Body language and expressive movements in Surat Yusuf: an analytical study

Abstract

This study examines body language and expressive movements in Surah Yusuf through a contextual analysis of their Qur'anic, rhetorical, psychological, narrative, and communicative functions. It argues that Qur'anic storytelling communicates not only through spoken words but also through gestures, bodily actions, visible effects, and meaningful objects. The study analyses scenes such as crying, racing toward the door, the tearing of the shirt, the women cutting their hands, Jacob turning away in grief, the whitening of his eyes, the shirt .being placed on his face, and the final act of prostration. The research uses an inductive method to identify relevant passages, an analytical method to interpret them within their Qur'anic context and classical exegesis, and a comparative method to engage cautiously with modern non-verbal communication studies. The findings show that bodily signs do not possess fixed meanings independent of context. Crying, for example, may be feigned or genuine, while the shirt changes from an instrument of deception to evidence supporting Joseph's innocence and finally to a sign associated with good news and the restoration of sight by God's permission. The study concludes that bodily movement is integral to .the narrative and rhetorical structure of Surah Yusuf