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
And We have certainly created for Hell many among the jinn and humankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, and…
Reader’s answer
The question
What place does Al-A‘raf 179 hold in Shahrur’s discussion, what does the heart mean in it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse is mentioned on page 231 of «The Book and the Qur’an» as part of Shahrur’s argument that the term “heart” in the Book denotes, in his view, the brain—especially its outer cortex as the center of thought and will. The evidence does not establish that the verse is intended to distinguish between the functions of reason and heartfelt understanding.
Shahrur treats the occurrence of “hearts” in Al-A‘raf 179 as evidence within his argument that the “heart” in the Book is the brain, linking it to the brain’s outer cortex and to the center of thought and will.
Evidence and location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 231.
Limits of the reading
- The evidence cites Al-A‘raf 179 in the context of establishing the meaning of “heart” in Shahrur’s usage, but it does not independently explain the meaning of “they understand with them.”
- The evidence does not establish a distinction between the functions of “reason” and “understanding” in the heart; it juxtaposes verses containing “they reason with them” and “they do not understand with them” without constructing an explicit distinction between them.
- The evidence does not establish the description of the heart as “not merely a bodily organ”; rather, it links the term to the brain as one of the human organs.
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Brief reading
He cites it to distinguish between the functions of reason and understanding in the heart, and makes the heart the center of cognition.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Linguistic and semantic
Related concepts
- Heartfelt understanding: 2
- Reason: 1
- Heart: 1
- Cognition: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It serves his distinction between the functions and loci of knowledge.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Distinction: 1
Instances of use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 231: He cites it to distinguish between the functions of reason and understanding in the heart, making the heart the center of cognition rather than merely a bodily organ.
- Concept: Heartfelt understanding
- Function of the verse here: Distinction
- Textual evidence: “And in the verses of al-Hajj and al-A‘raf … ‘they have hearts with which they do not understand’ … the heart is an organ, and understanding is the function of the heart.”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.