The Semantic and Rhetorical Function of the Synonymous and Antonymous Concepts of “Infaq” in the Holy Quran

The syntagmatic (descriptive) semantic approach is an attempt to represent the words and their relations existing in the human mind. Considering this idea, the present paper, while applying this approach, seeks to provide a descriptive analysis of the concept of infaq and to explain the semantic and rhetorical function of the concepts that having a syntagmatic relation with it are sometimes used in relation to infaq. Examination of the Quranic data reveals that the words “ehsan”, “et'am”, “sadaqah”, “elhaf” and “ehfa’" are among the words which have similar meanings to infaq, and the words “akl batet”, “kanz”, “bokhl” and “shohh” are among the words that have an opposite syntagmatic meaning relation with infaq. Also, the relation between these words can be identified on the basis of their semantic components, similarity or contrast of purpose, context and common applications. In addition, each one of these words has been used with an exaggerated function, or psychological analysis and worldview explanation. Furthermore, among the words having a syntagmatic relation with infaq, there are such relations as positive and negative functional relations, causal relation and inclusion relation. Moreover, the discovery of the conceptual relations between these words and infaq is indicative of the wise and purposeful use of words in the holy Quran.