Discourse Analysis of Faraed Al-Solouk

Shams Sojasi wrote Faraed Al-Soluk in the description of moral values with technical prose in the late 6^th and early 7^th century. Faraed Al-Soluk offers a distinctive methodology of interpreting moral concepts among different moral writing texts. Intentional description of this text such as a purposeful narration of morality to influence the awareness of the audience turns its discourse analysis into a necessity. Laclau and Mouffe theory is a good way to analyze this book due to its emphasis on the social and political context of the work and its meta-sentence components and as well as the belief in the text as a construction of hidden reality. The result of the research shows that Faraed-o- al-Soluk in sense gives legitimacy to a government that has made moral values as the basis of its laws and rituals, but in another sense, it delegitimizes the slave-born rule due to lack of moral virtues. The Nodal point of Shah- Ulil-Amr as the node religious discourse and Sufi & Fati styles revealed the hidden point of neo-Muslim hypocrisy by being born as a slave and not having Iranian origin of the shah, and it warns to king's his inadequacy despite of his religious and social responsibility. The author uses the power of Sufism to confront the oppressors and penetrates among the people with the discourse of Fotovvat. The purpose of combining religion, Sufism, and Fotovvat has been to subjectification people around and including the king for to build a peaceful world and healthy society by reminding them of their responsibilities. 
 
Introduction:
Isaac Ibn Ibrahim Shams Sojasi, in the late sixth and early seventh centuries AH (Hijri), wrote Faraed Al-Solouk in a technical prose style resembling a story. The book discusses ethical concepts. It comprises an introduction followed by ten chapters with titles such as reason, knowledge, justice and injustice, generosity, determination, courage, wisdom, fortitude, chastity, and moral virtues. This work exhibits semantic, content, and historical discrepancies in its presentation and the connection between concepts and themes. The preface of the book, after praising God, the Prophet, and the Imams, concludes with praising for Atabak Azbak (the ruler). Each chapter begins with a religious theme and sometimes touches on Sufism. The stories and characters are also presented based on Sufi practices and virtues. However, at the end, Mozaffar Al-Din Ildigoz is introduced as a model of a saint, Sufi, and wise person. Sojasi’s praises of Shah Ozbak as the ethical center of each chapter don’t present enough historical evidence regarding his actions and behavior. The history portrays Atabak Muhammad and Mozaffar Al-Din as usurpers of the government due to their negligence in their royal duties and ethical shortcomings. They gave rise to power without relying on lineage or specific skills, thanks to their acceptance of Islam, and they shared in the wealth of the people.
Materials and Methods:
Faraed Al-Solouk presents a different interpretive and personal approach to ethical concepts among literary texts on moral education. As the deliberate explanations of this text reveal, it provides a purposeful narrative about ethics to impact the audience’s awareness, utilizes examples, and presents poetic citations, stories, and personal interpretations for the ruler. This highlights the text’s divergence from historical events during the author’s time. The narrative constructs a meaningful account of Faraed Al-Solouk. Therefore, analyzing the discourse function of the work is essential for achieving the depth of meaning and the uncovered hidden angles in the text, and resolving the existing contradictions in its composition. The theories of discourse analysis by Laclau and Mouffe are suitable for examining the work due to their emphasis on the socio-political context and intertextual elements. Additionally, their belief that the text is a constructed reality provides an appropriate framework for investigating Faraed Al-Solouk. In this research, we analyze and interpret the religious, Sufi, and general discourse within the text.
Results and Discussion:
In his discourse structure, Faraed Al-Solouk is a “Kashkul” of the principles of religion, which has been continuously repeated and emphasized through the discourse of Sharia, Sufism, and fotovvat. This text devotes legitimacy both to the subject audience and to the government that has put moral values as the principles of government, the basis of its law and ritual. These values ultimately create an ideal world with the action of the king and the audience.
The central discourse of religion is articulated with the main "node" of the king the first. Due to the hegemony of the religious discourse, the discourse fields of Sufism and Fotovvat have also been reproduced for the benefit of the discourse and are articulated around the central signifier of the king - Olel Al-Amr.
The discursive function of Faraed Al-Saluk is based on the intellectual agent with "dimensions" and "signs" such as writing a book with the aim of broadening the current situation, and the provision of an incorrect tone, mentioning allegorical stories of the four chapters of reason, science, justice, and courage in the manner of animal stories or fables. Contrary to the cruel history of Atabakan's rule, and the revelry and enslavement of Mozaffar Al-Din Atabak's character which are thanked and addressed at the end of each chapter by Faraed Al-Solouk, Shams Sojasi's dissatisfaction with the neglect and literary support of the court, and finally the ambiguity in the name and fame of the author despite donating authored works to the rulers of the age, are unspeakable.
The hidden aspects and obscure angles of the work reveal the deep structure (same as the main discourse) at the disposal of the intellectual communicator, and the religious discourse of this work introduces a kind of social criticism on the government of Mozaffar Al-Din Atabak. This is contrary to the discourse structure of the work, while the discourse intention of this structure is to legitimize the ruling agent.
In Faraed Al-Solouk, the central sign of Shah-Olel Al-Amr as the "node" of religious discourse and Sufi and Fati stereotypes, the hidden sign of neo-Muslim hypocrisy, the king's slave birth and lack of racial originality, and the shah's inadequacy and indolence regarding his religious and social responsibilities are highlighted. Sojasi believes that religion, Sufism, and Fotovvat are the foundations of velayat, and wherever velayat appears, religion, Sufism, and Fotovvat should be perfected and exalted. From the author's point of view, the province is the basis of the construction of the utopia and the tendency towards monotheism, but he has introduced the society under the rule of Atabak Mozaffar. Finally, via the realism of politics moral, Sojasi intends to reduce the harm of the rulers' unlimited power.
Conclusion:
Sojasi criticizes the two other subjects, referred to as Sufis and ascetics, through the discourse of Sufism and asceticism. For the general audience, Faraed Al-Solouk reveals the gap between reality and the discourse of the Atabaks after reading the work and becoming aware of the responsibilities of a ruler toward society. The rulers of that time, in order to maintain their oppressive rule over the people and increase their endurance, utilize both Sufis and ascetics to reinforce obedience to their commands. Faraed Al-Solouk dismisses the religious scholars and jurists by presenting a virtuous city based on true religion, asceticism, and genuine Sufism. The rightful ruler, who emerges from unwavering belief in the unity of God, possesses virtues such as wisdom, justice, chastity, courage, and other moral qualities. In this society, the common people and the government will find tranquility.
As a religious orator, the author of Faraed Al-Solouk employs the power of Sufism as a specific intellectual and educational movement among the elite, including court scholars, to counter oppressors and tyrants. By highlighting this group and connecting it with the discourse of asceticism among the common people, the author associates religious law with the discourses of Sufism and asceticism. The purpose of integrating religion, Sufism, and asceticism is to shape a peaceful world and a healthy society by reminding those in authority of their responsibilities. It aims to create a society that believes in the divine truth and acknowledges the powerful influence of religion in constructing an ideal community.