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 there were in the city nine men of a raht who spread corruption in the land and did not reform
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, how does Shahrur distinguish in it between the raht and the clan, and what function does it serve in his argument about Thamud’s society?
The verse occurs in Surat al-Naml (48). Shahrur makes it evidence for the emergence of the concept of the clan in the time of Salih: for him, the raht is a group of fewer than ten men, and a man’s raht is his closest clan. In his argument, the verse serves to support his conception of an advanced familial-clan distinction in Thamud, alongside the continued existence of the malaʾ and the lowly.
Shahrur cites al-Naml 48 as evidence for the emergence of the concept of the clan in the time of Salih, relying on the occurrence of the term “raht” in the verse. Shahrur defines the raht as fewer than ten men and connects a man’s raht with his closest clan. He employs this argument within his conception of the existence, in the time of Salih, of a familial-clan differentiation based on material interest. He regards this as more advanced than what he presented for the eras of Noah and Hud, while the two classes of the malaʾ and the lowly remained.
Citation and location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 61.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes that this is Shahrur’s use of the verse; it does not independently establish historically that the concept of the clan first emerged in the time of Salih.
- The citation does not establish complete synonymy between “raht” and “clan”; rather, it defines the raht and describes a man’s raht as his closest clan.
- This page does not address a full interpretation of the verse or assess the validity of the historical and social construction that Shahrur infers from it.
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Brief reading
It is used to establish the presence of the concept of the raht or clan and to link it to social differentiation in the story of Salih.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Political and social
Related concepts
- Clan: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It links the Qur’anic narrative to the structure of community and kinship.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Support: 1
Instances of use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 61: He uses it to establish the emergence of the concept of the raht/clan in the time of Salih and to link this to social differentiation.
- Concept: Clan
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “As evidenced by the first occurrence of raht in His saying, exalted be He: {And there were in the city nine men of a raht who spread corruption in the land and did not reform} (al-Naml 48).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.