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
Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with bad deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember. * And be patient, for God does not let the reward of the doers of good go to waste.
Reader’s answer
Question
Where do these two verses occur, what does Shahrur distinguish in them, and what function do they serve in his argument?
The two verses occur in Surat Hud (114–115). Shahrur presents them as an affirmation of the principle that “good deeds do away with bad deeds,” considering it a law open to people until the Day of Resurrection, and then uses them to introduce his outline of good deeds, bad deeds, and sins.
Shahrur attributes to Hud 114–115 an affirmation that “good deeds do away with bad deeds” is a law open to people until the Day of Resurrection. The two verses serve a foundational function in the context of Shahrur’s argument: he cites them before announcing his transition to setting out an outline of good deeds, bad deeds, and sins.
Citation and location
Islam and Faith — p. 227.
Limits of the reading
- The cited passage itself does not define good deeds, bad deeds, or sins, nor does it establish the detailed conceptual distinctions among them.
- The cited passage does not, at this point on its own, demonstrate how the principle operates or the conditions for its application.
- Describing the two verses as an “open law” is Shahrur’s characterization in the cited passage, not an editorial explanation of the meaning of the verses outside this context.
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Brief reading
Shahrur makes them the basis of a principle that good deeds erase bad deeds, treating it as a law open until the Day of Resurrection.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Legislative
Related concepts
- Doing good: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It establishes an ethical principle with an ongoing practical dimension.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Contexts of use
- Islam and Faith, p. 227: He makes it the basis of a general principle for him: good deeds erase bad deeds, and formulates from it a law open until the Day of Resurrection.
- Concept: doing good
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “The Exalted affirmed that the law {GOOD DEEDS DO AWAY WITH BAD DEEDS} is an open law … in His saying, exalted be He: {ESTABLISH THE PRAYER…} (Hud 114–115).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.