This entry gathers 1 instance 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
The revelation of the Book is from God, the Almighty, the Wise
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ God’s saying, “The revelation of the Book is from God, the Almighty, the Wise,” in his division of the components of the Book?
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence that “the revelation of the Book” is a comprehensive heading for divisions that he identifies as the Mother of the Book, the detailed exposition of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses, and that these were revealed together over the course of the messengerhood. In his reading, the verse does not single out the Mother of the Book for an independent revelation; rather, it speaks of the Book under its overall designation.
Shahrur attributes to the phrase “the revelation of the Book” an inclusion of the Mother of the Book, the detailed exposition of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses together. On the basis of this inclusion, Shahrur holds that these divisions were revealed and sent down over twenty-three years, and that no “making” occurred for them, since they had no prior existence according to his terminology.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 145.
Limits of the Reading
- This is an account of Shahrur’s technical reading, not a statement of the verse’s agreed-upon meaning in Qur’anic exegesis.
- The verse itself states that the Book is a revelation from God, the Almighty, the Wise; it does not name the Mother of the Book, the detailed exposition of the Book, or the seven oft-repeated verses. The introduction of these terms results from Shahrur’s broader inference, as appears in the citation.
- The attached passage ends before the final phrase is completed, but Shahrur’s use of Az-Zumar 1 as evidence and his explicit statement that the three divisions are included are clear in it.
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Brief Reading
He adduces it to show that the Mother of the Book, the detailed exposition of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses fall under the heading of the revelation of the Book.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Revelation of the Book: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It supports the concept of the revelation of the Book within the structure of the overall reading.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Contexts of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 145: He adduces it to show that the Mother of the Book, the detailed exposition of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses fall under the heading of the revelation of the Book, rather than under a making specific to the Mother of the Book.
- Concept: Revelation of the Book
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{The revelation of the Book is from God, the Almighty, the Wise} (Az-Zumar 1)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.