Document Type : Scholary
Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Interpretation, Faculty of Quranic Sciences, University of Quranic Studies and Sciences, Qum, Iran
2
PhD Student in Comparative Exegesis, Department of Interpretation, Faculty of Quranic Sciences, University of Quranic Studies and Sciences, Qum, Iran
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mahallat Higher Education Center, Mahallat, Iran
10.22034/qns.2026.23979.1176
Abstract
This study aims to conduct a semantic analysis of the concept of the “burden of responsibility” in the Holy Quran and to elucidate its dimensions with particular emphasis on the exegetical perspective of Martyr Ayatolluh Khamenei. To this end, the Qur’anic terms thiql (ثِقْل), iṣr (إصر), ḥaml (حمل), kall (کلّ), wizr (وزر), wazn (وزن), and waqr (وقر) are examined as lexemes belonging to the same semantic field as the notion of the “burden of responsibility.” Drawing upon the interpretive explanations and discourses of Ayatullah Khamenei, responsibility within the Quranic horizon is understood as a form of divine commitment, obligation, and guardianship (wilāyah). The research adopts a descriptive-analytical method grounded in lexical semantics and semantic field analysis. The findings indicate that each of these terms represents a distinct dimension of the burden of responsibility: thiql denotes weightiness, value, and the dignified gravity of human responsibility; iṣr signifies a demanding obligation and binding covenant; ḥaml refers to the acceptance and bearing of duty; kall conveys the notion of dependency and social burden; wizr indicates the burden of sin and penal accountability; wazn relates to measurement, justice, and the evaluation of deeds; and waqr signifies perceptual heaviness and an epistemic impediment to accepting the truth. Based on this analysis, the semantic network of the “burden of responsibility” in the Quran presents a multilayered portrayal of the responsible human being—one who is accountable before God, the self, society, and the truth. Ayatullah Khamenei’s exegetical emphasis on human responsibility in the spheres of faith, action, and social life further reinforces this semantic understanding within the broader framework of the Quran’s social guidance. The study concludes that the concept of the “burden of responsibility” in the Quran extends beyond individual obligation, constituting a comprehensive ethical, social, and epistemological system for articulating commitment, accountability, justice, and the acceptance of truth.
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