Al-Baqarah 159

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This axis brings together 3 instances 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

{ Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We have made it clear to the people in the Book—those are the ones whom God curses… }

Reader’s answer

Question

Where does this verse occur, what does bayān mean for Shahrur, and what function does it serve in his argument?

The verse displayed is Al-Baqarah 159. Shahrur employs it to define bayān as the declaration and communication of what has been sent down, in contrast to concealing it, rather than as explanation. The cited passage does not establish any connection to the demand to verify a report.

Shahrur interprets bayān here as informing, declaring, and not concealing what has been sent down for people, and gives it the sense of communication rather than explanation. In his argument, the verse supports his conception of the messenger’s function as communicating the Remembrance to people and not concealing it.

Citation and location

The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna — p. 17.

Limits of the reading

  • This reading is limited to the meaning explicitly stated by the cited passage in the location mentioned.
  • The cited passage does not establish a general synonymy or distinction among other terms; it is confined to contrasting bayān with concealment and to denying that bayān means explanation.
  • The text of the cited passage contains an inconsistent numerical reference to “Al-Baqarah 15,” whereas the displayed verse and the page location indicate Al-Baqarah 159; the location should therefore be editorially standardized while noting the inconsistency in the cited passage.

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Brief reading

For Shahrur, the verse grounds an understanding of bayān as disclosure and non-concealment, together with the requirement to verify a report.

Axes

  • Methodological
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Bayān (clarification/declaration): 3
  • Verification of a report: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

It is directly connected to the principle of referring claims back to the Book and not imposing on the text what it does not indicate.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Support: 1
  • Critique of the tradition: 1
  • Foundation: 1

Instances of use

  • The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, p. 17: He cites Ibn ʿAbbas’s statement to reinforce the principle of rejecting anything for which God’s Book provides no confirmation.
    • Concept: verification of a report
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: ““If he relates to you a hadith from the Messenger of God for which you find no confirmation in God’s Book, then he is a liar.””
  • Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 35: He understands bayān here to mean declaration and non-concealment, not the detailed explanation that some attribute to the Prophet or to the tradition.
    • Concept: bayān
    • Function of the verse here: critique of the tradition
    • Textual citation: “{ Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down … in the Book … } (Al-Baqarah 159)”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: bayān as explanation and elaboration
  • Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 121: He uses it to define bayān as disclosing what has been sent down, not explaining it, and to establish that the messenger’s function is communication rather than detailed interpretation.
    • Concept: bayān
    • Function of the verse here: foundation
    • Textual citation: “- Bayān: it is the opposite of concealment … as He—Exalted is He—says: { Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of clear proofs and guidance … } (Al-Baqarah 159).”

This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas