An Intertextual Analysis of Qur’anic Parables in Saadi’s Poetry Based on Genette’s Theory

Abstract

In the Iranian–Islamic literary tradition, parable has always occupied a prominent position, and Persian-language poets and writers have employed it to enrich meaning, create imagery, and persuade their audiences. The Holy Qur’an, as a revelatory text and the foundation of religious discourse in Islamic civilization, is likewise replete with proverbs and parables that play a fundamental role in elucidating theological, educational, and social concepts. Through their aesthetic structures and profound content, these parables have provided a model for Muslim authors, particularly major Persian poets such as Saadi of Shiraz. Adopting an intertextual approach grounded in Gérard Genette’s theory, the present study seeks to examine the ways in which Qur’anic parables and proverbs are reflected and manifested in Saadi’s works. To this end, a collection of Qur’anic parables was first compiled and examined in terms of rhetorical structure, semantics, and narrative functions. Saadi’s works, particularly Golestan and Bustan, were then closely analyzed to identify instances in which these parables are reflected in various forms, including poetic verses, expressions, anecdotes, and moral counsels. The primary focus was to determine how Saadi employed Qur’anic parables to create new themes or reinforce his ethical and educational messages, as well as the level of intertextuality through which he engaged with the Qur’anic text, including explicit adaptation, implicit rewriting, textual allusion, and conceptual inspiration. The findings demonstrate that Saadi not only possessed a profound familiarity with the Holy Qur’an but also drew upon the potential of Qur’anic parables in his literary creation to reconstruct ethical, educational, and social situations. It was further established that numerous Qur’anic themes have unconsciously permeated the underlying layers of Saadi’s texts and have been reproduced through a conventional, anecdotal mode of expression.