Al-Zukhruf 26

3 min read

This locus brings together 3 instances 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 when Abraham said to his father and his people, “Indeed, I am dissociated from what you worship.”

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur read Abraham’s statement: “Indeed, I am dissociated from what you worship”?

Shahrur employs the verse to define baraʾ as turning away, placing it within a human social relationship that begins as an idea in the individual and then becomes practical conduct. In this use, the verse represents Abraham’s declaration that he was turning away from what his people worshipped, rather than merely an isolated expression detached from its context.

Shahrur defines baraʾ as “turning away only,” citing Al-Zukhruf 26 as an example of it.

Source and Location

Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 292.

Limits of the Reading

  • The source establishes that Shahrur defines baraʾ as turning away and cites the verse as evidence for it, but the excerpt does not provide a detailed explanation of every dimension of Abraham’s story or of the meaning of “what you worship” beyond this use.
  • The source does not establish that baraʾ, for Shahrur, necessarily means hostility toward or severance from persons; here he formulates it as turning away within a human social relationship.
  • Describing baraʾ as dissociation from “tyranny” does not occur in the attached source, and therefore should not be attributed to this verse on that basis.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

The verse is made a basis for the meaning of baraʾ as turning away from falsehood and dissociating oneself from polytheism and tyranny.

Axes

  • Faith-based
  • Human and ethical
  • Baraʾ: 4

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

It enters the network of concepts as a reference for defining baraʾ without turning it into a rupture with people.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Foundational: 3

Instances of Use

  • Islam and the Human Being: It makes the verse a model for the meaning of baraʾ as abandoning and turning away from falsehood.
    • Concept: Baraʾ
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual witness: “{ And when Abraham said to his father and his people, ‘Indeed, I am dissociated from what you worship.’ } (Al-Zukhruf 26).”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 292: It cites the verse to define baraʾ as turning away and breaking with polytheism, then extends this to different social contexts.
    • Concept: Baraʾ
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual witness: “As for baraʾ, we find it in His—Exalted is He—saying: {And when Abraham said … ‘Indeed, I am dissociated from what you worship’} (Al-Zukhruf 26).”
  • Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 64: It makes the verse a basis for defining baraʾ as dissociation from polytheism and tyranny, not from people in general.
    • Concept: Baraʾ
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual witness: “As for baraʾ, we find it in His—Exalted is He—saying: { And when Abraham said … ‘Indeed, I am dissociated from what you worship’ } (Al-Zukhruf 26).”

This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas