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.
The Verse Text as Cited
They worked at sea, so I wished to damage it, for behind them was a king who seized every ship by force.
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Qur’an 18:79 in his discussion of individual decision-making under unjust authority?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example of how someone who possesses knowledge of an imminent harm may, in order to help the weak, take a preventive measure that appears harmful on its face if it averts a greater harm; he places this in the context of an unjust authority or law that threatens their livelihood.
Answer: Yes, in Shahrur’s reading as presented in the cited passage. He understands the damaging of the ship as an intentional apparent harm intended to prevent the unjust ruler from seizing it, thereby preserving the livelihood of its poor owners from a greater harm. How Shahrur employs the verse: he derives from it a specific case—helping the poor when an assault by an unjust authority is anticipated; in this case, he says that the person who knows the outcome may make the decision to help on their own, without consulting or informing anyone, if disclosure or consultation is unsuitable for this preventive intervention.
Citation and Location
The State and Society — p. 244.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited passage does not establish that this understanding is the only interpretation of the verse, or that it is a general legal ruling independent of the conditions of the example cited by Shahrur.
- The cited passage alone does not establish a connection between the verse and a broader claim about the symbolism of the story of Moses and the righteous servant, or about the structure of Shahrur’s theory of knowledge and law.
Continue from Here
- The State and Society
- The story of Moses and the righteous servant symbolizes the conflict between knowledge and law
Brief Reading
The verse presents an example of the permissibility of an individual preventive decision in the face of unjust authority in order to avert a greater harm.
Axes
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Individual justice: 2
- Unjust authority: 1
- Averting harm: 1
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It reinforces the concept of individual justice in confronting despotism and public harm.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Example: 1
Atlas Pages Referring to This Verse
These links collect the pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.
Related Structural Theses
Instances of Use
- The State and Society, p. 244: He uses the story of damaging the ship as an example of the permissibility of an individual preventive decision in the face of unjust authority in order to avert a greater harm.
- Concept: individual justice
- The verse’s function here: example
- Textual citation: “For His saying: {So I wished to damage it, for behind them was a king who seized every ship by force} (Al-Kahf 79).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.