This locus brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur employ Āl ʿImrān 135, what distinction does he draw from it between indecency and zinā, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur employs Āl ʿImrān 135 in Islam and Faith (p. 53) to support his claim that cases he calls “indecency” do not incur the zinā punishment; rather, what is required in them is repentance and seeking forgiveness. The verse’s function in this context is to support the distinction he draws between indecency and zinā in discussing the prescribed punishment.
Shahrur cites Āl ʿImrān 135, in Islam and Faith, p. 53, when discussing indecency, repentance, and seeking forgiveness. Shahrur states explicitly that what he describes in this context as an indecency is not zinā and does not entail the imposition of the prescribed punishment; instead, he connects it with repentance and seeking forgiveness.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 53.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes this distinction only in this context and does not provide an exhaustive, exclusive definition of indecency or zinā throughout Shahrur’s project as a whole.
- This passage alone is insufficient for determining detailed criteria that distinguish every form of indecency from every form of zinā.
- This citation does not establish a relationship between Āl ʿImrān 135 and other Qur’anic passages merely on the basis of verbal similarity.
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Brief Reading
For Shahrur, the verse serves to distinguish indecency from zinā, such that indecency is understood as a sin that opens the way to repentance and seeking forgiveness without being treated as subject to the prescribed punishment.
Axes
- Human and Ethical
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Indecency: 2
- Repentance: 1
- Seeking forgiveness: 1
- Zinā: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the network distinguishing between moral transgression and legislative ruling.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Contexts of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 53: He relies on it to distinguish indecency from zinā; for him, indecency may require repentance and seeking forgiveness without imposing the zinā punishment.
- Concept: indecency
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual witness: “{And those who, when they commit an indecency… remember God and ask forgiveness…} (Āl ʿImrān 135).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.