This locus brings together two 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
And fear Him who has supplied you with what you know * supplied you with livestock and sons
Reader’s answer
Question
What is the place of verses 132–133 of al-Shu‘ara’ in the comparison, what distinction does Shahrur make between livestock in the story of Hud and its absence from the story of Noah, and what function do the two verses serve in his argument?
Shahrur places verses 132–133 of al-Shu‘ara’ in the story of Hud and compares them with Noah 12. He distinguishes between the non-occurrence of the term “livestock” in the story of Noah and the non-existence of livestock: for him, its non-occurrence does not negate its existence, but indicates that it was not among the features of Noah’s era. He then makes the comparison a means of identifying the “wealth” in Noah’s verse as the “livestock” in the verse of al-Shu‘ara’, within his reading of Noah’s verse as a prophecy of what would occur later.
Shahrur says that the term livestock does not occur in the story of Noah, and this is not to be understood as meaning that it was nonexistent, but rather that it was not among the features of Noah’s era. Shahrur treats the phrase “and He will supply you with wealth and sons” in Noah 12 as a prophecy anticipating what would happen later, then compares it with the phrase “He supplied you with livestock and sons” in al-Shu‘ara’ 132–133, within the story of Hud. Shahrur explicitly states that the “wealth” in Noah 12 is the same as the “livestock” in al-Shu‘ara’ 133; the function of the comparison in his argument is to establish this correspondence.
Citation and location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 48.
Limits of the reading
- The citation does not establish a historical detail about when livestock came to be realized or how it moved from Noah’s prophecy to the reality of Hud’s people; rather, it establishes that Shahrur reads Noah’s prophecy as concerning what happens later and compares it with Hud’s verse.
- The citation does not present a general rule concerning synonymy or its negation; it is limited here to Shahrur’s statement of equivalence between “wealth” and “livestock” in these two verses.
- Verbal similarity alone is insufficient to establish the relationship; here, the relationship rests on the comparison and explicit statement contained in the citation.
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Brief reading
He compares them with Noah’s verse to argue that livestock was later realized as the reality of what Noah had foretold.
Axes
- Political and social
- Narrative and historical
Related concepts
- Livestock: 2
- Adaptation: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It is connected to livestock as a sign of the fulfillment of promises in a historical trajectory.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Support: 2
Instances of use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 48: He compares it with Noah’s verse to argue that livestock was later realized as the reality of what Noah had foretold in terms of wealth and sons.
- Concept: livestock
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “{ And fear Him who has supplied you with what you know * supplied you with livestock and sons} (al-Shu‘ara’ 132–133)”
- The State and Society, p. 77: He cites it to link the stage of human settlement to the development of the means of production, livestock, and construction within the law of adaptation to nature.
- Concept: adaptation
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “His—Exalted is He—saying: {And fear Him who has supplied you with what you know (132), supplied you with livestock and sons} (al-Shu‘ara’ 132–133), as human beings settled during this stage in places of settlement.”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.