This axis 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
… AND WE GAVE THAMUD THE SHE-CAMEL, CLEARLY VISIBLE, BUT THEY WRONGED IT …
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the words of God Most High, “AND WE GAVE THAMUD THE SHE-CAMEL, CLEARLY VISIBLE, BUT THEY WRONGED IT,” in his presentation of the story of Salih?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that the she-camel was, in the story of Salih, a prominent material sign given to Thamud. He contrasts Salih with Hud, stating that Hud came with warnings without a miracle to confirm his prophethood, whereas Salih was given the she-camel. This describes Shahrur’s reading; it is not independent proof of the details of the she-camel’s nature or how the sign occurred.
Shahrur describes the she-camel as Salih’s “most prominent material miracle” and cites Al-Isra 59 directly: “AND WE GAVE THAMUD THE SHE-CAMEL, CLEARLY VISIBLE, BUT THEY WRONGED IT.” Shahrur constructs a contrast between Hud and Salih: Hud, in his phrasing, was not given a miracle to confirm his prophethood, whereas Salih was given the she-camel as a material sign.
Citation and Location
The Qur’anic Narratives, Vol. 2 — p. 59.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s use of the verse to describe the she-camel as a material sign, but by itself it does not establish the details of its story or its historical characteristics.
- The comparison with Hud appears in the cited text itself, but it is not inferred from verbal similarity between the verses.
- Describing the she-camel as the “greatest” or “most prominent” miracle is Shahrur’s judgment, not the text of the cited verse alone.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is presented to establish the image of the she-camel as Salih’s great material miracle.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
Related Concepts
- The miracle of the she-camel: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It forms part of the construction of the historical narrative of Qur’anic stories.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- The Qur’anic Narratives, Vol. 2, p. 59: He presents the she-camel as Salih’s great material miracle, in contrast to the absence of a miracle for Hud.
- Concept: The miracle of the she-camel
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “For Salih was given the most prominent material miracle … namely, the she-camel mentioned in the words of God Most High {… AND WE GAVE THAMUD THE SHE-CAMEL, CLEARLY VISIBLE, BUT THEY WRONGED IT…} (Al-Isra 59).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.