Az-Zumar 53

5 min read

For Shahrur, this verse stands as one of the broadest gateways to hope and forgiveness. It therefore recurs in contexts that highlight the vastness of divine mercy and the fact that the door of repentance is not closed to those who have transgressed against themselves.

The Verse as Cited

Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God’s mercy. Indeed, God forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

Reader’s Answer

The Question

Where does Shahrur’s interpretation of Az-Zumar 53 appear, what distinction does he make, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?

The passage appears in Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 154. Shahrur presents the verse as opening the door of mercy and forgiveness to those who transgress after they have been described in other verses with negative attributes and consequences. He makes it part of a call to seek refuge and forgiveness when one falls into excess.

Shahrur reads Az-Zumar 53 as opening the door of mercy and forgiveness before all servants, in the context of his discussion of those who transgress. At this point, Shahrur draws a contrast between the description of transgressors in other verses as liars, criminals, disbelievers, and destined for the Fire, and the verse’s opening of the door of mercy and forgiveness to them. He employs the verse in his argument about excess in order to link falling into it with seeking forgiveness, and he mentions seeking refuge in God when Satan provokes and whispers.

The Evidence and Its Location

Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 154.

Limits of the Reading

  • The evidence does not establish that forgiveness here is restricted to sins concerning God’s right.
  • The evidence does not mention an exception for associating partners with God from the meaning of the verse; this exception should therefore not be attributed to Shahrur on its basis.
  • The evidence does not establish that the verse appears in the book Islam and Humanity; its attached location is Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 154.
  • The evidence does not explicitly articulate an independent terminological distinction between repentance and forgiveness; rather, it mentions seeking forgiveness when one falls into excess.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

Shahrur understands it as a direct address to servants who have sinned, with a clear promise of forgiveness for all sins concerning God’s right except associating partners with Him. For him, it is a verse that establishes the rejection of despair and links repentance to the vastness, rather than the narrowness, of mercy.

Themes

  • Faith-related
  • Human and ethical
  • Mercy and forgiveness: 3
  • Forgiveness: 2
  • Hope: 2
  • Servants: 2

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

It belongs to the network of mercy, forgiveness, and hope, and is adjacent to the discussion of the disobedient servant as well as to the discussion of opening the door after excess. It therefore appears central to the construction of his horizon of repentance.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 3
  • Foundational: 2

Summary of Its Presence in the Atlas

  • A broad gateway to forgiveness
  • Establishes hope and the rejection of despair
  • Includes servants who have transgressed as well

Contexts of Use

  • Islam and Humanity: He makes it the basis for opening the door of forgiveness to all sins concerning God’s right except associating partners with Him.
    • Concept: forgiveness
    • Function of the verse here: foundational
    • Textual evidence: “As in His saying, Exalted is He: { Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God’s mercy. Indeed, God forgives all sins …’ } (Az-Zumar 53).”
  • Islam and Humanity: He redeploys it to establish the generality of the door of repentance and the rejection of despair over forgiveness.
    • Concept: hope
    • Function of the verse here: foundational
    • Textual evidence: “{ Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God’s mercy …’ } (Az-Zumar 53)”
  • Islam and Humanity: He cites it as evidence for the vastness of divine mercy and the opening of the door of repentance to one who has sinned or done wrong.
    • Concept: mercy and forgiveness
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual evidence: “Indeed, among the mercy of divine mercy is that good deeds erase bad deeds… { Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves …’ } (Az-Zumar 53)”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 154: He employs it to affirm that those who transgress are not outside God’s mercy and that the door of repentance remains open after falling into excess.
    • Concept: mercy and forgiveness
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual evidence: “After describing, in the verses of His Wise Revelation, those who transgress as liars, criminals, disbelievers, and bound for the Fire, He opens the door of mercy and forgiveness before all His servants.”
  • Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 58: He uses it to establish that the term servants may also apply to the disobedient, not only to the obedient.
    • Concept: servants
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual evidence: “The disobedient servant is mentioned in His saying, Exalted is He: { Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves …’ } (Az-Zumar 53).”

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

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas