This axis brings together 1 locus of 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, “Indeed, you are an unfamiliar people.”}
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ God’s saying, {He said, “Indeed, you are an unfamiliar people”}, in his inquiry into the meaning of «qawm»?
Shahrur employs the verse within his discussion of the story of Lot in order to make the term «qawm» here denote a group of males, rather than a general ethnic group. However, he does not base this on the wording of the verse alone; rather, he connects it to the context of the verses about Lot, especially the phrase {Is there not among you a right-minded man?}, which he regards as an indication of males.
Shahrur cites Al-Hijr 62 as part of the context of Lot’s story, which he connects to the subject of “the indecency of homosexuality among males.” He concludes that “his people” and «qawm» in the verses about Lot mean exclusively a group of males, taking the ending of the Hud verse with the expression {a right-minded man} as evidence for this specification.
Citation and Location
The State and Society — p. 61.
Limits of the Reading
- This is evidence of Shahrur’s way of employing the verse, not independent proof that the term «qawm» in every Qur’anic occurrence is exclusive to males.
- The indication {Is there not among you a right-minded man?} occurs in a verse from Surat Hud, not in the text of Al-Hijr 62 itself; therefore, this specification should be attributed to Shahrur’s contextual construction.
- The accompanying text states that Shahrur establishes another usage for «qawm»: “a group of rational people, male and female,” in a social environment; thus, the reading of the Lot verse should not be generalized to all usages.
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Brief Reading
The verse is understood as addressed to a group of males, rather than to a general ethnic meaning.
Axes
- Political and social
- Human and ethical
Related Concepts
- Homosexuality: 2
Its Place in the Concept Network
It connects Qur’anic discourse with the identification of the social domain intended by it.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Loci of Use
- The State and Society, p. 61: He treats it as an indication that Lot’s address is directed to a group of males, not to a general ethnic meaning.
- Concept: homosexuality
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “The subject of the verse concerns the indecency of homosexuality among males, as gathered in His—Exalted be He—saying: {He said, ‘Indeed, you are an unfamiliar people.’} (Al-Hijr 62).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.