Metaphor and Figurative Language in Moral Instruction: A Conceptual Metaphor Analysis of Religious Sermons

Abstract

This study investigates the use of metaphor and figurative language as instruments of moral instruction in religious sermons. For this purpose, this study utilizes the texts of khutab authored by Sheikh Mohamed Ewas that are analyzed by employing conceptual metaphor theory, and critical metaphor analysis to identify, categorize, and interpret the dominant cross-domain conceptualization through which Islamic moral concepts are constructed and communicated to the Muslim audience. The analysis reveals five recurrent conceptual metaphors: (1) the community is a body, (2) sin is a physical substance or mark, (3) moral corruption is disease, (4) virtuous deeds are currency, and (5) the spiritual journey is a path. These source-domain structures serve interrelated rhetorical functions (i.e., physical representation of abstract doctrine, emotional mobilization, and identity construction. Thus, this study contributes to the growing literature on religious discourse analysis and argues that metaphor in the khutbah is not a stylistic device but constitutes a primary cognitive mechanism through which Islamic moral theology is made practical to the lay person in linguistically and culturally hybrid contexts.