanings but also contribute to a more accurate and comprehensive interpretation of the chapter’s themes. This aligns with the objectives of Surah al-Naml, which are to admonish and warn its audience. The research underscores the significance of examining intertextual relationships and conceptual chaining in Quranic studies, suggesting that such approaches can uncover new semantic and interpretive dimensions in religious texts. Furthermore, the study’s findings offer potential advancements in educational methodologies and Quranic exegesis, providing valuable insights for scholars and commentators.

Significant advancements in empirical sciences have intensified feelings of self-forgetfulness, emptiness, meaninglessness, stress, and loneliness in humans. As a result, individuals in our time more than any other time need a solid foundation for guidance. The belief in "Mahdism," which is a common belief among all Abrahamic religions and has a special prominence in Shia Islam, can serve as a strong and salvific foundation against cognitive, ethical, and psychological crises with utmost effectiveness. In this article, we delve into the various dimensions of this idea from the perspective of Quranic verses and Islamic narrations and its role in addressing various crises in modern society, as well as addressing some intellectual doubts rose against this idea. By referencing religious and rational sources, we will analyze and elucidate the Islamic perspective on the Mahdi and his revolutionary efforts. Modern humans desire peace, wisdom, and justice, which are lofty ideals. Based on historical texts and religious narrations, Imam Mahdi is a figure who will realize these ideals and overthrow the adversaries. Imam Mahdi will establish a government based on justice that will encompass the entire world. He will actualize the Quranic invitation: "Say, O! People of the Book come to a word that is equitable between us and you." (Quran, 3:64). Religious evidence indicates that Imam Mahdi establishes an ideal relationship among individuals and eliminates discord, oppression, and ignorance. He establishes a government based on kindness and mercy by actualizing the Quranic verse "The believers are brothers" (Quran, 49:10). There are over three thousand hadiths from the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and the impeccable Imams specifically related to the topic of the Imam of the Time. These hadiths can be found in Shia and Sunni texts. It is noteworthy that many renowned Sunni scholars have published specialized books on the topic of the Imam Zaman (AS). Throughout history, the concept of anticipation and hope for a brighter future has been a common belief among nations and religions and will continue to be so. This outlook is intrinsic to humanity. However, the difference lies in the representative of civilization and the leader of global sovereignty. Within the framework of Shia thought, emphasis is placed on the honorable Imam who experiences the hardships of life like any other individual. He holds authority among the people and is a partner in their joys and sorrows. There are two distinct forms of anticipation. The first type is recognized as effective, empowering, and enduring anticipation, which can even be considered a form of selflessness and service to the truth. On the other hand, the second type of anticipation is deemed sinful, destructive, and paralyzing, ultimately leading to captivity. In the contemporary era, there is an increasing consensus that a global leader is necessary to address the multiple crises we are facing. This leader will have the ability to eradicate wars, conflicts, power abuse, colonialism, and other forms of injustice and inequality. However, it is essential to identify an individual with the necessary qualities to fulfill this important role. The global leader who will bear this immense responsibility must serve as a role model. Critics of Shiism believe that according to the beliefs of this school of thought, the hidden Imam must now have lived for almost twelve centuries, which is impossible for any human being. In response, it must be clarified that this criticism is merely based on the improbability of such a scenario, not its impossibility. In fact, a lifespan of this length or even longer is usually impossible, but not logically impossible. However, those who delve into the hadiths of the Prophet of Islam and the impeccable Imams find that they describe this life as miraculous. A miracle is by no means impossible, and it cannot be refuted with scientific arguments. Furthermore, it is strange that these criticisms arise from the People of the Book, including Jews, Christians, and some Muslims, as they themselves accept the miracles of the prophets of God based on their holy scriptures. According to the Islamic traditions and Quranic verses, it can be concluded that Imam Mahdi will appear to restore the position of the heavenly book and the teachings of the Prophet of Islam. He will establish global justice and renew the spiritual essence of the religious community. These are issues that no prophet has succeeded in fully realizing. The real life of the book and tradition lies in implementing global justice. The ultimate goal and purpose of God in creation will be fully realized through the most selfless servants, reformers, and devoted followers of the Prophet of Islam. Imam Mahdi will begin his mission by inviting people to a healthy and civilized life through faith. People worldwide, tired of the trials and tribulations of life and disillusioned with the emptiness of human ideologies, will respond eagerly and wholeheartedly to the call of Mahdi and strive to develop their mental powers and deepen their religious knowledge. Therefore, with determined resolve, leadership, and steadfast support from his loyal followers, Mahdi is poised to create a fundamental framework for a global governing body that upholds justice. The ultimate goal of Islam is to establish global justice (Quran, 57:25). God's definitive promise of victory guarantees the completion of Islam's historical philosophy, especially the triumph of the oppressed: "We wanted to bestow favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and inheritors." (Quran, 28:5) Belief in the Mahdi not only guarantees a hopeful outlook on the future of the world and humanity but also signifies a fundamental progress towards intellectual growth and maturity.  

Examining the meaning of the words in the Qur'an plays a significant and special role in understanding the purpose of God and the precise application of divine commands. Semantics of the Qur'an is a methodical interpretation of the subject that, if based on the principles of the Qur'an, is able to present the meaning of words to mankind in the form of a divine worldview and explain it. Also the theory of semantic domain is very helpful in studying the semantic structure of words of any language and explaining the semantic limits of its lexical elements, because every word adopts a part of its meaning from other words of the same domain. The word "Sawwal" is one of the words that are used 4 times in the Quran. Examining words that have a low frequency in Quranic use will be able to be accurately understood only through semantic methods. One of these methods is constructive semantics, which will help to solve the problem of semantic analysis through the examination of lexical co-occurrence and substitution. Study the verses through constructivist semantics has made a great contribution to understand the divine meaning and purpose of the use of words, and it has been considered as an effective method in religious research. Examining the companionship and succession of the intended words in the Qur'an reveals the semantic areas related to the words and specifies the way of communication with each of the areas. The current research has discussed and investigated the word "Sawwal" with the aim of semantics in the semantic fields on the axes of companionship and succession. Semantic fields mean a set of words that have common semantic components. Therefore, in order to distinguish this type of words (having common semantic components) have been used the axes of companionship - verbal chain that are placed together - and succession - the connection of linguistic elements in the verbal chain with non-existent elements in that chain that can be placed Instead of any of the existing elements. Using the method of description and analysis, the present research has analyzed the word "Sawwal" in the Qur'an. The word "Sawwal" which in the dictionary analysis means seducing and adorning, has commonalities with many semantic fields. This word is used in the Qur'an to warn the audience and warns the believers about the possibility of falling into the trap of adorning. This word has been used in four verses, from "Tafʻīl" pattern which emphasizes plurality and gradualness, and it is in conjunction with the words "al-Shayṭān" and "Nafs". Therefore, in order to analyze the semantic fields involved with the word "Sawwal", investigated its substitutes, which include the words "Zayyin", "Iḍlāl", "Ighwā", "Nazgh" and "Vasvasah", and at the end, as result It was found that function of "al-Shayṭān" for "Taswīl" is to make religious affairs seem unimportant, which makes people dare to commit sins and ugly deeds. But "Nafs" is tool of "al-Shayṭān" for "Taswīl". The word "Zayyin" with the highest frequency in the relationship of succession with "Sawwal" emphasizes this fact that Satan adorns sin in the eyes of human. The word "Iḍlāl", like the word "Taswīl", uses the existential container of "Nafs" in the direction of deviating from guidance. "Nazgh" is the reason for strengthening the motivation of man to commit evil deeds, and "Waswasah" is the reason for his internal boiling in the process of "Taswīl". "Ighwāʼ" also, in the role of succession, intensifies the adorning which causes believable move toward sins. Therefore, the meaning that can be inferred from the interpretations and lexicographers of the word "S W L" is found in concepts such as "Adorning" and "Decorating", "Facilitating" and "Making easy", "Pretending" and "Making good". In Qur'anic research with the constructivist style, after examining the vocabulary and understanding the relationship between them and considering the lexical context, the overall structure and relationship between the words can be obtained. In the end, this method has been implemented in the figure (1) and has shown the way of semantic communication. The use of meaning in the recognition of words such as "Sawwal" can be effective in his attitude and lifestyle. For example, the role of the "Devil" and the "Nafs" in man's interpretation can be effective on self-control and change in his behavior. This is despite the fact that the understanding of this intellectual system could not be fully realized without a semantic view.

The story of Adam has been a site of debate among religious scholars for various reasons. In this context, examining how commentators engage with the text and articulating their logic of understanding play a significant role in acknowledging the evolution of thought in interpretation. A cognitive triptych by Ayatollah Javadi Amoli regarding the understanding of "The world, human beings, and knowledge" in relation to verses 30-34 can guide us towards this important discourse. The tripartite focus of understanding logic in this story centers on anthropology and defining the characteristics of the perfect human in his relationship with God as the Creator of the Caliphate, and with angels acting as the disciples of the Caliph. From this perspective, the faculty of knowledge of names, which is the source of Caliphate, is endowed in all humans, and the will is the factor that fosters human dignity or conceals it, leading to a fall into bestiality and wickedness. This scene, from a cosmological viewpoint, is transcendent in time and free from the possibility of error, contrasting with the material world as the place of the human elemental body and the origin of its evolutionary movement. In the epistemological dimension, the commentator believes in the existence of levels of knowledge based on the nature of the objects of knowledge across longitudinal realms. Accordingly, the realm of proclamation exists in the intellectual realm and the rights of humans within the status of the self-sufficient being and the realm of the soul. From his perspective, the story of Adam is a case of an external personal matter and informs of a divine and continuous tradition in creating a Caliph on Earth. His departure from the theory of corporeal creation and spiritual permanence in explaining the realms of the soul is also noteworthy in this narrative. The commentator’s statements show the influence of the content of Shia narratives, alongside a prominent application of mystical and philosophical teachings and assumptions

Myth in the Quran is one of the topics that has been studied by western Qurʾānic scholars. The new studies of Western scholars have investigated this issue with different approaches and methods, sometimes with a contextual approach and sometimes with a phenomenological approach. In the meantime, Karen Armstrong, using the principles and characteristics of the phenomenological approach, has studied the myth in religions, especially in Islam and the Qurʾān. She considers all the events mentioned in the holy books of the three Abrahamic monotheistic religions to be myths, although there may be historical events behind them, but over centuries this historical event has become the source of religious inspiration and the center of religious spirituality. To transform and enter the lives and hearts of believing and worshiping generations, it must be recreated in the form of a myth along with actions and rituals. Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator who has written many works in the field of Islam and the Quran. The comparative and phenomenological approach to religion is one of the main characteristics of her works. Like other mythologists, she introduces myth as an event that once happened in some way, but at the same time always happens. According to her, an event should be freed from the shackles of a certain period and enter the lives of contemporary worshipers, because otherwise it will remain a unique and unrepeatable event, or a strange historical event that does not connect with the lives of others. In other words, the key point of the view of this group of orientalists about the relationship between myth and historical event can be summarized in the following sentence: "As long as a historical event has not become a myth, it cannot become a source of religious inspiration." As the title and content of this research indicate, the subject matter pertains to Karen Armstrong's phenomenological approach to Quranic narratives and their relationship to the concept of myth. The research aims to not only compare her perspective with the methodological principles of phenomenology but also to critically evaluate it. Previous studies on this topic can be broadly divided into two categories: Western studies on myth in the Quran and Islamic studies that critique Western scholars' views on this issue. The research in the first category constitutes the primary sources for this research, along with other critical studies among the various critiques offered by Muslim scholars; the contextual approach employed by Western scholars has received particular attention. This approach has been extensively discussed by scholars such as Angelika Neuwirth in the Encyclopedia of the Quran. In response, several articles have been written critiquing and examining this perspective. But the analysis of Armstrong's point of view based on phenomenological approach is a subject that has been rarely discussed and this research can be considered one of the initial critical studies in this regard. In contrast to Western scholars, Muslim scholars and exegetes have primarily focused on the concept of "Asāṭīr al-Awwalīn" (اساطیر الاولین) when addressing the issue of myth in the Quran. They have sought to explain this concept within the Quranic framework. The majority of Muslim exegetes define Asāṭīr as the writings of the ancients about their own lives, including their history, speeches, stories, and events. Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 1209 CE) identifies this definition as the view held by the majority of exegetes. However, what is studied under the title of myth in the western Qurʾānic studies has other criteria and indicators that are determined by contextual and phenomenological approaches. Using library sources and descriptive-analytical method, this article aims to examine Armstrong's view of myth in the Quran by emphasizing the methodological principles of the phenomenological approach and evaluate it in the form of a case study. The principle of autonomy or independence, which expresses the uniqueness of the realm of the sacred and its experience, is one of the most important methodological principles of the phenomenological approach. Emphasizing this principle, Armstrong considers the language and realm of the Qurʾān to be different from the language and realm of experimental and social affairs, and this is where she finds her way to mythological or symbolic language. Relying on the comparative method, which is one of the methodological principles of the phenomenological approach, Armstrong compares Islam and Christianity and, in this way, pays attention to the character of Jesus and the mythological issues created by Paul. She tries to present a view similar to her own view of Christianity by presenting three introductions: The Prophet being the successor of Christ, the Qurʾān's non-opposition to myth and the moral function of the stories of the Qurʾān. In this way, the Quran, by presenting a mythological image of the Prophet of Islam and other prophets, tries to bring these characters out of the confinement of those times and places and repeat them for all ages. In addition to the criticisms that were expressed regarding the symbolic nature of the language of the Quran and the effectiveness of a belief in the lives of believers as a criterion of truth, Armstrong's comparison between the Prophet of Islam and the Jesus has been criticized.