A Reinterpretation of the Story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in the Holy Quran Based on Motifs

Abstract

One of the frequently used forms of discourse in the Holy Quran is storytelling. The Quranic stories are a rich treasure trove of faith-based, ethical, and behavioral teachings, which are vividly portrayed to provide models for others to emulate. In a civilization-building rereading of the stories of the prophets in the Quran, the first step is to identify the recurring themes in God's narrative of the teachings and actions of the prophets. Approaches to thematic analysis in literary sciences, such as narratology, offer scientifically valid and reliable tools that can assist in this process. Accordingly, this article adopts a descriptive-analytical method and uses the motif element from narratology to reinterpret part of the story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in the Holy Quran. The findings of this study reveal motifs such as the establishment of a rational civilization-building mindset through the motif of debate, the affirmation of effort and struggle in the expansion of the civilizational mission through the motif of trial, and the concern for the continuation of civilization in future generations through the motif of prayer for offspring in the story of Ibrahim (AS).

Keywords

• holy quran
• civilizational reading of religious texts
• story of ibrahim (as)
• motif
• mohammad baqir behbudi