This thematic entry brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
{ And We have certainly brought them a Book which We have detailed with knowledge, as guidance and mercy for a people who believe }
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, what does Shahrur distinguish as the “detailing of the Mother of the Book,” and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in al-A’raf (52). Shahrur treats it as evidence for what he calls the “verses detailing the Mother of the Book,” as part of the messengerhood and connected to the detailing of specific legislative and value-based subjects. Its function here is to support this classification and describe its subjects, not to establish the acceptance of ijtihad.
Shahrur includes al-A’raf 52 among the “verses detailing the Mother of the Book,” considering these verses part of the messengerhood and a detailing of the definitive verses of the Mother of the Book. He links this detailing to the subjects of prohibitions, commands, prohibitions, limits, rituals, and values.
Citation and Location
Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 41.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not explain a detailed criterion for distinguishing between the “verses detailing the Mother of the Book” and the “ambiguous verses,” although it moves to the heading on ambiguous verses after this passage.
- The citation does not explicitly describe the detailing as “legislative and thematic” in this comprehensive formulation; what is established is that it mentions specific legislative and value-based subjects.
- This reading is limited to the meaning explicitly stated by the citation in the specified passage.
- The citation does not establish a ruling concerning synonymy or its absence between detailing and any other term.
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Brief Reading
The verse is employed to establish that detailing in the messengerhood is legislative and thematic, that it explains the contents of the Mother of the Book, and that it accepts ijtihad.
Themes
- Methodological
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Detailing of the Book: 3
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It serves as support for the idea of detailing as a foundation in the construction of legislation.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 2
Instances of Use
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 41: He employs it to establish that detailing within the messengerhood itself is a legislative detailing that guides, shows mercy, and accepts ijtihad.
- Concept: Detailing of the Book
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{ And We have certainly brought them a Book which We have detailed with knowledge, as guidance and mercy… } (al-A’raf 52).”
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 41: He uses it to support the idea that Qur’anic detailing is a thematic explanation of the contents of the Mother of the Book.
- Concept: Detailing of the Book
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “The verses detailing the Mother of the Book contain a detailing of subjects … according to His saying, Exalted is He: { And We have certainly brought them a Book which We have detailed with knowledge … } (al-A’raf 52).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.