This axis brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Text of the Verse as Cited
{And of everything We created a pair, so that you may take heed}
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur situate Al-Dhariyat 49, what do the two pairs mean for him, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur presents the verse as the optimal formulation of a second general law: a non-contradictory external, dual, complementary relation between two distinct things, based on mutual influence and reciprocal effect and leading to continuous adaptation and adjustment.
Shahrur presents Al-Dhariyat 49 as the optimal formulation of a law operating in all things. In this context, Shahrur interprets “a pair” as two distinct things connected by a non-contradictory external, dual, complementary relation founded on mutual influence and reciprocal effect. In Shahrur’s account, the reciprocal relation between the two things leads to continuous adaptation and adjustment, and operates at multiple levels.
Evidence and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 201.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence establishes this definition of pairing in the context of the law Shahrur calls the “second,” but it does not explain here what the first law is.
- The evidence does not establish that the relation between the two members of the pair is contradiction or synonymy; rather, it explicitly describes it as complementary and non-contradictory.
- The evidence does not explain detailed applications of the verse to particular phenomena, nor does it establish the formulation “the general law of pairing” beyond what is stated in its description of the law’s operation in all things.
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Brief Reading
Shahrur makes it the basis for the general law of pairing, founded on complementary duality and mutual influence.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Pairing: 2
- Complementary duality: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It contributes to the construction of a universal law describing the order of existence.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
- Foundation: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 164: He uses it to establish the general law of pairing in existence.
- Concept: pairing
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “He also said {And of everything We created a pair, so that you may take heed}”
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 201: He makes it the basis of the law of pairing, founded on mutual influence and reciprocal effect between two different things.
- Concept: complementary duality
- Function of the verse here: foundation
- Textual evidence: “The optimal formulation of this law occurs in His, exalted be He, saying: {And of everything We created a pair, so that you may take heed} (Al-Dhariyat 49).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.