This entry belongs to the Shahruri glossary. For Shahrur, recitation is a methodological principle in reading: gathering the verses and closely related themes into a single order so that the text interprets itself.
Meaning in Shahrur
For him, recitation is not merely vocal performance or refinement in chanting, but rather the organization of dispersed themes within the Qur’an. It is therefore linked to the rejection of synonymy and to the idea that Qur’anic terms are semantically distinct and are not read apart from the network of the text.
Its function in reading
- It makes the Qur’an interpret itself.
- It prevents fragmentary reading of a single verse.
- It reveals the differences between closely related terms.
- It connects the linguistic method and the thematic method in contemporary reading.
Foundational links
- Recitation is the principal method of reading
- Recitation brings together closely related themes
- Understanding Islam requires beginning with the Qur’an through a recitational method that establishes the distinction of terms
- Al-Muzzammil 4
- the contemporary reading method
Limits of the reading
This meaning does not abolish the function of vocal recitation, but it rejects reducing recitation to that alone. Here, recitation is a tool of understanding before it is a mode of performance.