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.
The Text of the Verse as Cited
Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds … God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place verses 7–8 of al-Bayyina, what distinction does he draw from them, and what function do they serve in his argument?
Shahrur uses verses 7–8 of al-Bayyina to establish that divine approval and goodness pertain to everyone who believes in God and performs righteous deeds in every time and place, rather than specifically to the generation of the Companions and those after them. Their function in his argument is to deny that this approval entails affirming a special probity for the Companions.
Shahrur treats verses 7 and 8 of Surat al-Bayyina as a text concerning faith, righteous deeds, goodness, and divine approval. He understands divine approval and goodness in the two verses as general, extending to every believer who performs righteous deeds, across all times, places, and religious communities, until the Day of Judgment. Shahrur distinguishes between the general divine approval of those who believe and perform righteous deeds and the affirmation of a special probity for the Companions; he makes the two verses evidence that the former does not entail the latter.
Citation and Location
The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna — p. 55.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not establish a detailed ruling concerning the definition of “probity” or its technical implications; rather, it only denies that it follows from the approval mentioned here.
- The citation mentions the Companions’ interaction with revelation in a later context, but the excerpt does not offer an independent and detailed theory of the Companions.
- The connection of these verses with other verses is not based merely on verbal similarity; the connection explicitly stated by the citation here is the comparison with Qur’an 5:119 in its discussion of approval.
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Brief Reading
Shahrur makes them evidence for the general nature of goodness for the righteous believer in every age, not for restricting it to a particular generation.
Axes
- Faith
- Human and Ethical
Related Concepts
- Goodness: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It links goodness to ongoing righteousness rather than historical affiliation.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, pp. 55–56: He makes them evidence for the general nature of divine approval for every righteous believer in every age, not for the special probity of the Companions.
- Concept: Goodness
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “As for verses 7 and 8 of Surat al-Bayyina, they make clear that God’s approval is absolute, in every time and place, of everyone who believes in God and performs righteous deeds.”
Related Books
- The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.