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 fruit and pasture
Reader’s Answer
Question
What does Shahrur’s citation of the Qur’anic statement, “And fruit and pasture,” establish?
The evidence establishes that Shahrur connects the term «abb» here to what he cites from Maqāyīs al-Lugha as the root meaning “pasture,” rather than the meaning of a father-parent. However, in its excerpted form, it is insufficient to establish that the verse itself also combines the meanings of intention and preparedness, or to construct a general denial of every connection between the term and parenthood in all other usages.
Citing the lexicon Maqāyīs al-Lugha, Shahrur presents the root «abb» as having two origins: “pasture” and “intention and preparedness.” After mentioning the origin “pasture,” the passage begins by referring to the verse “And fruit and pasture,” indicating that this is the sense he invokes in this instance.
Evidence and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 180.
Limits of the Reading
- The quotation from page 180 is cut off after “As for the first, it is His saying, Exalted is He, {And fru…,” so the remainder of Shahrur’s discussion and his elaboration of the verse do not appear.
- The evidence supports connecting the verse to the root meaning “pasture,” but it does not support the claim that the meaning of «abb» in the verse is “pasturage, preparedness, and intention” all together.
- This evidence alone is insufficient to establish a general linguistic ruling that «abb» cannot mean a parent in any Qur’anic context; what is established here is the lexical sense that Shahrur invoked for this verse.
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Brief Reading
He uses it to affirm that the root «abb» in the Qur’an carries the meaning of pasturage, preparedness, and intention, and is not synonymous with parent.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Narrative and historical
Related Concepts
- The father: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It forms part of a recalibration of the Qur’anic semantics of words sharing the same root.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 180: He cites it alongside the lexicon to affirm that the root «abb» in the Qur’an carries the meaning of pasturage, preparedness, and intention, and therefore is not synonymous with parent.
- Concept: The father
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “{And fruit and pasture} (ʿAbasa 31).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.