This axis brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the verse as cited
And when he came to the water of Midian, he found there a community of people watering [their flocks]
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ Al-Qasas 23 in defining the meaning of “ummah”?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example that an “ummah” is a group united by a shared behavior; in this instance, he identifies the group of shepherds and the act of watering.
Shahrur considers the “ummah” in Al-Qasas 23 to be the group of shepherds united by one behavior: watering.
Citation and location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 170.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes this identification of the verse as Shahrur’s reading; it does not establish an exhaustive definition of the concept of “ummah” across all its Qur’anic usages.
- The citation does not state here a relation of synonymy or non-synonymy between “ummah” and other terms.
- Describing the verse as an example in the argument is an editorial explanation of the structure of reasoning inferred from the presentation of the citation, not an independent claim attributed to another source.
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Brief reading
Shahrur cites it as evidence that an ummah may mean a group united by one specific behavior, such as watering.
Axes
- Political and social
- Narrative and historical
Related concepts
- Ummah: 2
- Watering: 1
- Group: 1
Its place in the conceptual network
It serves to expand the concept of ummah beyond its common meaning.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Example: 1
Instances of use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 170: He cites it as evidence that ummah may refer to a group united by one behavior: watering.
- Concept: Ummah
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual citation: “{And when he came to the water of Midian, he found there a community of people watering [their flocks]} (Al-Qasas 23).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.