This locus 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
قُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ مِنِّي هُدًى
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place al-Baqarah 38 in the sequence of the story, what does he mean by calling it the “second descent,” and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur places the verse immediately after al-Baqarah 37 and calls this position the “second descent.” Its function in his argument is to inaugurate a phase in which guidance comes to humankind; he presents its beginning as warnings from the angels before their continuation in the context of Noah and those who came after him.
Shahrur reads al-Baqarah 38 as occurring after al-Baqarah 37 and calls it the “second descent.” He uses al-Baqarah 38 to establish a subsequent phase of human history in which guidance reaches humankind, making its beginning warnings from the angels, then tracing the presence of warnings through Noah and those who came after him.
Citation and location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 10.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s designation of the verse as the “second descent” and its connection to what follows al-Baqarah 37, but it does not provide an independent definition of, or a detailed counterpart to, the “first descent.”
- The citation does not establish a terminological distinction among similar terms, nor does it establish a relation of synonymy or non-synonymy between them.
- The dating mentioned in the citation is part of Shahrur’s interpretive construction; this passage alone does not provide its research-based or historical evidence.
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Brief reading
He uses it to identify the beginning of a new phase in human history following the second descent.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Faith-related
Related concepts
- Guidance: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It contributes to establishing a point of transition in the historical narrative of humankind.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 10: He uses it to identify the beginning of a new phase in human history following the second descent.
- Concept: guidance
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “Then came the second descent: {قُلْنا اهْبِطُوا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ مِنِّي هُدَىٰ…} (al-Baqarah 38)”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.