This axis brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the verse as cited
God bears witness that there is no god but He, as do the angels and those possessed of knowledge, upholding justice
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, how does Shahrur distinguish in it between the shāhid and the shahīd, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Āl ʿImrān: 18. Shahrur makes it an example of the shāhid and epistemic testimony: for him, the testimony of God, the angels, and those possessed of knowledge is not an immediate witnessing of the divine essence, but testimony from within through knowledge. The verse serves an introductory function in his presentation of the difference between the shāhid and the shahīd.
Shahrur cites Āl ʿImrān: 18 in a section he entitles “the shāhid and epistemic testimony.” He distinguishes between the shāhid and the shahīd by maintaining that the shahīd witnesses an event or thing from outside, whereas the shāhid witnesses it from within. Shahrur regards the testimony of God, the angels, and those possessed of knowledge in the verse as epistemic shāhid testimony, rather than shahīd testimony based on an immediate vision of the divine essence. Here, the verse is used to prepare for Shahrur’s interpretation of the difference between the status of the epistemic shāhid and that of the shahīd, who seeks immediate witnessing.
Source and location
Islam and Faith — p. 146.
Limits of the reading
- This distinction is attributed to Shahrur in this passage; the evidence does not establish that it is an agreed-upon Qur’anic definition beyond his argument.
- The evidence does not establish a general linguistic synonymy or distinction between terms other than “shāhid” and “shahīd.”
- The evidence breaks off before he completes his discussion of the mission of the messengers; therefore, no subsequent conclusions not apparent in the excerpt should be attributed to this verse.
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Brief reading
Shahrur makes it a basis for distinguishing the testimony of God, the angels, and those possessed of knowledge as epistemic testimony rather than direct presence.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Epistemic testimony: 2
- Shāhid: 1
- Shahīd: 1
- Those possessed of knowledge: 1
Its place in the conceptual network
It establishes a conceptual distinction between testimony and knowledge in the Qur’anic network.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of use
- Islam and Faith, p. 146: He uses it to distinguish the testimony of God, the angels, and those possessed of knowledge as epistemic rather than immediate testimony, preparing for the distinction between the shāhid and the shahīd.
- Concept: Epistemic testimony
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual evidence: “The Exalted says, in the course of introducing Himself to others: {God bears witness that there is no god but He, as do the angels and those possessed of knowledge…} (Āl ʿImrān 18).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.