This locus brings together 1 occurrence 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 indeed, We gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion …﴾
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does the verse appear, how does Shahrur define the “Criterion” in it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse appears in The Prophets 48. Shahrur uses it to compare the description of the Torah with that of the Wise Revelation: both are guidance and light, and both are accompanied by a single “Criterion,” which he identifies as the Ten Commandments in the case of Moses and as the verses of al-An’am 151–153 in the case of Muhammad. The cited evidence does not establish that what is meant is a difference in legislative details between the two messages.
Shahrur places the verse in the context of the description of the Torah, then compares it with al-Baqarah 185 in its description of the Wise Revelation. In this passage, Shahrur sees the two messages as equivalent insofar as both are guidance and light for the God-conscious, and insofar as a single “Criterion” was sent down with them. He identifies this single “Criterion” as the Ten Commandments in Moses’s message and as the verses of al-An’am 151–153 in the Muhammadan message.
Evidence and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 53.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited evidence does not state that the verse establishes differences in legislative details between the two messages.
- The cited evidence does not provide an independent, general definition of the term “Criterion” outside this comparison.
- This passage alone does not establish a relation of synonymy or a terminological distinction between other terms.
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Brief Reading
The verse serves as an example of the equivalence of guidance among the messages, while differences remain in legislative details.
Axes
- Methodological
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Differences among the messages: 2
- Guidance: 1
- Legislative details: 1
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It supports his distinction between the constant element of guidance and changing details.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
Occurrences of Use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 53: He cites it as evidence for the equivalence of guidance between the Torah and the Wise Revelation, despite differences in legislative details.
- Concept: Differences among the messages
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual evidence: “The Exalted says, on the one hand, in describing the Torah: {And indeed, We gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion …} (The Prophets 48)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.