Āl ʿImrān 67

3 min read

This axis brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

The Verse Text as Cited

… but he was a hanif, a Muslim…

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur situate Āl ʿImrān 67, what distinction does he draw from it, and what function does it serve in his argument?

Shahrur cites the verse in the context of hanifiyya: through it, he denies that Abraham was Jewish or Christian, and treats it as evidence that hanifiyya passed from Abraham to Muhammad as a universal, comprehensive religion.

Shahrur presents the verse as denying that Judaism or Christianity bears a hanif character, rather than as a general denial of all subsequent religious affiliations. The verse’s function in Shahrur’s argument is to connect hanifiyya with Abraham and then, in his view of the universe, with its passage to Muhammad as a universal, comprehensive religion.

Citation and Location

the Book and the Qur’an — p. 409.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not define hanifiyya independently or explain the terminological distinction between “Muslim” and “believer.”
  • The citation mentions Judaism and Christianity specifically; it therefore does not establish a generalization to all subsequent religious affiliations.
  • The statement that Abraham was “the first of the hanifs” in the citation is also connected to Qur’an 21:51, not to Āl ʿImrān 67 alone.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

The verse supports linking Islam to Abrahamic hanifiyya, while denying later religious affiliations to Abraham.

Axes

  • Faith-related
  • Narrative and historical
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Hanifiyya: 2
  • Denial of Judaism and Christianity in relation to Abraham: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It belongs to a network that establishes the precedence of hanifiyya over later religious names.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 2

Instances of Use

  • Islam and Faith, p. 12: He cites it to link Islam with Abrahamic hanifiyya rather than with subsequent religious affiliations.
    • Concept: hanifiyya
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “{ Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a hanif, a Muslim… } (Āl ʿImrān 67).”
  • the Book and the Qur’an, p. 409: He uses it to establish that hanifiyya preceded Judaism and Christianity, and that it is a universal Islamic characteristic.
    • Concept: denial of Judaism and Christianity in relation to Abraham
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “God the Exalted said: {Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a hanif, a Muslim …} (Āl ʿImrān 67).”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas