This locus brings together 1 instance of the use of these verses in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking them to the concepts and arguments that appear around them.
Text of the Verses as Cited
By the dawn * and ten nights * and the even and the odd
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where are these verses located, how does Shahrur interpret their terms, and what function do they serve in his introduction to distinguishing among the acts of creating existence?
The verses occur at the beginning of Surat al-Fajr (1–3). Shahrur links “the dawn” to the initial cosmic explosion, “the ten nights” to stages in the evolution of matter, and “the even and the odd” to the formation of hydrogen. He then makes them an entry point for announcing a later distinction between creation, origination, and bringing forth.
Shahrur interprets the dawn as the initial cosmic explosion, the ten nights as stages in the evolution of matter until it became transparent to light, and links the even and the odd to the structure of the first element formed, hydrogen. Shahrur presents these verses as a prelude to distinguishing among three acts in the creation of existence: creation, origination, and bringing forth.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 202.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes that Shahrur announces a distinction between creation, origination, and bringing forth, but in this passage it does not provide an independent definition of each act or the detailed differences among them.
- The citation does not establish that this interpretation is the only meaning of the verses or that it is a demonstrated alternative to other readings.
- The reference to Qur’an 6:1 occurs as support within Shahrur’s argument, and the citation does not provide sufficient detail to analyze it independently.
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Brief Reading
The verses ground a cosmological reading that sees in them a reference to the initial explosion and the stages of the evolution of matter.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Cosmic explosion: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It opens the way to linking text and cosmos in a general interpretive reading.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 202: He interprets them as a reference to the initial cosmic explosion and stages in the evolution of matter, rather than to the customary devotional meaning.
- Concept: cosmic explosion
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “He said therein, Exalted be He: {BY THE DAWN * AND TEN NIGHTS * AND THE EVEN AND THE ODD} (al-Fajr 1–3), so the dawn is the initial cosmic explosion.”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.