Al-Najm 27

3 min read

This axis brings together 2 instances 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

{Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names}

Reader’s answer

Question

Where does Shahrur cite the verse, what does attributing female naming to the angels mean in his presentation, and what function does it serve in his argument?

Shahrur cites Al-Najm 27 in the book The State and Society, p. 79, within a group of verses addressing the attribution of femininity to angels. He makes it part of his argument concerning the connection between religious representations of femininity and what he calls the “age of motherhood,” as well as fertility beliefs in ancient civilizations.

Shahrur cites Al-Najm 27 among verses he collected concerning calling the angels female or making them female. He links this pattern of representations to the age of motherhood, in which he describes the mother/female as the head of the household, and holds that votive offerings at that time took female forms.

Citation and location

The State and Society — p. 79.

Limits of the reading

  • The citation does not state that the verse itself historically explains an ancient religious conception; rather, Shahrur employs it within a broader argument linking the verses to the age of motherhood and fertility beliefs.
  • The citation does not establish a particular relationship between Al-Najm 27 and any other verse in the list, apart from their appearing adjacent to one another in Shahrur’s presentation.
  • The citation does not establish whether the terms occurring in the verses are synonymous or non-synonymous.
  • The location established by the citation is p. 79 of The State and Society, not p. 45 mentioned in the description of the current usage.

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Brief reading

Shahrur adduces the verse to argue that calling the angels female reflects an ancient historical conception in religious consciousness.

Axes

  • Narrative and historical
  • Faith-related
  • Conception of angels: 2
  • Naming of angels: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

It is connected to the history of religious representations of angels.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Support: 2

Instances of use

  • The State and Society, p. 45: He uses it to support the idea that early religious conceptions were formulated through female representations in ancient consciousness.
    • Concept: conception of angels
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “And votive offerings at this stage came to people in the form of females, according to His—Exalted is He—saying: {Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names} (Al-Najm 27).”
  • The State and Society, p. 79: He cites it to affirm that calling the angels female reflects a historical stage of consciousness, rather than a merely abstract exegetical issue.
    • Concept: naming of angels
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “- {Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names} (Al-Najm 27).”

This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas