Cohesion and Coherence in Surat Al-A'la

Abstract

This study examines the concepts of cohesion and coherence in light of text linguistics, with the aim of applying these concepts to Sūrat Al-Aʿlā. It seeks to determine the extent to which text linguistic procedures can be employed in understanding the Qur’an, their alignment with the linguistic thought in the Arab scholarly tradition, and how Sūrat Al-Aʿlā achieves linguistic and semantic unity. Adopting a textual analysis approach, the study begins with a theoretical overview of text linguistics, cohesion, and coherence. Subsequently, it applies cohesion —exemplified by reference— and coherence —exemplified by various relations and correspondences— to Sūrat Al-Aʿlā.

The findings reveal that text linguistic procedures can indeed be utilized to enhance comprehension of the Qur’an and that these procedures are compatible with Arab linguistic heritage, especially the discipline known as ʿilm Al-Munāsabāt (the science of textual connections). The study concludes that Sūrat Al-Aʿlā is a tightly bound, interconnected text, functioning much like a single, unified unit. Consequently, this research paves the way for the incorporation of other text-linguistic approaches and modern linguistic theories in Qur’anic studies.