al-Ra'd 25

3 min read

This locus 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

And those who break God’s covenant after its solemn binding…

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur place al-Ra’d 25, how does he distinguish in it between the covenant and the pact, and what function does it serve in his argument?

Shahrur cites al-Ra’d 25 alongside al-Baqarah 26–27 in the context of breaking God’s covenant after its pact. He uses the order of the wording in it to argue that the pact is more important than, and prior to, the treaty; he then contrasts this with al-Ra’d 19–22 concerning those endowed with understanding, where he places the covenant and the pact at the same level, or regards them as an indivisible whole.

Shahrur cites al-Ra’d 25 as a verse that mentions breaking God’s covenant after its pact, and reads this order as indicating, in his view, that the pact is more important than the treaty and precedes it. In constructing his argument, Shahrur does not make al-Ra’d 25 alone a final judgment on the relationship between the covenant and the pact; rather, he contrasts it with al-Ra’d 19–22, maintaining that, for those endowed with understanding, the two stand at one level or constitute a single indivisible entity.

Citation and Location

Islam and Faith — p. 109.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not state that the covenant and the pact are absolutely synonymous; rather, it attributes to Shahrur a judgment qualified by its application to those endowed with understanding in al-Ra’d 19–22.
  • The citation does not establish that al-Ra’d 25 alone is evidence for the obligation to honor the covenant or for a detailed account of punishment; the occurrence of the curse and the evil abode in it is part of the verse text cited by Shahrur, but the focus of his reported comment is the ordering of covenant and pact.
  • The citation does not establish that “covenant” and “pact” are closely related merely because they occur together; the connection here is based on Shahrur’s explicit interpretation of the cited verses.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

Shahrur cites it as evidence for the obligation to honor the covenant and for the gravity of breaching the pact and the punishment that follows from it.

Themes

  • Human and ethical
  • Faith-related
  • Covenant and pact: 2
  • Breach of the pact: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It deepens the presence of the pact as an ethical and faith-based commitment.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Support: 2

Instances of Use

  • Islam and Faith, p. 109: He cites it as evidence for the closeness of the covenant and the pact among those endowed with understanding, and for the obligation to honor both.
    • Concept: Covenant and pact
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “{And those who break God’s covenant after its solemn binding…} (al-Ra’d 25).”
  • Islam and Faith, p. 109: He cites it to underscore the gravity of breaking the covenant after the pact and that this entails punishment.
    • Concept: Breach of the pact
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “- {And those who break God’s covenant after its solemn binding …} (al-Ra’d 25).”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas