Acquiring the deep knowledge of the Qur'an is essential as an eternal miracle of the Prophet of Islam. Using the achievements of various human sciences, including new linguistics, enables better and more accurate access to Qur’anic knowledge. One of the ways in the field of cognitive semantics to help achieve the deep meanings of the Qur'an is to use the Image schema. Image schemas are a bridge between structural experiences and cognitive domains such as language. The most important image schemas that Johnson introduces; The image schemas are called path, container and force schemas. This research was done by descriptive-analytical method and by collecting library information. It is necessary to study and examine the Qur’an as an eternal miracle of the Prophet of Islam in a special way in order to obtain its deep knowledge. One of the ways in the field of cognitive semantics to help achieve the deep themes of the Qur'an is to use image schema. The findings indicate that all three image schemas (path, container, force) have been used to convey abstract concepts in Surah Hadid, and the container schema has the highest frequency. To convey concepts such as truth, the consequences of affairs, sending messengers, humility, death, etc., from the path schema, and to convey concepts such as earth and sky, The place of believers and hypocrites in the hereafter, sedition, progeny, covenant, mercy, heart, etc. from the container schema and to convey the concepts of disbelief, the belief gap between believers and hypocrites, faith
Extended Abstract

Introduction

Attaining a profound understanding of the Qur’an, as the everlasting miracle of the Prophet of Islam, requires the use of modern approaches in the humanities. Among these, Cognitive Semantics—a field studying how meaning is mentally structured and understood—provides a powerful framework for exploring how meaning is conceptualized in the sacred text. Within this field, Image Schema Theory, proposed by Mark Johnson (1987), serves as a conceptual bridge between bodily experience and higher-level cognitive structures, such as language. Image schemas are recurring, dynamic patterns of human perception and physical interaction with the environment, such as patterns of movement or spatial containment, which enable abstract notions to be comprehended through embodied experience.
This study investigates the presence and semantic function of image schemas in Surah al-Ḥadīd, aiming to uncover how abstract theological and ethical concepts are represented through embodied cognitive patterns. The research argues that analyzing Qur’anic meaning through image schemas-namely, the Path, Container, and Force schemas-reveals a deep and systematic organization of meaning in the Qur’an that links human sensory experience with divine communication.
Research Question(s)
Based on the aims of this study, the principal research questions are as follows:
Which of Johnson’s three major image schemas-Path, Container, and Force-are present in Surah al-Ḥadīd, and what is the relative frequency of each?
How does each image schema function in conveying and conceptualizing the abstract meanings within the surah?
In what ways do the image schemas of Surah al-Ḥadīd construct its semantic and cognitive system, particularly regarding the notions of faith, disbelief, death, forgiveness, and the Hereafter?
What is the relationship between the image-schematic structures identified in the surah and the theoretical principles of Cognitive Semantics as proposed by Johnson and Lakoff?

Literature Review

Previous studies on cognitive approaches to the Qur’an have explored specific aspects of metaphor and schema, but seldom applied them comprehensively to a single surah. Qaeminia and Zolfaqari (2016) examined image schemas in the contexts of worldly and otherworldly life, identifying Path, Container, and Force schemas as the dominant structures. Rastgou and Salehi (2018) focused on the Force schema within Qur’anic discourse and demonstrated that concepts such as disbelief and hypocrisy are metaphorically framed as barriers or obstacles. Mohammadi and Jamshidi (2020) analyzed image schemas and conceptual metaphors in the thirtieth part of the Qur’an and found a wide variety of schema-based metaphors, including compulsion, resistance, and deviation.
Despite these contributions, no comprehensive cognitive-semantic analysis has yet been dedicated to Surah al-Ḥadīd, a chapter that integrates theological, ethical, and eschatological notions within a highly figurative linguistic structure. Therefore, this research fills a notable gap by conducting a systematic analysis of image schemas within a single surah, combining qualitative interpretation with quantitative frequency assessment.

Methodology

The study follows a descriptive-analytical design. All verses of Surah al-Ḥadīd were examined to identify lexical (word-based) and syntactic (structure-based) indicators of image-schematic patterns. The analysis was guided by Johnson’s tripartite classification: Path, Container, and Force schemas. Each verse containing schematic evidence was interpreted in light of classical and modern Qur’anic commentaries (including al-Mīzān, Majmaʿ al-Bayān, al-Tibyān, Nemoone, and al-Kāshif) to ensure theological and linguistic validity.
Subsequently, the relative frequency (i.e., the proportion of times something appears compared to the total) of each schema type was calculated statistically, and the semantic roles (i.e., functions in conveying meaning) of the schemas in conveying abstract Qur’anic concepts were described and compared. This combination of conceptual analysis and quantitative distribution allows for both interpretive depth and structural precision.

Results

Findings indicate that all three image schemas are employed in Surah al-Ḥadīd to express abstract meanings, yet with varying frequency and function.
The Container schema exhibits the highest occurrence (71.8%), reflecting its dominance in representing metaphysical and moral containment.
The Force schema accounts for 18%, primarily in verses depicting resistance, denial, and spiritual conflict.
The Path schema appears in 10.25% of the cases, portraying dynamic processes such as guidance, faith, and moral transformation.
Specifically:
The Path schema structures concepts such as the ultimate return of all matters to God, faith and enlightenment, forgiveness, and the nature of death. Lexical items such as Ilā, Sābaqū, and Turjaʿu create motion frames that conceptualize spiritual progress from origin (worldly life or ignorance) to destination (divine truth or enlightenment).
The Container schema models abstract domains as spatial enclosures, such as heaven and earth, the book and divine law, the heart, reward and punishment, paradise and hell, and the human self. Such metaphors render invisible realities tangible, reflecting the Qur’an’s embodied vision of cosmic order and moral capacity.
The Force schema portrays oppositional dynamics such as belief vs. denial and the spiritual barrier between believers and hypocrites. These express the struggle of forces in moral and theological contexts and resonate with Talmy’s theory of Force Dynamics, where motion and resistance constitute meaning.
Overall, the quantitative pattern demonstrates that Surah al-Ḥadīd deploys image schemas systematically to transform experiential perception into theological insight.

Discussion

The analysis reveals that the surah constructs its conceptual world through a coherent integration of movement, containment, and power. The predominance of the Container schema underscores the Qur’an’s ontological vision of the universe as an encompassing structure of divine order: the heavens and the earth, paradise and hell, and even the human heart function as "Vessels" that contain divine signs and moral realities.
The Path schema, by contrast, conveys existential dynamism. Faith, repentance, and the journey toward forgiveness are consistently framed as motion from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge, or from distance to nearness, symbolizing spiritual ascent. This reflects the Qur’an’s didactic method of urging believers toward an active, goal-oriented movement "Toward God."
The Force schema encapsulates the dialectic of divine and human agency: disbelief and hypocrisy are depicted as obstacles, barriers, or counter-forces that impede spiritual progress, while faith represents the overcoming of resistance through divine empowerment. This schema reinforces the ethical narrative of struggle and highlights the experiential tension between submission and rebellion.
Collectively, these three schema types form a cognitive architecture that mirrors the moral and metaphysical structure of the surah. The interaction of Path, Container, and Force establishes an interrelated network of meanings that transcends mere linguistic description, revealing the embodied logic underlying Qur’anic revelation.

Conclusion

This research demonstrates that Image Schema Theory offers an effective cognitive-semantic framework for analyzing Qur’anic meaning. In Surah al-Ḥadīd, the triad of Path, Container, and Force schemas interacts systematically to communicate divine truths in a form accessible to human cognition. The dominance of the Container schema suggests that the Qur’an conceptualizes existence as a layered system of capacities and enclosures—spiritual, moral, and cosmic — capable of holding divine realities.
Meanwhile, the presence of the Path and Force schemas illustrates the Qur’an’s emphasis on dynamic spiritual journey and moral struggle as intrinsic to human life. The believer’s movement "Within the container of existence" and confrontation with obstacles of disbelief represent a deeply embodied portrayal of faith as a process and a form of resistance.
Thus, Surah al-Ḥadīd may be interpreted as a cognitive map of human and cosmic order: a realm where movement, containment, and power are interwoven to convey divine wisdom. The study’s findings not only shed light on the internal coherence of Qur’anic imagery but also provide a methodological basis for future research on other surahs through cognitive-semantic analysis, bridging classical exegesis with modern linguistic insight.