Al-Ahzab 38

3 min read

This locus 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

There was no constraint upon the Prophet regarding what God had ordained for him

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur employ God’s saying, “There was no constraint upon the Prophet regarding what God had ordained for him,” in his discussion of the Prophet’s marriage rulings?

Shahrur uses the verse as evidence that what was permitted or ordained for the Prophet in marriage was a divine gift particular to him, and that it should not be treated as a general ruling automatically extended to all Muslims.

Shahrur says that God permitted the Prophet to marry “according to the practice of the ancients,” without regard to the number of wives, and describes this as a gift and an ordinance from God for the Prophet, citing Al-Ahzab 38.

Citation and Location

Islam and Faith — p. 49.

Limits of the Reading

  • The only direct citation is from Islam and Faith, p. 49; the other attached citation concerns rules of compensation and those whom the right hand possesses, and is unrelated to the interpretation of Al-Ahzab 38, so it is not used to support the page.
  • The phrase “without regard to the number of wives” is Shahrur’s statement in the citation, not a detail the page derives from the wording of the verse alone.
  • The citation does not present a contrasting interpretive view, nor does it support a generalization beyond the case of the Prophet discussed by Shahrur.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

The verse is used to support the view that the Prophet had a particular status in certain marriage rulings, rather than as an absolute general ruling.

Axes

  • Legislative
  • Political and social
  • Faith-based
  • Marriage: 2
  • Prophetic particularity: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It belongs to a network that distinguishes what is particular to the Prophet from what is general for people.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 2

Instances of Use

  • Islam and Faith, p. 49: He cites it to show that what was ordained for the Prophet was a divine gift that removed constraint, rather than merely a general ruling automatically subject to analogy.
    • Concept: Marriage
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “{There was no constraint upon the Prophet regarding what God had ordained for him…} (Al-Ahzab 38).”
  • Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 231: He treats it as an indication that some of the Prophet’s marriage-specific rulings were a continuation of an earlier practice and a legislative exception particular to him.
    • Concept: Prophetic particularity
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “With the observation that God—Exalted is He—made an exception for the Prophet in the matter of women… that is, the practice of the ancients: {There was no constraint upon the Prophet …} (Al-Ahzab 38).”

This page is presented within the atlas’s general atlas-building methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas