الفهرس 
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Abstract
This thesis comprises three levels of analysis. The first two levels are mingled together, namely, the Aristotelian Modes of Persuasion and the Illocutionary Speech Acts, while the third level is independently analyzed, chiefly, Multimodality. The thesis investigates the Aristotelian modes of persuasion employed by Imams to enhance the credibility of their sermons’ openings and endings and achieve persuasion. Moreover, the thesis employs a qualitative approach that carries out a detailed explanation of the illocutionary speech acts and their functions. It aims at illuminating the link between the Aristotelian modes of persuasion and Searle’s model of illocutionary speech acts. In addition, a quantitative approach is employed to depict the highest frequency of the modes of persuasion, illocutionary speech acts, and meta-functions employed in the thesis. Additionally, the thesis provides insights to the semiotic resources employed in the openings to enhance the meaning-making process and attract the viewers’ attention. The thesis outlines a visual analysis based on the Visual Grammar Theory by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), to examine the meaning-making resources according to three meta-functions. Based on this study, key findings emerge as follows; logos is predominant in the openings, chiefly, through the representative act of stating; whilst, ethos is employed as the most applicable strategy in the endings, mainly through the directive act of requesting. In addition, the representational meta-function constitutes the highest percentage in the six sermons. The interactive meta-function is the second most significant meta-function. As for the compositional meta-function, it represents the least percentage.