This axis brings together 4 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
{And remember the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf, while warners had already passed before him and after him}
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement: {And remember the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf, while warners had already passed before him and after him}?
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence for the continuity of “warners” in Hud’s period, within a sequence comprising Noah, then Hud, Lot, and Abraham. In his presentation, he links this sequence to calling people to the oneness of God. He does not present this evidence itself as an independent inquiry into identifying al-Ahqaf or the homeland of ‘Ad.
The clear answer: for Shahrur, the verse is implicit evidence in constructing a continuous historical narrative of warners. He cites it when discussing Hud’s era, between his mention of Noah and his mention of Lot and Abraham, to argue that warners continued in the periods following that of early humanity. How Shahrur employs the verse: he places the “brother of ‘Ad,” who warned his people, within a series of warners, and makes the function of these warners a call to the concept of God’s oneness. Thus, the focus of the citation is the continuity of warning across successive stages and figures, rather than merely the account of ‘Ad or the naming of al-Ahqaf.
Evidence and Location
State and Society — p. 45.
Limits of the Reading
- The reading presented is Shahrur’s use of the verse in his theory of warners; it is not an exhaustive interpretation of the verse.
- This evidence alone does not establish the location of al-Ahqaf or prove archaeological and historical details about ‘Ad.
- Referring the verse to the context of ‘Ad alone is insufficient to establish an additional claim about the development of consciousness unless it is explicitly attributed to Shahrur’s theoretical construction.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is used to place Hud within the historical sequence of warners and to connect it with the homeland and context of ‘Ad.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Methodological
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Warning: 3
- Homeland of ‘Ad: 2
- Warners: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the narrative of warners in Qur’anic history.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 3
- Context: 1
Instances of Use
- State and Society, p. 45: He cites it to place Hud within the historical sequence of warners accompanying the development of religious consciousness.
- Concept: Warning
- Function of the verse here: Context
- Textual evidence: “And in Hud’s era, He said: {And remember the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf, while warners had already passed before him and after him} (Al-Ahqaf 21).”
- Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2, p. 10: He employs it to establish the continuity of warners in the sequence of prophets from Hud to Abraham, Lot, and Salih.
- Concept: Warning
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “{And remember the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf, while warners had already passed …} (Al-Ahqaf 21)”
- Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2, p. 52: He adduces it as evidence for the geographical location of ‘Ad in al-Ahqaf, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula.
- Concept: Homeland of ‘Ad
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “As indicated by His saying, exalted be He: {And remember the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf…} (Al-Ahqaf 21).”
- Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2, p. 53: He employs it to establish that Hud was within a context of warnings that preceded or surrounded the people of ‘Ad.
- Concept: Warners
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “4 - {And remember a brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people at al-Ahqaf, while warners had already passed before him and after him…} (Al-Ahqaf 21).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.