This locus 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
Indeed, the Hour is coming; I almost conceal it, so that every soul may be recompensed for what it strives for.
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place Taha 15, what does “I conceal it” mean in it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur places Taha 15 among examples of the term “khafiya,” which has two opposing meanings, and understands “I conceal it” in it to mean disclosure. In this specific instance, the verse serves as an example of one of the term’s meanings, rather than as independent proof for a broader claim.
Shahrur considers the term “khafiya” to be among words with two opposing meanings: concealment and manifestation, and he takes “I conceal it” in Taha 15 to mean disclosure.
Citation and location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 276.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes this understanding as attributed to Shahrur on the specified page only; it does not establish the acceptance of this meaning in Arabic or Qur’anic exegesis generally.
- The citation does not provide a detailed linguistic rationale for choosing the meaning of disclosure in the verse.
- The citation does not establish from this verse alone a general rule concerning synonymy or its denial, nor does it prove a broader theory beyond presenting the two meanings of “khafiya.”
- The other verses mentioned in the citation are examples within Shahrur’s enumeration and are not treated here as an independent relation merely because of lexical similarity.
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Brief reading
He understands the expression “I conceal it” here to mean disclosure rather than concealment.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Methodological
Related concepts
- the hidden: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It serves to determine meaning from within the linguistic context in his view.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Distinction: 1
Instances of use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 276: He explicitly states that the expression “I conceal it” here is understood by him to mean disclosure rather than concealment.
- Concept: the hidden
- Function of the verse here: distinction
- Textual citation: “In the second meaning—that is, manifestation and openness—comes His saying, exalted be He: {Indeed, the Hour is coming; I almost conceal it, so that every soul may be recompensed for what it strives for} (Taha 15). Here, ‘I conceal it’ means ‘I reveal it.’”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.