This axis 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
… and his clan that shelters him
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where do verses 11–13 of Al-Ma’arij occur, what does “the clan” mean for Shahrur, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The citation occurs in Al-Ma’arij 11–13, within a depiction of the terrors of the Day of Gathering. Shahrur takes “the clan” to be the name for the closest kin group, to which a person’s loyalty is bound because of the protection, assistance, and security it provides. The function of these verses in his argument is to demonstrate the strength of familial and tribal loyalty, since the scene of the Resurrection depicts a person being preoccupied from it.
Shahrur reads “the clan” as a designation for the closest kin group, linking it to members of the clan whom, he says, the verses mentioned earlier in detail. Shahrur distinguishes the clan through its function in a person’s life: it is a locus of loyalty because of the protection, assistance, and security it provides. Shahrur employs Al-Ma’arij 11–13 as evidence that familial and tribal loyalty are among the strongest kinds of loyalty, relying on their occurrence in a depiction of the terrors of the Hour and of a person turning away from those closest to him.
Citation and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 173.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not describe this loyalty as “innate,” so this description is not established in the answer.
- The citation does not provide an independent linguistic definition of “the clan,” nor does it establish its synonymy with the family or tribe; rather, Shahrur links it to the closest kin group in the context of his argument.
- The connection to an earlier passage concerning the clan is mentioned in the citation without specifying or presenting that passage here.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
It is cited to argue that the family or clan is a locus of shelter and protection, and that this is among the strongest forms of innate loyalty.
Axes
- Political and social
- Human and ethical
Related Concepts
- Clan: 2
- Shelter: 1
- Protection: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It clarifies the concept of loyalty within the familial and social structure.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
Instances of Use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 173: It is cited to argue that the family/clan is a locus of shelter and protection, and that this is among the strongest forms of innate loyalty.
- Concept: clan
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual citation: “{… and his clan that shelters him} (Al-Ma’arij 11–13).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.