Lexical Relations and Meaning Construction in the Qur’anic Narrative of Prophet Muhammad: A Semantic-Exegetical Study

Abstract

This study examines the role of lexical relations as a semantic–discursive system in the Qur’anic narrative of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. While previous scholarship has explored Qur’anic semantics and exegetical interpretation separately, limited attention has been given to their integration within a unified analytical framework. To address this gap, the study adopts a qualitative discourse-analytical approach combining lexical semantics, cohesion theory, and Tafsir al-Mizan. Drawing on selected Qur’anic verses related to the Prophet’s narrative, the analysis investigates eight types of lexical relations: synonymy, antonymy, polysemy, homonymy, hyponymy, member–collection, meronymy, and portion–mass relations. The findings indicate that these relations function not as isolated linguistic features, but as an interconnected system organized around three dimensions: convergence, contrast, and structural organization. Convergence relations reinforce and expand meaning through lexical variation; contrast relations construct theological and moral polarity; and structural relations organize narrative elements into coherent semantic frameworks. The study further demonstrates the significant role of Tafsir al-Mizan in resolving semantic ambiguity and validating lexical interpretation through intra-Qur’anic analysis. Overall, the research proposes an integrated semantic–exegetical model that reconceptualizes meaning in Qur’anic discourse as emerging from relational networks rather than individual lexical items. The study contributes to both lexical semantics and Qur’anic discourse studies by bridging linguistic analysis and exegetical methodology