This axis brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
Say, “What thing is greatest in testimony?” Say, “God is witness between me and you, and this Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you by it”
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Qur’an 6:19 in his discussion of testimony?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that testimony is an exalted station in existence, and that God is the Witness, to whom nothing is equal in testimony; drawing on His words: “Say, ‘What thing is greatest in testimony?’ Say, ‘God is witness between me and you.’” He then connects this, in the context of his discussion, to the dialectic of the witness and the Witness, and to the disclosure of truth and falsehood. However, treating the verse as independent evidence that the Qur’an is an “instrument of proof” is not stated clearly in the attached excerpt, although the verse itself mentions that the Qur’an was revealed for warning.
Shahrur cites Qur’an 6:19 to establish that nothing in existence is greater in testimony than God, drawing on the description of God as “a witness between me and you.” Shahrur’s citation of the verse occurs within his discussion of the dialectic of “the witness and the Witness,” its relation to the possibility of exposing falsehood, and freedom of expression, opinion, and opposing opinion.
Excerpt and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 169.
Limits of the Reading
- The attached excerpt presents a passage from a broader context and ends before the subsequent transition in the text is completed.
- A complete theory of the Qur’an as an instrument of proof should not be attributed to Shahrur on the basis of this passage alone.
- The connection between the verse and his theory of the democratic system is a connection Shahrur makes in the same context, but it does not constitute a detailed interpretation of all the verse’s expressions.
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Brief Reading
He uses it to establish that God is the greatest Witness and that the Qur’an is an instrument of warning and proof.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- God’s testimony: 2
- Warning and proof: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the concept of testimony as a foundation for constructing an argument.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 169: He employs it to establish that God is the greatest Witness, and that the Qur’an itself is an instrument of warning and proof in the dialectic of testimony.
- Concept: God’s testimony
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual excerpt: “As indicated by His, exalted be He, words: {Say, ‘What thing is greatest in testimony?’ Say, ‘God is witness between me and you…’} (Al-An’am 19).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.