Al-Ahzab 53

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This page brings together four instances of the use of Al-Ahzab 53 in Muhammad Shahrur’s books and shows how he distinguishes it from other verses in the same domain. Its importance lies in differentiating instruction from legislation, and what is specific to the Prophet’s household from what concerns believers generally, thereby defining the verse’s scope and significance.

Text of the verse as cited

{… And it is not for you to offend the Messenger of God, nor to marry his wives after him, ever…}

Reader’s answer

The question

How does Shahrur distinguish within Al-Ahzab 53 between the station of prophethood and the station of messengerhood, and what function does this distinction serve in his argument?

Shahrur places the mention of the Prophet’s houses in the discussion of hijab under prophethood, as instruction, and places the prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives after him under messengerhood. The verse functions in his argument to attribute the ruling prohibiting marriage after the Prophet to the station of messengerhood, while contrasting it with the verse on outer garments in Al-Ahzab 59.

In Al-Ahzab 53, Shahrur distinguishes between the mention of the Prophet’s houses in the context of hijab, which he connects to the station of prophethood and instruction, and the prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives after him, which he connects to the station of messengerhood. Shahrur employs the part of the verse concerning the prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives after him as a ruling attributed to the station of messengerhood, contrasting it with the verse on outer garments in Al-Ahzab 59, which he states addresses the Messenger’s wives and the women believers.

Evidence and location

Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 275.

Limits of the reading

  • The evidence does not explicitly state that this distinction prevents the generalization of the ruling on hijab or defines its scope beyond the contrast it draws between the two verses.
  • The evidence alone does not establish an independent, detailed account of the meaning of “instruction” or the full juristic implications of the distinction.
  • The location of the evidence is confined to Al-Ahzab 53, with a comparative reference to Al-Ahzab 59.

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Brief reading

Shahrur reads the verse as comprising an instructional part specific to the Prophet’s household and a legislative part concerning the prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives after him. Through this distinction, he defines the scope of hijab and messengerhood, and prevents the extension of a specific ruling to matters for which the text, in its context, provides no indication.

Axes

  • Legislative
  • Methodological
  • Political and social
  • Prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives: 2
  • Instruction: 2
  • Hijab: 2
  • Messengerhood: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

The verse belongs to a network of concepts bringing together hijab, instruction, the prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives, and messengerhood. It is central because it regulates the boundaries between the private and public spheres and gives the text a clear place in Shahrur’s reading, which distinguishes between what concerns the Prophet’s household and what concerns general legislation.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Foundation: 2
  • Distinction: 2

Summary of its presence in the atlas

  • Distinguishes between instruction and legislation
  • Relates to the Prophet’s household and wives
  • Is used to define the scope of hijab

Atlas pages referring to this verse

These links bring together pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.

Instances of use

  • The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, p. 115: treats it as a legislative text that prohibits marriage to the Prophet’s wives after him and makes obedience in it applicable after his death.
    • Concept: Prohibition on marrying the Prophet’s wives
    • Function of the verse here: Foundation
    • Textual evidence: “God prohibited marrying the Prophet’s wives (PBUH) … and followed this with His saying: {… Indeed, that is ever grave in the sight of God}”
  • The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, p. 115: distinguishes between the instructional part of the verse and the legislative part specifically concerning the prohibition on marrying his wives.
    • Concept: Instruction
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual evidence: “At the beginning of the verse, it prohibited entering the Prophet’s house by way of instruction, not by way of legislation: {… Do not enter the houses of the Prophet…}”
  • Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 275: treats it as a verse specific to the Prophet’s houses and his wives, and states that it is instructional rather than legislative for women believers generally.
    • Concept: Hijab
    • Function of the verse here: Foundation
    • Textual evidence: “{ O you who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet… } (Al-Ahzab 53)”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: Its generalization to women believers
  • Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 275: distinguishes between the station of prophethood in hijab and the station of messengerhood in prohibiting marriage to the Prophet’s wives after him.
    • Concept: Messengerhood
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual evidence: “{ And it is not for you to offend the Messenger of God, nor to marry his wives after him } (Al-Ahzab 53)”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas