This axis brings together 1 occurrence 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 if they dispute with you, say: God knows best what you do.
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite Al-Hajj 68, what distinction does he associate with it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The citation appears in The Book and the Qur’an, p. 278. Shahrur presents the verse as an example of a dispute between monotheism and pluralism between the Prophet and his people, using it to parallel the position of Hud and his people in the context of his discussion of disputation.
Shahrur cites Al-Hajj 68 in The Book and the Qur’an, p. 278, within an account of a disputational position that he connects to monotheism and pluralism between the Prophet and his people. The function of Al-Hajj 68 in the argument is to support a parallel between this dispute and the dispute attributed to Hud and his people, rather than to provide an independent analysis of the verse’s wording.
Evidence and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 278.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence establishes Shahrur’s linking of the verse to monotheism and pluralism, as well as its analogical function within the passage, but it does not define the two terms independently in theoretical terms.
- The evidence does not establish whether “unity” and “monotheism” are synonymous or distinct for Shahrur; each occurs in the context of the statement without an explicit terminological relation being specified between them.
- The subsequent paragraph on the “unity of opposites” in the single human being pertains to the verses about Abraham, and therefore should not be attributed to Al-Hajj 68 on the basis of this evidence alone.
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Brief Reading
The verse is cited to show theological disputation as an arena between monotheism and pluralism.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Disputation: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to an argumentative trajectory that establishes the unity of truth in contrast to forms of theological disagreement.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Occurrences of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 278: He cites it to affirm the existence of a theological dispute between monotheism and pluralism.
- Concept: disputation
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “Just as such a disputational position arose between monotheism and pluralism between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his people in His, exalted be He, saying: {And if they dispute with you, say: God knows best what you do} (Al-Hajj 68).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the overall methodology for building the atlas.