Al-Nur 37

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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

Men whom neither trade nor selling distracts from the remembrance of God, the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakat

Reader’s answer

Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur read the phrase “the establishment of prayer” in Al-Nur 37, and what does he mean by distinguishing between “ṣalwah” and “ṣalāh”?

Shahrur uses the verse as an example of what he calls the ritual “ṣalwah”: a connection between the servant and his Lord, performed through specific rites and movements. In this verse, he links it to the act of “establishment.” This is his particular reading: the evidence presents his inference from the spelling of the word and its association with establishment, but does not by itself demonstrate that this distinction is necessary for every occurrence in the Qur’an or generally agreed upon.

Shahrur cites Al-Nur 37 as evidence that “ṣalwah,” when occurring after the verb “establishment,” refers, in his reading, to a rite involving standing, bowing, prostration, and recitation. He contrasts this verse with Al-Nur 41, construing “his prayer” there as connection, glorification, and supplication, since, in his view, the passage concerns birds rather than the performance of a ritual rite.

Evidence and location

Islam and Faith — p. 254.

Limits of the reading

  • The evidence reports Shahrur’s interpretation and reasoning; it does not provide an independent linguistic or traditional discussion supporting the distinction between spelling and meaning.
  • This verse alone cannot be turned into a rule that every occurrence of “ṣalāh” means non-ritual connection, or that every “ṣalwah” means the ritual.
  • The page metadata’s reference to the book “Islam and the Human Being” is not accompanied here by a quotation from it; the attached textual evidence is instead from “Islam and Faith,” p. 254.

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Brief reading

For Shahrur, the verse distinguishes ṣalwah as an established ritual from the meaning of connection with God, linking it to the movements of establishment rather than mere supplication.

Axes

  • Faith-related
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Ṣalwah: 2
  • Establishment of ṣalwah: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

It is connected to his discussion of distinguishing between the terms ṣalāh and ṣalwah within the network of ritual meaning.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Distinction: 1
  • Example: 1

Instances of use

  • Islam and the Human Being: He cites it to distinguish ritual ṣalwah from ṣalāh in the sense of connection with God, maintaining that here it is an established ritual.
    • Concept: ṣalwah
    • Function of the verse here: distinction
    • Textual evidence: “{ Men whom neither trade distracts … } (Al-Nur 37) (here ṣalwah is spelled with wāw).”
  • Islam and Faith, p. 254: He cites it to show that ṣalwah, spelled with wāw, is connected to establishment and ritual movements rather than mere supplication.
    • Concept: establishment of ṣalwah
    • Function of the verse here: example
    • Textual evidence: “If we wish to distinguish between each of these two meanings in the Wise Revelation, all we need do is consider His, exalted be He, saying: {Men whom neither trade distracts… and the establishment of prayer…} (Al-Nur 37) (here ṣalwah is spelled with wāw).”

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

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas