This axis brings together 1 locus where this verse is used in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
{O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with some news, verify it…}
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Al-Hujurat 6 in his conception of wisdom?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example of an ethical value governing the reception of reports: verification before acting upon a report, so that people do not harm others out of ignorance and then come to regret it. For him, it is among the values and ideals included in the concept of “wisdom” in the Wise Revelation, even though the verse does not explicitly appear under the heading of wisdom.
The verse commands verification of a report brought by a wicked person, and links this verification to avoiding harm to a people out of ignorance and the regret that follows. Shahrur cites Al-Hujurat 6 as an example of the ethical values and higher ideals that he regards as included in the concept of wisdom, even if they occur without the label “wisdom.”
Citation and Location
The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna — p. 104.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s inclusion of the verse among examples of ethical values that he calls wisdom; it does not explain a detailed procedural methodology for verifying reports.
- The citation does not establish that Shahrur derives from the verse a particular theory of the probative authority of reports or detailed rules for accepting narrations.
- The meaning of the verse here should not be extended to other relations merely because of verbal overlap with verses or subjects concerning reports or wickedness.
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Brief Reading
The verse is used to affirm the value of verification in receiving reports and to protect society from ignorance and regret.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Verification: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the ethics of dealing with information within disciplined ethical conduct.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Loci of Use
- The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, p. 104: He places it among examples of ethical wisdom that regulates dealing with reports and prevents regret and ignorance.
- Concept: Verification
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “And His saying, Exalted is He: {O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with some news, verify it…} Al-Hujurat 6.”
Related Books
- The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna
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