Paradise Imagery in the Qur’an: A Semiotic and Theological-Aesthetic Reading

Hamidi Ilhami; Anwar Hafidzi; Ahmad Syadzali; Muhamad Alihanafiah  bin Norasid

doi:10.20414/ujis.v30i1.1822

Hamidi Ilhami Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari, Banjarmasin, Indonesia
Anwar Hafidzi Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari
Ahmad Syadzali Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin, Kalimantan Selatan
Muhamad Alihanafiah bin Norasid Malaya University, Kuala Lumpur

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v30i1.1822

Keywords: Qur’anic semiotics, Paradise imagery, Islamic spirituality, theological aesthetics, eschatology

Abstract

This study examines the interpretive tension in contemporary Qur’anic discourse on Paradise between literal-materialist readings and symbolic-spiritual interpretations. Previous studies on Qur’anic eschatology have largely focused on theological or literary aspects, while limited attention has been given to Paradise imagery as an integrated semiotic and theological system. Existing semiotic approaches also tend to remain conceptual without demonstrating how Qur’anic symbols function within a spiritual hermeneutical framework. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, this research analyzes selected Qur’anic verses on Paradise through the integration of Saussurean semiotics, Barthesian myth analysis, and Islamic theological aesthetics. The analysis focuses on denotative, connotative, and theological-symbolic meanings supported by classical tafsīr and contemporary Qur’anic scholarship. The findings reveal that Qur’anic depictions of Paradise function as symbolic theological signs that guide believers from sensory imagination toward spiritual consciousness and divine proximity. Elements such as gardens, rivers, light, and companionship represent ethical refinement, peace, and transcendence rather than merely material pleasure. The study also finds that overly materialistic interpretations may reduce the pedagogical and spiritual dimensions of Qur’anic eschatology. This study contributes to contemporary Qur’anic studies by offering an operational framework integrating semiotics, tafsīr, and Islamic spiritual theology in the interpretation of eschatological language.

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