From Revelation to Recontextualization: Linguistic Transformations of Prophetic Leadership in Contemporary Intercultural Discourse

Abstract

This paper examines how the language of prophetic leadership—drawn from the Qur’an, Hadith, and classical authors (e.g., Al-Ghazali, Al-Mawardi)—is recontextualized linguistically into contemporary intercultural and ethical leadership discourse. Using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, we analyze specific linguistic features—word choice, rhetorical style, register, dialogic structure, and metaphors—to mediate this cultural transfer. Drawing on Fairclough’s notion of recontextualization—the appropriation and transformation of one social practice within another—we demonstrate how Qur’anic and Ḥadith tropes (e.g. mercy/raḥma, consultation/shura, and exemplarity) are selectively shifted into modern leadership texts. For example, terms like fariḍa (obligation) and amana (trust) are recast in managerial jargon (e.g., “duty,” “accountability”), while parables and metaphors (e.g., human communities as ummah, or “body” in Islamic discourse) are reworked into secular analogies (e.g. “stakeholder community,” “organizational body”). We also consider dialogic patterns: Prophetic Ḥadith often appear as question-and-answer or exhortative dialogues, whereas modern leadership manuals adopt a more didactic, monologic tone. Our findings, grounded in classic Islamic sources and modern discourse theory (Fairclough, Van Leeuwen, Linell), reveal both continuity and innovation. Ethical virtues from prophetic discourse persist as ideals of justice, compassion, and consultation but they are remediated through new genres of managerial communication. This study proposes a

model for analyzing how sacred leadership discourse is conveyed. Secularized across cultures, and discusses implications for intercultural leadership education.