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.
Text of the Verse as Cited
… AND THE PRAYERS OF THE MESSENGER
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place Qur’an 9:99, what does “the prayers of the Messenger” mean for him, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites Qur’an 9:99 together with Qur’an 2:157 as two pieces of evidence that “ṣalawāt” is the plural of “ṣalāh,” meaning connection. In the same passage, he contrasts this with “al-ṣalawāt” in Qur’an 2:238, as the plural of “ṣalwah,” associated with bowing and prostration.
Shahrur classifies the phrase “the prayers of the Messenger” in Qur’an 9:99 under the plural of “ṣalāh,” which for him means connection. In his argument, Qur’an 9:99 functions as the contrasting example to the use of “al-ṣalawāt” in Qur’an 2:238; there, he distinguishes between the plural of “ṣalāh,” meaning connection, and the plural of “ṣalwah,” which he links to bowing and prostration.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 256.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited passage does not explain in detail how the meaning of connection is inferred from the context of Qur’an 9:99; rather, it simply classifies it under this meaning.
- The cited passage does not establish a general ruling for every occurrence of the term “ṣalawāt”; it explicitly states its judgment regarding Qur’an 9:99 and Qur’an 2:157, and contrasts them with Qur’an 2:238.
- No claim regarding synonymy or its negation beyond the terminological distinction he draws between “ṣalāh” and “ṣalwah” should be attributed to this passage.
- The displayed text of the verse is partial, and the specified passage is Qur’an 9:99.
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Brief Reading
It appears as an example of understanding ṣalāh as connection, rather than as a plural of the ritual ṣalwah.
Axes
- Legislative
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Prayers of the Messenger: 2
- Connection: 1
- Ṣalāh: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It serves the semantic differentiation between two meanings that are close in wording.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 256: He counts it among the plural of ṣalāh, meaning connection, rather than among the plural of the ritual ṣalwah.
- Concept: Prayers of the Messenger
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual citation: “- {AND AMONG THE BEDOUINS ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD AND THE LAST DAY … AND THE PRAYERS OF THE MESSENGER…} (Al-Tawbah 99).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.