Āl ʿImrān 159

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This page brings together four instances of the use of Āl ʿImrān 159 in Muhammad Shahrur’s books. Together, they foreground an image of consultation and gentleness in the construction of the state and in relations with people. Its centrality lies in combining consultation with mildness and linking both to the method of دعوت and to the position of leadership in the civil state.

Text of the Verse as Cited

{… AND CONSULT THEM IN THE MATTER …}

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur cite Āl ʿImrān 159, what distinction does he draw concerning consultation, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?

The citation of Āl ʿImrān 159 appears in State and Society (p. 300), within a presentation of the concept of consultation alongside Qur’an 42:38. Its function at this point is to introduce the understanding and practice of consultation in relation to the historical structure of society, rather than to offer an independent interpretation of the verse or establish a meaning of gentleness in the discourse of دعوت.

Shahrur presents the verse “and consult them in the matter” alongside the verse “whose affairs are conducted by consultation among them” as he moves to explain the concept of consultation in contemporary terms. He defines consultation as a group’s exercise of freedom within a cognitive, ethical, aesthetic, and customary frame of reference, and makes freedom and equality of expression among its primary foundations. Shahrur emphasizes that the forms and practice of consultation are connected to social, economic, and political structure and to historical development, and that the two verses should be understood with this structure in view rather than isolated from it.

Citation and Location

State and Society — p. 300.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not explicitly state that the verse is a foundation for the civil state, even though the source is titled State and Society.
  • The citation does not address gentleness, harshness, or the function of the discourse of دعوت; it therefore does not attribute these meanings to the verse on this page.
  • The citation does not provide a detailed interpretation of the pronoun “them” or an exclusive identification of those addressed by it; rather, it cautions against restricting the understanding to them.
  • The pairing of the verse with Qur’an 42:38 in the citation is not, by itself, sufficient to establish synonymy between them or a complete identity of meaning.

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Brief Reading

Shahrur reads the verse as a foundation for consultation in the civil state, and also cites it as evidence that the discourse of دعوت rests on gentleness rather than harshness. From this point, he makes it evidence that consultation is not a marginal detail, but part of constructing the political and social relationship in the reading he advances.

Axes

  • Political and social
  • Human and ethical
  • Methodological
  • Consultation: 4
  • Gentleness: 2

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

The verse moves within a network linking consultation to gentleness and to the formulation of politics. It therefore appears in the atlas in discussions of the civil state and the discourse of دعوت, because its presence in Shahrur goes beyond exhortation to organizing the relationship between leadership and people in the public sphere.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Support: 3
  • Foundation: 1

Summary of Its Presence in the Atlas

  • A foundation of consultation for him
  • Linked to gentleness in discourse
  • Present in his conception of the civil state

Pages in the Atlas That Refer to This Verse

These links gather the pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.

Instances of Use

  • State and Society, p. 300: He makes it a foundation of consultation in the civil state and reads it within, rather than outside, the historical structure.
    • Concept: consultation
    • Function of the verse here: foundation
    • Textual citation: “How was His saying—Exalted is He—understood: {… AND CONSULT THEM IN THE MATTER} (Āl ʿImrān 159), in early Islam and in Islamic history?”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 188: He cites it as evidence that دعوت rests on gentleness rather than harshness and hardness of heart.
    • Concept: gentleness
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “{AND HAD YOU BEEN HARSH AND HARD-HEARTED, THEY WOULD HAVE DISPERSED FROM AROUND YOU} (Āl ʿImrān 159).”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 245: He cites it as evidence that the Prophet dealt with people through mildness and consultation, in a manner consistent with his view of religion as a human discourse.
    • Concept: consultation
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “And He says: {AND HAD YOU BEEN HARSH AND HARD-HEARTED… AND CONSULT THEM IN THE MATTER} (Āl ʿImrān 159)”
  • Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 134: He relies on it to affirm that the Messenger legislated in his state after consultation, rather than through direct legislative revelation in every detail of politics.
    • Concept: consultation
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “Relying on what God instructed him in His saying: { AND CONSULT THEM IN THE MATTER } (Āl ʿImrān 159),”

This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas