Al-Ahzab 56

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This axis brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

The Verse Text as Cited

Indeed, God and His angels invoke blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, invoke blessings upon him and greet him with full salutations.

Reader’s Response

Question

How does Shahrur read God’s saying, “Indeed, God and His angels invoke blessings upon the Prophet…,” and what is meant by invoking blessings upon the Prophet in this verse?

Shahrur reads the verse on the basis of his distinction between ritual “ṣalawt,” which he understands as standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating, and “ṣalāt,” which he understands as connection, glorification, and supplication. Accordingly, he holds that “they invoke blessings upon the Prophet” does not mean performing ritual movements upon the Prophet; rather, it means that a connection exists between God, His angels, and the Prophet, and that believers are commanded to establish a connection with him and greet him. He notes that some have interpreted this connection as supplication, but considers it broader than supplication alone, citing the mention of the Prophet in the call to prayer and the tashahhud.

Shahrur distinguishes between “ṣalawt” and “ṣalāt”: for him, the former denotes standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating, while the latter denotes connection, glorification, and supplication arising from the acknowledgment of the servant’s connection to his Lord. Shahrur uses Al-Ahzab 56 to reject reading “they invoke blessings” and “invoke blessings” as meaning bowing and prostrating before the Prophet, since this understanding would, in his presentation, attribute such acts to God and His angels. He understands the verse as establishing a connection between God and His angels, on the one hand, and the Prophet, on the other, and as commanding believers to establish a connection with the Prophet and greet him. Shahrur does not limit this connection to supplication; he reports that some exegetes said so, then explicitly states that, in his view, it is broader than supplication, linking this view to the mention of the Prophet in the call to prayer and the tashahhud.

Citation and Location

Islam and Faith — p. 254.

Limits of the Reading

  • This presentation documents Shahrur’s own reading of the terms as he formulated it in the source; it does not determine the exegetical meaning of the verse outside this framework.
  • This reading is limited to the meaning explicitly stated by the citation in the specified location.
  • The quoted text breaks off after the phrase “he performed ṣalāt,” so no subsequent detail regarding the ruling on formulas for invoking blessings upon the Prophet should be attributed to this citation.
  • The attached citation from “the Book and the Qur’an” is not connected to Al-Ahzab 56 and adds no evidence to this page.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

For Shahrur, the verse is read to define invoking blessings upon the Prophet as a connection rather than a bodily ritual, and to highlight that coordination indicates difference rather than synonymy.

Axes

  • Faith-related
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Invoking blessings upon the Prophet: 2
  • Coordination of non-identicals: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It connects the faith-related meaning of the relationship with the Prophet to the linguistic indication in the structure of coordination.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Distinction: 1
  • Support: 1

Instances of Use

  • Islam and Faith, p. 254: He interprets it as a connection between believers and the Prophet, while rejecting its understanding as bowing and prostrating before the Prophet.
    • Concept: Invoking blessings upon the Prophet
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual citation: “Thus, if we consider God’s saying: {INDEED, GOD AND HIS ANGELS INVOKE BLESSINGS UPON THE PROPHET…} (Al-Ahzab 56), and understand that the verb ‘they invoke blessings’ and the verb ‘invoke blessings’ are from ṣalawt…”
    • Contrasting traditional reading: Some understood that believers are commanded to perform the ṣalawt of bowing and prostrating before the Prophet.
  • the Book and the Qur’an, p. 45: He cites it as an example that coordination in the Arabic language indicates difference rather than synonymy.
    • Concept: Coordination of non-identicals
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “There are many such examples in the Wise Revelation, including God’s saying: {INDEED, GOD AND HIS ANGELS INVOKE BLESSINGS UPON THE PROPHET…} (Al-Ahzab 56).”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas