This axis brings together 2 instances 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
God has already prescribed for you the dissolution of your oaths
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ God’s saying: “God has already prescribed for you the dissolution of your oaths”?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example of how a “prescription” may provide a person with an exit from a burden or practical predicament: someone who swore not to do something lawful and then wished to do it may, through the dissolution of the oath, be released from this commitment. He presents this in the context of his understanding of the word farada (“prescribed”) as the loosening of a burden, rather than as the verse’s general statement of every meaning of religious prescription.
Shahrur reads the verse as an example of a prescription that lifts from a person the burden of an oath and releases them from a predicament arising from their swearing. He illustrates this predicament by a person swearing not to enter someone’s house or not to eat there, and then doing so, although entering and eating are not in themselves prohibited.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 49.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited passage does not state that every personal oath is treated in the same way; rather, it gives the example of someone who swore to refrain from a lawful act and then wished to perform it.
- The cited passage does not independently provide details regarding the conditions or procedures of expiation; Shahrur’s reference to al-Ma’idah 89 is part of his presentation, not a detailed explanation at this point.
- The wording “lifting hardship” is a close summary of the idea of loosening the burden and escaping the predicament, but it is not the central technical expression in the cited passage.
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Brief Reading
The verse is read as an example of a prescription that releases a person from the predicament of an oath and lifts hardship from them.
Axes
- Legislative
- Human and ethical
Related Concepts
- Dissolution: 2
- Oath: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to the construction of the concept of prescription as a practical solution rather than a complication.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
- Supporting: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 49: He makes it an example of prescription as an exit from the predicament of an oath—that is, legislation that lifts hardship from a person.
- Concept: dissolution
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “{God has already prescribed for you the dissolution of your oaths…} (At-Tahrim 2).”
- Islam and Faith, p. 83: He uses it to show that expiation for an oath applies in purely personal matters, while vain oaths are pardoned.
- Concept: oath
- Function of the verse here: supporting
- Textual citation: “- {God has already prescribed for you the dissolution of your oaths…} (At-Tahrim 2).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.