This thematic entry 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
I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this town, which He has made sacred, and to Him belongs all things; and I have been commanded to be among the Muslims, and to recite the Qur’an. Whoever is guided is guided only for his own sake; and whoever goes astray, say: I am only one of the warners.
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ verses 91–92 of al-Naml in his conception of the message of the Seal of the Prophets?
Shahrur employs the two verses as part of his discussion of the message of the Seal of the Prophets: he connects the command to worship “the Lord of this town,” the recitation of the Qur’an, and warning to a stage he calls “human governance,” and maintains that this message, in his presentation, is not founded on the performance of supernatural acts and miracles. The citation establishes this use as a Shahrurian reading of the verses, rather than as a necessary implication of their wording alone.
Shahrur cites al-Naml 91–92 in presenting the characteristics of the Seal of the Prophets, highlighting the command to worship the Lord of the town, Islam, recitation of the Qur’an, and warning. Shahrur states that the Seal of the Prophets “did not perform any supernatural act or miracle,” explaining this by saying that his mission came as the conclusion of what he calls “divine governance” and “the governance of succession,” and as the opening of a stage of “human governance” connected to God without sensible or visible phenomena.
Citation and Location
Religion and Power — p. 74.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation is excerpted from a single location on page 74. It establishes the association of the two verses with this conception in Shahrur’s discourse, but it does not set out all of his premises or his detailed explanation of the terms “divine governance,” “the governance of succession,” and “human governance.”
- Attributing the idea of “a stage based on reciting the Qur’an and warning” to the verses requires cautious phrasing: the verses mention recitation and warning, whereas making them the title of a historical stage rests on Shahrur’s reading presented in the citation.
- Saying that the message “is not founded on supernatural acts” is more precise than claiming the absolute denial of every miracle, because the citation reports Shahrur’s statement that the Seal of the Prophets “did not perform any supernatural act or miracle” within the context of his particular theory.
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Brief Reading
For Shahrur, the verse establishes a connection between the message of the Seal of the Prophets and the sacred land, within a stage founded on reciting the Qur’an and warning rather than on supernatural acts.
Themes
- Methodological
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- The sacred land: 2
- Human governance: 1
- Recitation of the Qur’an: 1
- Warning: 1
- Supernatural acts: 1
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to the concept of the sacred land and to the idea of the discourse’s transition to human governance.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Usage Locations
- Religion and Power, p. 74: He employs it to connect the message of the Seal of the Prophets to the sacred land and to the stage of human governance, which is founded on reciting the Qur’an and warning rather than on supernatural acts.
- Concept: the sacred land
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “God manifested Himself therein through His sacred attributes and His divine governance: {I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this town … and to recite the Qur’an …}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.