This axis brings together 1 instance 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
{ O David, We have made you a successor on earth; so judge between people in truth, and do not follow caprice, lest it lead you astray from the way of God. Indeed, those who stray from the way of God will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Reckoning. }
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the verse {O David, We have made you a successor on earth…} in discussing the ruler’s responsibility?
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence that the caliphate does not exempt its holder from accountability; rather, it joins his authority to judging in truth, the prohibition against following caprice, and a warning against straying from the way of God. In this context, he cites al-Zuhri’s objection to the claim that a ruler’s evil deeds are not recorded against him: if the warning applies to David, who was both a prophet and a caliph, then a ruler who is not a prophet cannot be beyond warning.
The verse links the address to David in the cited passage with the caliphate, judging between people in truth, the prohibition against following caprice, and the warning directed at those who stray from the way of God. Shahrur recounts a dialogue in which the verse is invoked to refute the claim that one entrusted with the care of the subjects has good deeds recorded for him but no evil deeds recorded against him. The conclusion of the cited argument is this: if David, as a prophet and caliph, is addressed by this warning, then a caliph who is not a prophet is all the more not to be presumed exempt from responsibility and punishment.
Citation and Location
Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 52.
Limits of the Reading
- The cited passage does not offer an independent and detailed theorization of the concept of the “caliphate”; rather, it occurs within his reporting of a historical dialogue and then his comment on authorities’ use of ideological cover.
- This passage alone does not establish the details of institutions of accountability, mechanisms for removing a ruler, or the form of the state; what it does establish is the argument against exempting the ruler from the consequences of his actions.
- The phrase “others are all the more deserving of warning” conveys the substance of the reasoning in the cited text and should not be turned into a general interpretive ruling that exceeds this context without further evidence.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur cites the verse to show that the office of caliphate is bound to justice and the ruler’s accountability, and that this meaning is all the more a warning for anyone else.
Axes
- Political and social
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Caliphate and justice: 1
- Caliphate: 1
- Justice: 1
- Accountability of the ruler: 1
- Warning: 1
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to the concept of the caliphate as a just responsibility.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 52: He cites the verse to show that the office of caliphate is bound to justice and the ruler’s accountability; if this warning is directed at a prophet who is a caliph, then others are all the more deserving of warning.
- Concept: Caliphate and justice
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “For God—exalted is He—says to His prophet David: { O David, We have made you a successor on earth; so judge between people in truth … } (p. 23). This is a warning to a prophet who is a caliph; so what do you suppose of a caliph who is not a prophet?”
Related Books
This page is presented within the overall atlas-building methodology.