Abstract:

The term "حَرَامٌ" occupies a central position within the ‘forbidden semantic field’, a subset of Qur’anic semantics. In our study, we have analyzed the significance of the word and its semantic value within the context of the Qur’an. This word facilitates the elevation of objects, persons, and actions from the ordinary realm to a special status, while also imposing various restrictions on communication associated with it. Efforts have been made to describe how the word “ حََرََامٌٌ ” brings about these effects by considering human nature and life. To achieve this, we first analyzed a network of key concepts such as “ رِِجْْسٌٌ ‚ نَجَََسٌٌ ” and “ خََبِِيثْْ ”, which impose restrictions due to their potential danger to human beings. These concepts represent the aspect of ‘impurity’ associated with the word “aram”. Subsequently, we examined a network of key concepts such as “ طُُهْْرْْ ‚ كربةٌٌ ” and “ فََضْْلْْ ”, which enforce prohibitions due to their vital importance to human beings. These concepts represent the aspect of ‘divinity’ associated with the word. Thus, our aim is to illustrate the evolution of the concept of “haram”, which had a broad semantic network in the pre-Qur’anic period, by examining how its boundaries were narrowed and its content transformed. Ultimately, we seek to demonstrate how a shift in mentality occurred from perceiving haram in a non-religious context to understanding it within a religious framework.

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