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.
The Text of the Verse as Cited
He who made for you fire from the green tree, and then, behold, you kindle from it
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur place Ya-Sin 80, what distinction does he derive from it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur places the verse in the context of his discussion of the discovery and use of fire. He distinguishes between humans learning to kindle fire on the basis of forest fires and producing fire by friction without a pre-existing fire; he regards the latter as subsequent to the former. For him, the verse serves as an example supporting this sequence.
Shahrur attributes Ya-Sin 80 to the stage of humanity’s discovery and use of fire, linking it to learning to kindle it from forest fires through observation. He distinguishes between kindling fire by making use of an existing fire, as in forest fires, and kindling fire by friction without a fire from which it is taken, considering the second method subsequent to the use of fire.
Citation and Location
Qur’anic Narratives Vol. 2 — p. 11.
Limits of the Reading
- This passage establishes Shahrur’s reading of the verse in the context of the discovery of fire and his sequencing of its use and kindling by friction; it does not, by itself, establish the historical or scientific correctness of this sequence.
- The citation does not provide a detailed linguistic interpretation of the verse’s terms, nor does it establish a relationship between it and other verses.
- The distinction mentioned should not be turned into a claim about the synonymy or difference of terms, as the citation does not state this.
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Brief Reading
Shahrur makes it an example of humanity’s knowledge of kindling fire through natural experience before friction.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Fire: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to a historical account of humanity’s knowledge of things.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Example: 1
Instances of Use
- Qur’anic Narratives Vol. 2, p. 11: He makes it evidence that humans learned to kindle fire from forest fires before kindling it by friction.
- Concept: fire
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual citation: “{He who made for you fire from the green tree, and then, behold, you kindle from it} (Ya-Sin 80)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.