This locus brings together 2 instances 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
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ Qur’an 16:125 in his discussion of calling to faith and initiating hostility toward others?
Shahrur employs the verse to object to making the open declaration of enmity and hatred the starting point for dealing with those who differ. He maintains that initiating hostility toward others conflicts with the command to call with wisdom, good exhortation, and argument in the best manner. He holds that the address, although outwardly directed to the Prophet, includes believers in every time and place.
Shahrur regards initiating enmity and hatred toward others as conduct incompatible with God’s saying: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner.” He distinguishes between not exchanging affection with those who wage war against God and His Messenger, being hostile to and hating them, and openly declaring this hostility before any dialogue; he does not treat these as one and the same thing. Shahrur considers the verse’s command to be outwardly addressed to the Prophet, while encompassing members of the community and believers in every time and place.
Citation and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 189.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s use of the verse in criticizing the initiation of enmity and hatred toward those who differ; by itself, it does not establish a general, detailed theory of religious coercion.
- The connection of the verse to freedom of belief appears in another citation within a synthetic context involving multiple verses; the more precise citation for this page relates directly to the question of hostility and dialogue.
- Describing the call as a “gentle dialogue” is an interpretive formulation close to the wording of the verse, but the more accurate attribution to the citation is: wisdom, good exhortation, and argument in the best manner.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur relies on the verse to affirm that calling to faith should proceed through wisdom, good exhortation, and gentle dialogue, rather than coercion or condescension.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Calling to faith: 2
- Calling with wisdom: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the method of calling to faith and the style of discourse.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 2
Instances of Use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 189: He relies on it to affirm that calling to faith should be conducted with wisdom and good exhortation, not by abruptly confronting others with hostility.
- Concept: calling to faith
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “{Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom…} (al-Nahl 125).”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 245: He uses it to define the prophetic method of calling to faith as a gentle, rational dialogue, rather than religious coercion or condescension.
- Concept: calling with wisdom
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “And He says: {Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner} (al-Nahl 125)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.