Quran and Social Sciences

Quran and Social Sciences

Euphemism and the Management of Social Tensions in the Holy Qur’an: A Rhetorical and Pedagogical Reading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
roghayeh khalili 1
fatemeh maleki 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood , Shahrood, Iran (Corresponding Author)
2 Master's Student, Quran and Hadith Studies (Quranic Teachings), University of Quranic Sciences and Teachings, Shahroud, Iran
10.22034/arq.2026.247830
Abstract
Euphemistic expression in the Holy Qur’an is not merely a linguistic feature or literary device; rather, it constitutes a powerful and purposeful discursive strategy for preventing identity-based fractures, promoting social cohesion, repairing human relationships, and managing social tensions. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and a rhetorical-pedagogical approach to Qur’anic verses, this study demonstrates that the Qur’an uses euphemistic strategies when addressing sensitive, tension-laden, and challenging situations. These include human error and lapses, opposition, afflictions and painful events, legal rulings and penalties, family relations, collective dialogue, the restoration of communicative bonds, and eschatological warnings and threats. Direct reference to such matters may impede constructive communication, undermine the dignity of the addressee, and generate tension, confrontation, and anxiety. In such contexts, the Qur’an employs a range of discursive mechanisms, including distinguishing an individual’s identity from the wrongful act by referring to a “lapse” rather than “disobedience”; suspending hasty judgment through conditional constructions and the reassignment of responsibility; creating rhetorical distance through indirect analogy; shifting the semantic horizon from annihilation to the taking of the soul and return; emphasizing religious brotherhood in the context of retribution; employing gradual sequencing and linguistically mitigated prohibitions in the reform of family relations; and formulating warnings through conditional and multilayered structures. These strategies restrain verbal and emotional violence, preserve the dignity and status of the addressee, foster internal moral commitment, and create the conditions necessary for sustained interaction, gradual reform and transformation, and social cohesion and solidarity. The findings indicate that euphemistic expression lies at the heart of a Qur’anic discursive transformation from the logic of domination and confrontation to that of invitation and solidarity. Rooted in the tension-filled circumstances of the Qur’an’s revelation, this approach offers a preventive and practical model for managing human relationships in the contemporary world.
Keywords
Euphemistic expression
Refined speech
Qur&‌‌‌rsquo
anic rhetoric
Religious language
Social action
Tension management
Subjects
The Holy Qurʾan
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Quran and Social Sciences
Volume 6, Issue 1 - Serial Number 21
Winter 2026
Pages 164-199

  • Receive Date 22 March 2026
  • Revise Date 01 June 2026
  • Accept Date 24 July 2026