This axis brings together 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 Text of the Verse as Cited
They said, “O our father, ask forgiveness for our sins; indeed, we were wrongdoers.”
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur determine the place of Joseph 97, and what is the significance in his argument of its combining “our sins” and “wrongdoers”?
Shahrur links the verse to the condition of those who did wrong with persistence and awareness, and who neither repented nor corrected their conduct. He therefore reads their description of themselves as “wrongdoers” after mentioning sins as indicating this type of sin. For him, the verse is an example within his distinction between sin coupled with persistence and failure to correct oneself, and unintentional error; it is not merely an example of seeking repentance.
In Joseph 97, Shahrur reads the follow-up to the mention of sins—where the speakers describe themselves as “wrongdoers”—as evidence that they wronged Joseph with prior persistence and awareness, without repentance or an attempt to correct their conduct. In Shahrur’s argument, the verse functions as an example showing that when a sin or evil deed occurs with persistence and is not followed by repentance or correction, its perpetrator falls under the description of “wrongdoers”; he later contrasts this with unintentional error.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 107.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes that the verse includes a request for forgiveness, but it does not describe this request as actualized repentance or an actual correction of conduct.
- The citation does not establish from this verse alone a general ruling independent of the broader context of Shahrur’s distinction between sin and error.
- A connection to the verse is not made merely on the basis of verbal similarity, nor is synonymy or the denial of synonymy attributed to the terms except within the limits of Shahrur’s interpretation explicitly stated here.
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Brief Reading
The verse is used to clarify the conjunction of acknowledging sin with seeking repentance, while the description of error remains present.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Narrative and historical
Related Concepts
- Repentance: 2
- Deliberate error: 2
- Error: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to a trajectory linking acknowledgment, deliberate sin, and seeking forgiveness.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Example: 3
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being: He uses it to show the conjunction of acknowledging sin with the description of wrongdoing among Joseph’s brothers.
- Concept: Repentance
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual citation: “{ They said, ‘O our father, ask forgiveness for our sins; indeed, we were wrongdoers.’ } (Joseph 97)”
- Islam and the Human Being: He cites it as evidence for the conjunction of deliberate sin with the description of wrongdoing, because they sought forgiveness while acknowledging that they were wrongdoers.
- Concept: Deliberate error
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual citation: “- { They said, ‘O our father, ask forgiveness for our sins; indeed, we were wrongdoers.’ } (Joseph 97),”
- Islam and Faith, p. 107: He uses it to show the correlation of sin with error when an act occurs with persistence and without repentance.
- Concept: Error
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual citation: “- { They said, ‘O our father, ask forgiveness for our sins; indeed, we were wrongdoers.’ } (Joseph 97),”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.