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
Has there come to you the account of the armies—Pharaoh and Thamud?
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ God’s saying: “Has there come to you the account of the armies—Pharaoh and Thamud?”
Shahrur employs the two verses as an example of what he calls the Qur’an’s “pairing” of historical events; in the same context, it brings together Pharaoh and Thamud as among the “armies.” From this example, he constructs an interpretation of the name “Qur’an,” holding that it was so named because it pairs historical events.
Shahrur says that the Qur’an was called the Qur’an because it “paired historical events,” and in this passage he refers to God’s saying, “Has there come …,” as an example of this.
Evidence and Location
The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2 — p. 7.
Limits of the Reading
- This is Shahrur’s interpretation of the function of the two verses in constructing his conception of Qur’anic stories; it is not presented here as an established judgment concerning the origin of the name “Qur’an” in language or exegesis.
- The available evidence explicitly states the claim that it “paired historical events” and then begins citing the verse, but it cuts off before completing the text of the two verses. Its connection to the verse is therefore sufficiently established for preliminary documentation, while a broader view of the page is needed to verify the full wording of the citation.
- The evidence does not establish that every pairing of names or events in the Qur’an conveys the meaning proposed by Shahrur; he presents this verse only as a specific example.
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Brief Reading
The verse is employed to establish a meaning that links the Qur’an to the narration of historical events in relation to one another.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- account: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It supports linking the text to history through the semantic import of the word “account.”
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2, p. 7: He cites it as evidence that the Qur’an was called the Qur’an because it paired historical events with one another.
- Concept: account
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual evidence: “{ Has there come to you the account of the armies—Pharaoh and Thamud?} (Al-Buruj 17, 18)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.