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
{He said, “O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner.”}
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ the Almighty’s saying, {He said, “O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner.”}, in his discussion of the concept of “people”?
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence that “people” (qawm), in his view, are a group of rational human beings, male and female, within a particular social environment. He makes Noah’s address in the verse an early example of the association of the term “people” with the verb “he said.”
Shahrur presents “people” as a group of rational human beings, male and female, within a particular social environment, citing among his evidence Noah’s address: {He said, “O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner.”} Shahrur maintains that the use of the term “people” in association with the verb “he said” began, in his account, with Noah; this verse is the evidence he adduces for this point.
Citation and Location
The State and Society — p. 61.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes the use of the verse in defining “people” and in noting its association with the verb “he said,” but the excerpt does not explain the reason for this beginning or its methodological implications.
- The excerpt is insufficient to establish the broader claim that Qur’anic discourse as a whole “is founded on linguistic expression,” since the passage breaks off after the words: “And we have said that.”
- The connection here rests on Shahrur’s explicit reference to the verse itself, not merely on the resemblance of the words “people” or “said” in other passages.
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Brief Reading
Shahrur uses it to link the meaning of “people” to the verb “said,” and to highlight that discourse rests on linguistic expression.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Speech: 2
Its Place in the Concept Network
It reinforces the connection between speech and the group in constructing the social meaning of discourse.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- The State and Society, p. 61: He uses it to link the concept of “people” to the verb “said,” and to establish that discourse is founded on linguistic expression.
- Concept: speech
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “And His saying—Exalted is He—: {He said, ‘O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner.’} (Noah 2).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.