Al-Baqarah 168

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This axis brings together 2 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

O people, eat of what is on the earth lawful and good

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur employ God’s saying, “O people, eat of what is on the earth lawful and good,” in the discussion of Meccan and Medinan verses?

Shahrur uses the verse as an example showing that the address “O people” is not exclusive to Meccan verses; he considers al-Baqarah 168 a Medinan verse even though it addresses people in this form. Thus, in his presentation, the form of address alone cannot properly serve as a decisive criterion for distinguishing between Meccan and Medinan verses.

Shahrur mentions al-Baqarah 168 among verses that address people and describes it as Medinan.

Citation and Location

Qur’anic Stories, vol. 1 — p. 83.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation establishes the place of the verse in his particular argument concerning the form of address, but does not explain his detailed interpretation of the phrase “lawful and good.”
  • The phrase “verses that address people and are nevertheless Medinan” is attributed to Shahrur in this passage; the excerpt does not present his independent evidence for the verse’s Medinan status.
  • The second citation is textually identical to the first and is reproduced in another source; therefore, the first suffices to establish the claim.

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Brief Reading

Shahrur adduces it to show that the form of address is insufficient for determining whether a verse is Meccan or Medinan, and that the classification requires more precise criteria.

Axes

  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Methodological
  • Meccan and Medinan: 2
  • Critique of the Meccan–Medinan classification: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It is connected to a critique of ready-made classificatory criteria in reading the Qur’anic text.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Distinction: 2

Instances of Use

  • Qur’anic Stories, vol. 1, p. 83: He cites it to show that the address “O people” is not confined to Meccan verses, since there are Medinan verses in this form.
    • Concept: Meccan and Medinan
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual citation: “In the Wise Revelation there are verses that address people and are nevertheless Medinan, such as His saying: {O PEOPLE, EAT OF WHAT IS ON THE EARTH LAWFUL AND GOOD} (al-Baqarah: 168).”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: al-Wahidi’s proposition: “Everything revealed containing ‘O people’ is Meccan.”
  • Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2, p. 83: He uses it as a counterexample to establish that the address “O people” does not necessarily entail that a verse is Meccan.
    • Concept: Critique of the Meccan–Medinan classification
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual citation: “In the Wise Revelation there are verses that address people and are nevertheless Medinan, such as His saying: {O PEOPLE, EAT OF WHAT IS ON THE EARTH LAWFUL AND GOOD} (al-Baqarah: 168).”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: the rule attributed to al-Wahidi that “O people” is Meccan.

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

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas