Noah 28

4 min read

This axis gathers 3 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

The Verse Text as Cited

{My Lord, forgive me and my parents}

Reader’s Answer

The Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur read Noah’s supplication, {My Lord, forgive me and my parents}, and how does he relate it to the history of the family and human consciousness?

Shahrur employs the mention of “my parents” in the verse as evidence of the beginning of human awareness of both parents—especially the father—and makes this the opening of the “age of fatherhood” in his account of the family’s development. Elsewhere, he describes filial piety as the first moral concept distinguishing humans from beasts. Yet these are conclusions within his historical and interpretive construction, not judgments derived from the wording of the verse alone; the verse itself is a supplication for forgiveness for Noah, his parents, and whoever enters his house as a believer.

The verse contains Noah’s supplication for forgiveness for himself and his parents, within a broader supplication for believing men and women. Shahrur regards the verse as a sign of the emergence of awareness of parents and the beginning of the “age of fatherhood” in human history.

Citation and Location

State and Society — p. 81.

Limits of the Reading

  • The evidence does not state that the verse is the “first appearance” of filial piety in the Qur’anic text as a whole; rather, it attributes to Shahrur the claim that it is its first appearance in human history.
  • The verse, in its bare wording, does not establish a historical theory of humanity’s transition from motherhood to fatherhood or of stages in the prohibition of incest.
  • A distinction should be made between a supplication for forgiveness for one’s parents and “filial piety” as an ethical concept; the latter is Shahrur’s characterization of the verse, not wording found in it.
  • The citation from The Qur’anic Stories links the verse to the concept of seeking forgiveness, so it does not serve as direct support for the claim concerning the family or filial piety.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

The verse is presented as the first appearance of the concept of filial piety and as a sign of a new human consciousness.

Axes

  • Human and ethical
  • Narrative and historical
  • Filial piety: 3
  • Fatherhood: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It connects the Qur’anic narrative with the beginnings of family consciousness.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Foundational: 3

Instances of Use

  • State and Society, p. 45: He makes it the first appearance of the concept of filial piety, as a sign of the completion of human consciousness beyond animality.
    • Concept: Filial piety
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “It appeared for the first time in human history with Noah, in His, exalted be He, words: {My Lord, forgive me and my parents} (Noah 28).”
  • State and Society, p. 81: He makes it a sign of the beginning of human awareness of parents and the family’s transition to the stage of fatherhood.
    • Concept: Fatherhood
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “The age of fatherhood in human history began with Noah … in His, exalted be He, words: {My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house as a believer} (Noah 28).”
  • The Qur’anic Stories, Vol. 2, p. 12: He considers it the first human value with which the divine command descended upon Noah: seeking forgiveness for one’s parents and family.
    • Concept: Filial piety
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “On Noah’s tongue: {My Lord, forgive me and my child and whoever enters my house as a believer…} (Noah 28).”

This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.

Graph View

Muhammad Shahrur Atlas