Journal of Arabic Sciences and Humanities

Vol. (4), Issue (2), Rabi II 1447 AH- October 2025

Introductory discourse illuminates and decodes a text, presenting a revealing picture before details unfold. This study examines the pragmatic dimension in the introductory discourse of modern literary letters (MLLs), focusing on how it reflects the addressee’s circumstances and status. It identifies discourse characteristics, communicative principles, and rhetorical functions, while clarifying its purposes and multiple roles. The findings show that the principles governing MLL introductions help inform the addressee with precision, account for context, encourage mutual appreciation, and portray the writer with epithets matching their status. The discourse achieves several functions: communicative, fostering dialogue and interaction; critical, highlighting the origins of MLLs; advertising, stressing their impact on the recipient; and informative, introducing the author, clarifying the foreword–letter author relationship, and addressing challenges in compiling and writing introductions. Keywords: Letters, introductory discourse, status, communicativeness 

This paper examines how power relations reshape sacred space and symbolic hierarchies by comparing two distinct artistic genres: medieval and Renaissance donor portraits, and sultanic mawlidiyyāt in al-Maghreb and al-Andalus. Both genres intertwine devotional, aesthetic, and political dimensions , and reflect parallel shifts in representing patrons and patronage. The study argues that the patron’s growing prominence—visually in images and textually in mawlidiyyāt—was not merely aesthetic, but a response to legitimacy pressures and social distinction that propelled patrons to overshadow Holy figures. The mawlidiyya is approached here as a closed ceremonial discourse, meant to control prophetic praise and reproduce the classical tripartite structure. The analysis draws on New Historicism, Foucault’s discourse theory, and other concepts like Durkheim’s “sacred contagion,” Morgan’s “sacred gaze,” and Connerton’s “choreography of power” while engaging Panofsky, Pope-Hennessy, Franses, Zallāqī, al-Ḥarūṭ, Weinrich, Stetkevych etc. Keywords: Donor Portraits, sultanic Mawlidiya, Prophetic Panegyric, New Historicism, power relations

This study aims to identify linguistic weaknesses in the listening and speaking skills of learners of Arabic as a second language in Djibouti. A survey method and a questionnaire were used to collect data from 50 respondents, all of whom are Arabic teachers as a second language. The results revealed widespread linguistic weaknesses among learners in these two skills, starting with speaking and then listening, from the perspective of the study sample. The results were discussed, accompanied by some proposals that might help mitigate these weaknesses in line with the context of teaching Arabic as a second language in Djibouti. The study concluded with recommendations and implications for future research. Keywords: Language weaknesses, listening skill, speaking skill, teaching Arabic as a second language

This research examines the discourse of literary reciprocal falsehood (referring to situations where each party perceives the other as lying) in the Arab heritage, asking a central question: What are the rhetorical foundations upon which this discourse is built ? Using a pragmatic approach, the study aims to identify and analyze these rhetorical foundations, highlight the role of pragmatics in shaping the features of this literary genre, demonstrate the impact of intentionality and authority, and uncover the discourse strategies it employs. The paper discusses the interplay of context, intentionality, and authority in reciprocal falsehood. The findings reveal that this discourse is grounded in orality, relies heavily on dialogue, and is marked by clarity of intentionality and authority within specific contexts. Strategies were diverse, and the discourse fulfilled both communicative and literary functions. Keywords: Bedouin reciprocal falsehood, literary falsehood, pragmatics, discourse, lying.

This study aimed to identify urban poverty indicators and measurement methods in Buraidah, analyze factors influencing its spread, and examine the social, economic, cultural, and housing characteristics of poor households. It also explored the geographical distribution and spatial variation of the phenomenon. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, data were collected through a questionnaire from 375 households benefiting from social security and analyzed with the Chi-square test. The findings showed that urban poverty is linked to factors such as the death or illness of the household head, divorce, rural-urban migration, low education levels, dependency culture, and economic changes. Significant spatial disparities were found across neighborhoods in terms of household, housing, and service characteristics. The study recommends adopting spatial targeting strategies, raising awareness, establishing a specialized unit to monitor poverty indicators, and enhancing coordination among relevant agencies. Keywords: Poverty - Urban Poverty – Urban Development – Urban Problems.

This research discusses  zakat , the first and most important source of revenue during the reign of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the founder of the Third Saudi State. It explores the regulations and mechanisms established by King Abdulaziz for the collection of zakat at the beginning of his efforts to unify the country, prior to the establishment of formal financial institutions. The study also examines his selection of governors ( zakat emirs ), the formation of teams tasked with collecting zakat from various towns and regions, the most trusted individuals assigned to this mission, and the challenges they faced in carrying out the collection process. Keywords: King Abdulaziz, Zakat, Zakat collection, Zakat administrators

This research examines the linguistic strategies employed by defendants in cybercrime cases within the Saudi judicial system to deny responsibility or shift it elsewhere, based on a sample of documented court rulings issued between 1433 and 1435 AH. The rulings reveal recurring patterns of denial, such as claims of shared use of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or devices, or reliance on moral, religious, and cultural justifications. The study employs a composite theoretical framework that integrates Speech Act Theory, evidentiality, epistemic modality, and critical discourse analysis. The findings indicate that judges give greater weight to direct technical evidence when it conflicts with denial statements, while continuing to interpret judicial discourse through cultural and ethical perspectives. The study concludes that responsibility for digital acts is not built solely on technical analysis but is constructed within an institutional linguistic context, which calls for incorporating forensic linguistic methodology into judicial investigations, particularly in attribution cases where technical ambiguity overlaps with rhetorical defense strategies. Keywords : Denial, shared use of IP addresses, anonymous attribution, defensive rhetoric, forensic linguistics.

This study explores how Orientalism has critically shaped Western perceptions of Arabic literature and Islam. It begins by analyzing the evolving role of religion in Western thought - shifting from ecclesiastical control to individual interpretation-then traces how European Orientalists approached Islamic civilization with both religious and economic motives. After World War II, American institutions inherited Orientalist frameworks, repurposing them to align with political interests. This shift led to cultural and Middle Eastern studies replacing deep literary engagement in academia. Given the lack of Arabic literature specialists, the research spotlights three prominent American scholars: Grunebaum, Yaroslav, and Susan. The study concludes that while the unified Orientalist identity has faded, its philological and anthropological methods still shape modern critiques of the interplay between religion and literature. Keywords: Orientalism, Identity, Culture, Imperialism, Literature, Methodology

This study aims to enhance the writing strategy skills of Saudi female EFL students by integrating metacognitive instruction into essay writing tasks. With a one-group quasi-experimental design, the research included 34 participants. A pretest and post-test were conducted, followed by a questionnaire to explore participants’ experiences with the intervention. The instructional approach emphasised students’ awareness and regulation of metacognitive processes during writing – specifically planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Data were collected and analysed using a sequential mixed-methods explanatory design, beginning with quantitative analysis and followed by qualitative insights to enrich interpretation. The findings revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ writing performance, demonstrating the effectiveness of metacognitive strategies in supporting the writing development of EFL learners. Keywords:  Brainstorming, quasi-experimental design, planning, monitoring, evaluation.