This locus 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
As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur read the divine statement: “As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it”?
Shahrur employs the verse in the context of his conception of the beginning of the universe and its material becoming: for him, the beginning of creation is a first cosmic leap that he calls “the first explosion,” and matter remains in change until another sudden change occurs. He therefore connects “We shall repeat it” to a cosmic recurrence occurring within a material course of change, rather than to a merely abstract linguistic assertion of the meaning of recurrence.
Shahrur understands the verse in connection with the beginning of the universe’s formation; he describes that beginning as a “leap” or “the first explosion” in material becoming. In this usage, recurrence is connected to the continuation of changes in cosmic matter until a “sudden change” or another leap takes place.
Citation and Location
the Book and the Qur’an — p. 202.
Limits of the Reading
- The quotation ends abruptly at the phrase “a second sudden leap…”; therefore, Shahrur’s final conclusion cannot properly be completed without a continuous text.
- The connection here is attributed to Shahrur within the framework of his cosmic account, and this citation alone does not establish that the verse settles a specific scientific description of recurrence.
- The citation does not establish that recurrence is an identical repetition of the beginning of creation; what is established is that he connects it to a transformation or leap in material becoming.
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Brief Reading
He cites it as evidence that the re-creation of creation occurs according to a material law similar to the beginning of the first creation.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Re-creation: 2
- First creation: 1
- Law: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It establishes a link between recurrence and the structure of creation, rather than exception.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Occasions of Use
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 202: He cites it as evidence that the re-creation of creation occurs according to a material law similar to the beginning of the first creation.
- Concept: Re-creation
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “Thus we understand His exalted statement {.. AS WE BEGAN THE FIRST CREATION, WE SHALL REPEAT IT} (The Prophets 104).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.