<![CDATA[This study analyzes the illocutionary meaning of divine commands within Quranic verses concerning social ethics specifically Surah An-Nahl(16): 90, Surah Al-Hujurat: 11–12, and Surah Al-Maidah: 2. It employs a descriptive-qualitative method based on library research, utilizing a thematic exegesis (mauḍū'ī) approach combined with linguistic pragmatics. The analytical framework integrates the locution-illocution-perlocution trichotomy and J. L. Austin’s concept of "felicity conditions" with John R. Searle’s classifications of illocutionary acts and the concept of "indirect speech acts." The findings reveal three key points. First, divine commands in these social ethics verses are conveyed through diverse speech forms: explicit directives (amr and nahy), assertives serving as frames for directives, indirect directives via rhetorical questions, and implicit commissives in the form of veiled threats. Second, the illocutionary force of these commands varies in intensity ranging from obligatory (amr li al-wujūb) and strongly recommended (amr li al-nadb) to absolutely prohibitive (nahy li al-taḥrīm) and transcends mere legal-normative functions by serving as a means for moral education, character building, and social transformation. Third, the gradation of illocutionary force across these three groups of verses establishes a tiered social ethics architecture, progressing from individual moral awareness and the prevention of interpersonal relational harm to the cultivation of disciplined collective solidarity. These findings confirm that divine commands are not merely legalistic but also educational and humanistic in nature; furthermore, they demonstrate that a speech-act approach can serve as an auxiliary tool to sharpen the interpretation of the Quran’s communicative dimensions without supplanting the work of traditional exegesis.]]>
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