The word “Ḥilm” (forbearance) is a fundamental concept within the ethical system of the Holy Quran. In its Quranic application, it is not merely restricted to passive tolerance; rather, it assumes an active, conscious, and educational significance. This term is predominantly employed as the divine attribute “Ḥalīm” (The Forbearing) for God, and in limited instances, it describes the perfect human, particularly Prophet Abraham (PBUH). This indicates the conceptual evolution of ḥilm from a divine domain to a model for human education. The present study, utilizing Toshihiko Izutsu’s structural semantics combined with exegetical analysis, examines the semantic network of the word “Ḥilm” in the Holy Quran. In this regard, the syntagmatic relations of this word with concepts such as “Ghafūr” (Forgiving), “ʿAlīm” (All-Knowing), and “Samīʿ” (All-Hearing), as well as its paradigmatic and antonymic relations with concepts like “Ghaḍab” (anger), “Jahl” (ignorance), “Ṣabr” (patience), and “ʿAfw” (pardon), have been analyzed. The results demonstrate that ḥilm in the Quran is the rational foundation for emotional regulation and the prerequisite for the realization of pardon in social behavior, rather than its synonym. Furthermore, through the exegetical analysis of key verses such as Al-Baqarah: 225, At-Tawbah: 114, and As-Saffat: 101 in the exegeses of Tabataba’i, Fakhr al-Razi, Zamakhshari, and Tabarsi, the differences in the epistemological, educational, and rhetorical approaches of the exegetes in elucidating the concept of ḥilm have been clarified. The research findings reveal that ḥilm in the Quran is a dynamic and systematic concept that, within the framework of divine ethics, provides a fundamental model for self-edification, anger management, and the regulation of social relations. |
