This axis brings together 1 locus in which this verse is used in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the verse as cited
Say: If there had been gods with Him, as they claim…
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite the verse, how does he use it to distinguish between freedom and democracy, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the verse in the Book and the Qur’an, p. 369, as he moves from defining freedom to defining democracy. In his reading, he makes it a hypothetical example showing that a plurality of those holding authority entails turning to one who holds authority and taking him as a reference point; thus, it supports his definition of democracy as the collective exercise of freedom within a frame of reference, rather than as a definition of freedom alone.
Shahrur cites Al-Isra’ 42 alongside Al-Anbiya’ 22 in the context of defining democracy after discussing freedom, and defines democracy as the exercise of freedom by a group within relationships and reference points of various kinds. Shahrur interprets the phrase of seeking a way to the Lord of the Throne in the verse as turning to one who holds authority and making him a reference point, and employs this interpretation in constructing his example of the reference point necessary for exercising freedom democratically among multiple parties.
Evidence and location
the Book and the Qur’an — p. 369.
Limits of the reading
- The evidence does not state that the reference point must be “recognized”; what is mentioned is an epistemic, ethical, aesthetic, and customary reference point.
- The evidence does not present Al-Isra’ 42 alone as an independent proof of the impossibility of a plurality of gods; rather, it cites it alongside Al-Anbiya’ 22 within a theoretical example concerning democracy and reference points.
- The evidence does not establish that the verse is a general definition of freedom, since Shahrur distinguishes between freedom and democracy and makes the reference point part of his definition of democracy.
- Shahrur is not attributed here with a claim that authority and reference are synonymous; the text links them in its applied interpretation of the verse without asserting terminological synonymy.
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Brief reading
The verse is used to affirm that freedom can only be exercised within a reference point possessing recognized authority, and that a plurality of gods is impossible.
Axes
- Faith
- Political and social
Related concepts
- Reference: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It links monotheism with the idea of reference in organizing human action.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Support: 1
Loci of use
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 369: He employs it to show that the reference point in the exercise of freedom can only be within an entity possessing recognized authority, and that a plurality of gods is impossible.
- Concept: reference
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “And he said, {Say: If there had been gods with Him, as they claim…} (Al-Isra’ 42)”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.