This locus brings together 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
Indeed, We tested those before them, so that God may surely know those who were truthful and may surely know the liars.
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite al-ʿAnkabūt 3, what does “that God may know” mean for him, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the verse in the Book and the Qur’an, p. 330, in the course of his discussion of human choice. He distinguishes between an absolute, comprehensive divine knowledge and a classifying knowledge recorded against the human being; thus, the verse functions for him as an example of formulations that link this classification to human choice and to the manifestation of truthfulness or falsehood through trial.
Shahrur distinguishes between God’s absolute, comprehensive knowledge, which he calls the perfection of knowledge, and a classifying knowledge recorded against the human being. He cites al-ʿAnkabūt 3 among what he calls formulations posited in relation to human choice, alongside other verses on trial and knowledge.
Citation and Location
the Book and the Qur’an — p. 330.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited passage does not explain in detail the mechanism of “recording,” nor does it specify its practical or punitive nature.
- The cited passage does not explicitly state “after trial” as an independent temporal rule, even though the verse itself mentions testing before distinguishing the truthful from the liars.
- The cited passage does not establish, from this verse alone, a general ruling for all occurrences of “that God may know.”
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Brief Reading
The verse supports the idea that knowledge becomes manifest after trial, within the classification of actions, rather than as a deficiency in God’s knowledge.
Themes
- Methodological
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Trial: 2
- Knowledge: 1
- Actions: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It serves to separate the level of testing from the level of divine knowledge.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 330: He cites it to show that knowledge here becomes manifest after trial within the classification of actions, rather than constituting a deficiency in God’s knowledge.
- Concept: Trial
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{Indeed, We tested those before them, so that God may surely know those who were truthful and may surely know the liars…} (al-ʿAnkabūt 3)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.