This entry 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
And that you deal justly with orphans
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “And that you deal justly with orphans,” in his presentation?
Shahrur employs the verse within a list of texts that bring together injunctions concerning the orphan: safeguarding his property, not oppressing him, treating him kindly, and dealing justly with him. Its arrangement on the page indicates that, for him, the verse serves as evidence for including justice toward orphans within an ethical system, rather than as an independent explanation of the details of rulings concerning orphans or as proof of the historical repetition of this principle in all messages.
Shahrur cites Qur’an 4:127 within a group of verses related to the orphan, alongside the prohibition against approaching his property except in the best manner, the prohibition against oppressing him, and the mention of doing good to orphans.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 77.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation is excerpted from a list and does not provide a detailed linguistic or legal interpretation of the phrase “with equity.”
- The subsequent statement concerning measure and balance, and their establishment through Shuʿayb, then Moses and Jesus, concerns a new item in the text and cannot serve as evidence for the repetition of the ruling concerning orphans across the messages.
- This citation alone is insufficient to support the claim that the verse establishes a recurring ethical legislation across the messages; what is established is its inclusion in a group of injunctions specific to the orphan.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
The verse is cited as evidence that justice toward orphans is part of the ethical equity recurring in the messages.
Axes
- Humanitarian and ethical
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Equity: 3
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It connects care for the orphan to the principle of equity.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 2
Contexts of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 77: cited as evidence that justice toward orphans is part of the recurring ethical legislation in the messages.
- Concept: equity
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “{… And that you deal justly with orphans…} (Women 127).”
- Islam and Faith, p. 77: cited to affirm that care for orphans is not merely emotional, but is founded on equity and justice.
- Concept: equity
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “- {… And that you deal justly with orphans…} (Women 127).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.