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
O wives of the Prophet, whoever among you commits a manifest indecency, the punishment for her shall be doubled twofold; and that is easy for God.
Reader’s Answer
The Question
Where does Shahrur employ Qur’an 33:30, what distinction does he derive from it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur employs the verse in the book The State and Society (p. 232), in his discussion of the civil state, to argue that an increase in rank entails greater responsibility and accountability, especially in moral matters, and that officials are not above the law or criticism.
Shahrur employs Qur’an 33:30 in the context of describing the civil state governed by the constitution and the law. He distinguishes between members of society in general and the responsible class in the civil state; he maintains that higher rank makes responsibility more stringent and criticism and accountability of officials more forceful, including holding individuals accountable for their morals. The verse’s function in his argument is to support the principle that no one is above accountability, within his conception of the civil state in which authority is subject to the law.
Citation and Location
The State and Society — p. 232.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not offer a detailed interpretation of the verse’s wording or its Qur’anic context.
- The citation transfers the verse into a political argument about the civil state; it does not, by itself, establish that the verse concerns official or social positions in a formulation independent of this use.
- The citation does not establish a relationship between this verse and other passages merely on the basis of verbal similarity.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is read as establishing that responsibility and accountability become more stringent as one’s position rises in the civil state.
Axes
- Political and social
- Human and ethical
Related Concepts
- Accountability according to position: 2
- Accountability: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It accords with a conception in which accountability is linked to office and rank.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 2
Instances of Use
- The State and Society, p. 232: He uses the verse to establish that responsibility in the civil state becomes more stringent as one’s official or social position rises; no one is above accountability.
- Concept: accountability according to position
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “In confirmation of His—Exalted be He—saying: {O wives of the Prophet, whoever among you commits a manifest indecency, the punishment for her shall be doubled twofold …} (Al-Ahzab 30).”
- The State and Society, p. 232: He cites the verse as evidence that the higher one’s rank in the civil state, the greater one’s responsibility and moral accountability.
- Concept: accountability
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “In confirmation of His—Exalted be He—saying: {O wives of the Prophet …} (Al-Ahzab 30), because the responsible class in the civil state is subject to more criticism than others.”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.