This locus brings together 1 instance of this verse’s use in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
Knower of the Unseen
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place the phrase “Knower of the Unseen,” what distinction does he construct through it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the description of God as “Knower of the Unseen” from al-Ma’idah 109 to establish that the unseen, in principle, is confined to God. He distinguishes this restriction from the provision of prophets with specific unseen knowledge to prove prophethood; he stresses that this does not include knowledge of the future unseen. In his argument, the verse serves to reject the attribution of knowledge of the unseen and comprehensive infallibility to prophets, and then to imams, saints, and scholars.
When describing God as “Knower of the Unseen,” Shahrur relies on al-Ma’idah 109 to establish that the unseen is confined to God alone. Shahrur distinguishes between restricting the unseen to God and the specific unseen knowledge with which prophets are supplied to establish their prophethood, excluding from such knowledge knowledge of the future unseen. Shahrur uses this distinction to object to the claim that prophets—or imams, saints, and scholars by inheritance—know the unseen or possess infallibility in every statement and action.
Citation and Location
Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 92.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s use of the verse in this context, but does not provide an independent analysis of the full context of al-Ma’idah 109.
- The citation does not establish synonymy or a semantic distinction among the terms for the unseen occurring in different verses.
- The claim concerning specific unseen knowledge for prophets is attributed here to Shahrur within this passage and is not extended into a complete theory of all forms of revelation without additional evidence.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
The verse is used to establish that absolute knowledge of the unseen belongs to God alone and to preclude attributing it to prophets or scholars.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- The unseen: 2
- God’s knowledge: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It contributes to constructing a clear boundary between what is exclusive to God and what human beings can receive.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Contexts of Use
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 92: He makes it a basis for confining absolute knowledge of the unseen to God alone, excluding prophets and scholars.
- Concept: the unseen
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “His—Exalted is He—description of Himself as { Knower of the Unseen } (al-Ma’idah 109)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.