This thematic node brings together 2 instances in which this verse is used in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
And do not keep your hand chained…
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Qur’an 17:29 in his discussion of spending?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish moderation in spending at both the individual and social levels: spending should be neither stinginess, represented by “the hand chained to the neck,” nor complete outspreading that leads to blame and regret.
Shahrur places Qur’an 17:29 under the heading “Moderation in Spending at the Individual and Social Levels.”
Evidence and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 83.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence establishes that Shahrur includes the verse within the principle of moderation in spending, but the excerpt does not provide a detailed financial definition of stinginess or extravagance, nor quantitative criteria for determining them.
- This passage alone does not establish detailed juristic rulings on ownership, almsgiving, or state obligation; its use here is descriptive, under a heading concerning individual and social spending.
- The second piece of evidence cites the verse alongside other verses, but does not add an explicit interpretation broader than that of the first.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is understood as regulating spending between stinginess and extravagance, with a call to moderation.
Themes
- Human and ethical
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Moderation: 2
- Spending: 2
Place in the Conceptual Network
It supports the ethical concept of the middle way in dealing with money.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
- Foundation: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 83: He cites it as evidence for the necessity of balance in spending between stinginess and extravagance.
- Concept: moderation
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “- {And do not keep your hand chained to your neck…} (Al-Isra 29).”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, pp. 155–156: He interprets it as regulating spending between miserliness and wastefulness, and considers wastefulness to be exceeding the proper measure within what is lawful.
- Concept: spending
- Function of the verse here: foundation
- Textual evidence: “We find them clear in Qur’an 25:67 and 17:29… the hand fully outstretched is a metaphor for exceeding the proper measure (wastefulness).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.