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.
Text of the Verse as Cited
He brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living, and revives the earth after its death; and thus you will be brought forth.
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur employ Romans 19, what does his distinction between death and annihilation mean, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the verse in the context of his discussion of death in natural things. He treats death as a phenomenon of transition and alternation with life, in contrast to annihilation, which he describes as a unidirectional discontinuity involving no alternation. The verse thus serves as evidence for the aspect of “death” in this division, rather than for the concept of annihilation.
Shahrur employs Romans 19 as evidence when discussing death in natural things. He defines death in nature as a cycle based on alternation between death and life, and regards it as a transition from one state to another. Shahrur distinguishes death from annihilation: death entails alternation, whereas annihilation is a unidirectional human phenomenon involving no alternation.
Evidence and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 291.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence establishes the verse’s location and function within Shahrur’s division between death and annihilation; it does not provide an independent, detailed explanation of every phrase in the verse.
- The evidence does not establish that the verse addresses natural death alone outside this argumentative context.
- The evidence does not establish a relation of synonymy or non-synonymy between terms other than “death” and “annihilation” within the stated distinction.
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Brief Reading
Shahrur takes it as an example of death in nature as alternation and a cycle of transition between two states.
Axes
- Methodological
- Narrative and Historical
Related Concepts
- Life cycle: 2
- Alternation: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the idea of continuous transformation in the objective world.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
- Foundation: 1
Instances of Use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 291: He cites it to explain death in nature as alternation and a cycle of transition between two states.
- Concept: Life cycle
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual evidence: “His saying—Exalted is He—: {He brings forth the living from the dead …} (Romans 19)”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 291: He adduces it as evidence that death in nature is a phenomenon of alternation and transition between two states, without discontinuity.
- Concept: Alternation
- Function of the verse here: Foundation
- Textual evidence: “With regard to natural things, there is His saying—Exalted is He—: {He brings forth the living from the dead …} (Romans 19)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.