This axis brings together 3 instances of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The verse text as cited
Were it not for God’s repelling people by means of one another, the earth would have been corrupted; but God is bountiful toward the worlds.
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Qur’an 2:251 in his discussion of fighting and corruption on earth?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that one of the aims of fighting is “safeguarding the earth from corruption.” He connects the phrase “God’s repelling people by means of one another” to the function of resisting corruption, rather than merely presenting conflict among people.
Shahrur entitles a section in his book “The Second Aim of Fighting: Safeguarding the Earth from Corruption,” then cites Qur’an 2:251 as the basis for this connection.
Evidence and location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 84.
Limits of the reading
- The evidence does not provide Shahrur’s detailed explanation of the verse after citing it; therefore, it is not sound to attribute a complete theory of conflict or mutual counteraction to him on the basis of this passage alone.
- The evidence does not support the claim that, for Shahrur, “mutual counteraction” is a means of regulating every conflict among people or preventing its transformation into “comprehensive ruin,” in this formulation.
- The other evidence, from the book “Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence,” concerns Qur’an 2:223 and occasions of revelation, and does not substantiate a claim connected to this verse.
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Brief reading
Shahrur derives from it the meaning of mutual counteraction as a means of preventing the earth’s corruption and regulating conflict among people.
Axes
- Political and social
- Legislative
Related concepts
- Mutual counteraction: 3
- Kingship: 1
- Messengerhood: 1
- Executive authority: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It is connected to establishing the function of fighting within the preservation of civilization and the prevention of ruin.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 2
- Distinction: 1
Instances of use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 84: He derives from it the second aim of fighting: safeguarding the earth from corruption and preventing mutual counteraction from turning into comprehensive ruin.
- Concept: mutual counteraction
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual evidence: “And the second is in His—exalted be He—saying: {Were it not for God’s repelling people by means of one another…}”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 87: He affirms through it that mutual counteraction among people may lead to fighting, but remains a means of preventing the earth’s corruption, not a justification for aggression.
- Concept: mutual counteraction
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual evidence: “The second aim of fighting: safeguarding the earth from corruption, in His—exalted be He—saying: {Were it not for God’s repelling people by means of one another…}”
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 138: He mentions it to distinguish between kingship and messengerhood, stating that David and Solomon possessed executive authority, not a legislative messengerhood.
- Concept: kingship
- Function of the verse here: distinction
- Textual evidence: “Although David and Solomon were kings by divine appointment: { … and God gave him kingship and wisdom }”
Related books
This page is presented within the atlas’s general atlas-building methodology.