This axis brings together 3 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Verse as Cited
And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—all of it from Him. Surely in that are signs for a people who reflect.
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Al-Jathiyah 13 in his discussion of nature, human instincts, and desires?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that nature has been made available for human benefit in satisfying necessary instincts, especially food and drink. He then adds that human beings make use of it through knowledge; thus, instincts, together with the accumulation of knowledge and the diversification of industries, become developed human desires. For him, the verse supports the idea that nature is subjected to humanity, while the detailed transition from instincts to desires forms part of his interpretive and social framework in the same passage.
Shahrur cites Al-Jathiyah 13 after discussing the instinct for food and drink, in order to say that God made nature “pliant” to human beings for the satisfaction of their instincts. He links human benefit from nature to knowledge, stating that the accumulation of knowledge transforms instincts into desires that develop steadily and manifest themselves in agriculture, livestock breeding, food industries, and beverage industries.
Evidence and Location
The State and Society — p. 178.
Limits of the Reading
- The only direct evidence is from The State and Society, p. 178, and it is sufficient to establish this specific use.
- The evidence attributed to the Book and the Qur’an, p. 520, does not cite Al-Jathiyah 13 or address the subjection of nature in the quoted text; it therefore cannot ground an interpretive link to this verse.
- The wording “in a way that serves his survival and development” requires qualification: survival is explicitly present in his discussion of food and drink, whereas development describes the course of desires and industries through knowledge, rather than constituting an independent statement of the meaning of the verse alone.
- This passage does not establish that subjection means humanity’s absolute ownership of nature or an unrestricted mandate to dispose of it.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
It underpins the idea that nature is subjected to humanity in a way that serves its survival and development, and that this subjection is connected to its needs and livelihood.
Axes
- Methodological
- Human and Ethical
- Political and Social
Related Concepts
- Subjection: 3
- The subjection of nature: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It forms part of a comprehensive conception of the relationship between human beings and nature in civilization and development.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 2
- Supporting: 1
Contexts of Use
- The State and Society, p. 178: he makes it the basis for the idea that nature is subjected to human beings so that they may fulfill their instincts, after which these instincts become desires through knowledge.
- Concept: the subjection of nature
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual evidence: “God—glory be to Him—created the human being with his instincts and made nature pliant to him in order to satisfy these instincts, in accordance with His saying—Exalted is He—: {And He has subjected to you …} (Al-Jathiyah 13).”
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 520: he uses it to affirm that nature is subjected to preserving the human instinct for survival during historical development.
- Concept: subjection
- Function of the verse here: supporting
- Textual evidence: “And He made nature pliant to him in order to preserve this instinct: {And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, all together} (Al-Jathiyah 13).”
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 520: he adduces it as evidence that nature is subjected to humanity in a way that serves the instinct for survival and the development of habitation and building.
- Concept: subjection
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual evidence: “God—glory be to Him—implanted love of survival in the human being and made nature pliant to him in order to preserve this instinct: {And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, all together}.”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.