This theme 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
Is it not enough that your Lord is Witness over all things?
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ the verse, “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves,” in his interpretation of the Qur’an’s miraculous nature?
Shahrur employs the verse to establish that some propositions presented by the Qur’an in an intelligible form become, as knowledge advances, perceptible in the sensible world; he calls this relation between the text and what is perceived in reality “direct interpretation.”
Shahrur presents Fussilat 53 in his discussion of the enduring nature of the Qur’an’s miracle, linking it to the idea that the advance of knowledge and the sciences makes its miraculous nature clearer. He interprets “We shall show them Our signs…” as support for the idea that, over time, the Qur’an’s propositions move from the domain of the intelligible to that of the perceptible sensible world. Shahrur calls this transition “direct interpretation,” defining it as the correspondence of what is perceived in the sensible world with the text.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 164.
Limits of the Reading
- This citation establishes Shahrur’s linkage of the verse to direct interpretation and the advancement of knowledge; it does not establish the validity or accuracy of his scientific examples.
- The citation alone is insufficient to attribute a detailed explanation of the concept of “Witness” at the end of the verse to this line of argument.
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Brief Reading
He uses it to affirm the comprehensiveness of God’s witness and to present it as an example of the correspondence between the text and reality as knowledge advances.
Themes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- God’s witness: 2
- Direct interpretation: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to his idea that the text can be understood directly when the relevant data become clear.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 2
Instances of Use
- Islam and Humanity: He uses it to affirm that God’s witness is comprehensive and encompassing and does not require physical presence.
- Concept: God’s witness
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «- { … Is it not enough that your Lord is Witness over all things? } (Fussilat 53),»
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 164: He presents it as an example of the correspondence of the text with sensible reality as knowledge advances.
- Concept: Direct interpretation
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «This is what is called direct interpretation, “that is, the correspondence of what is perceived in the sensible world with the text”: {We shall show them Our signs…}»
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.