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.
The Verse Text as Cited
He said, “Who despairs of his Lord’s mercy except those who have gone astray?”
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ God’s saying, “Who despairs of his Lord’s mercy except those who have gone astray?” in his discussion of hope?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that despairing of God’s mercy is a trait of those who have gone astray. He therefore calls on those who have fallen into sin or excess not to lose hope, but to turn toward repentance and seek forgiveness.
Shahrur cites Al-Hijr 56 to affirm that only the astray despair of God’s mercy. For him, the verse occurs within an argument linking the prohibition of despair to the opening of the door of mercy and forgiveness for those who have wronged themselves through excess and then repented.
Citation and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 154.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes the verse’s function in rejecting despair and calling for hope; it does not offer an independent linguistic or contextual interpretation of the verse in Surat Al-Hijr.
- Linking the verse to repentance and forgiveness is part of Shahrur’s argumentative construction in the same passage, not an independent judgment on all the verse’s meanings.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur uses it to condemn despair of God’s mercy and to open the door to hope and optimism.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Human and ethical
Related Concepts
- Hope: 2
- Despair: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It stands within a network of faith-based values that prevents hopelessness and affirms mercy.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 2
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being: He uses it to condemn despair of God’s mercy and open the door to hope.
- Concept: hope
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “{ He said, ‘Who despairs of his Lord’s mercy except those who have gone astray?’ } (Al-Hijr 56).”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 154: He cites it as evidence that despairing of God’s mercy is a sign of going astray, not the conduct of a believer.
- Concept: despair
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “As His Revelation states in His saying: {He said, ‘Who despairs of his Lord’s mercy except those who have gone astray?’}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the atlas’s general methodology for constructing the atlas.