The role of image schemas in the conceptualization of ‘Satan’ in the Holy Quran

Document Type : Scholary

Authors

Assistant Professor of the Department of Quranic Studies and Hadith, Faculty of Theology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/qns.2025.21930.1135

Abstract

Cognitive research shows that humans use embodied and experiential notions to comprehend abstract concepts. The Holy Quran, as a linguistic text, employs concrete and bodily-based concepts to express abstract ideas beyond sensory perception. This study investigates the conceptualization model of Satan in the Quran and examines its impact on the human tendency to follow him. To achieve this aim, the research adopts an analytical method grounded in cognitive semantics and particularly in Mark Johnson’s (1987) theory of embodied meaning and image schemas. Verses containing the keywords ‘Satan,’ ‘Demons,’ and ‘Iblis’ were extracted, together with related verses, forming a corpus of 129 Quranic verses for metaphor and schema analysis. Findings reveal four schema categories: (1) force, balance, and motion schemas conceptualizing Satan’s actions; (2) link, contact, and support schemas depicting Satan’s interaction and behavior with humans; (3) spatial schemas (near–far, center–periphery, and container) describing Satan’s position in creation; and (4) process schema illustrating Satan’s practical strategy. These schema categories constitute a cognitive model based on embodied experience that enhances understanding of the abstract concept of Satan and his actions, providing deeper conceptual insight into the Quranic worldview.

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