This locus brings together 4 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
This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you; neither you nor your people knew it before this
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you,” in his understanding of Qur’anic narratives?
Shahrur uses the verse to indicate that Qur’anic narratives occur as divinely revealed “tidings” from the unseen, rather than as ordinary reports. On this basis, he develops his terminological distinction between nabaʾ (tidings) and khabar (report), and treats the verse as evidence that the Prophet’s knowledge of these narratives came through revelation.
Shahrur explicitly states that Qur’anic narratives belong to the category of “tidings,” not “reports,” and directly cites Hud 49, which describes them as “tidings of the unseen” revealed to the Prophet.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 82.
Limits of the Reading
- In its wording, the verse establishes that what has been mentioned of Noah’s story consists of tidings of the unseen revealed to the Prophet, which neither he nor his people had previously known; it does not itself provide a comprehensive lexicographical definition of the distinction between “tidings” and “report.”
- The claim that all Qur’anic narratives fall under this ruling is a Shahrurian generalization based on his conception of narratives, whereas the direct evidence here concerns the preceding account of Noah in the surah.
- The verse alone should not be transformed into a claim about the details of the Prophet’s knowledge of every form of the unseen; the associated passage presents this as Shahrur’s reading within a broader context.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur makes the verse a basis for distinguishing between tidings and reports, holding that Qur’anic narratives are tidings of the unseen rather than ordinary reports.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Methodological
- Faith-based
Related Concepts
- Tidings of the unseen: 2
- Qur’anic narratives: 2
- Matters of the unseen: 2
- Tiding of the unseen: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the concept of the unseen as material for admonition, not material for legislation.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 2
- Supporting: 1
- Context: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being, p. 40: He treats it as evidence that the Prophet ﷺ knew the unseen only through revealed inspiration, not through intrinsic knowledge.
- Concept: Tidings of the unseen
- Function of the verse here: Supporting
- Textual citation: “{ This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you … } (Hud 49)”
- Qur’anic Narratives, Vol. 1, p. 147: He includes the reference to Hud 49 within a quantitative comparison and discussion of the concision of Qur’anic tidings, rather than citing the verse’s textual details as an argument.
- Concept: Qur’anic narratives
- Function of the verse here: Context
- Textual citation: “as he did after seeing what happened to Noah in Hud 49”
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 82: He makes it a basis for distinguishing between tidings and reports, affirming that Qur’anic narratives are tidings of the unseen rather than reports susceptible to truth or falsehood.
- Concept: Matters of the unseen
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “{This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you …} (Hud 49)”
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 82: He adduces it to show that Qur’anic narratives belong to the category of tidings of the unseen rather than reports, and that they are information for admonition rather than legislation.
- Concept: Tiding of the unseen
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “For Qur’anic narratives are among the tidings and not among reports, as indicated by His exalted statement… {This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to you…}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the overall methodology for building the atlas.