This locus brings together 1 instance 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 He is the One who sends the winds as glad tidings ahead of His mercy
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Almighty’s statement, “And He is the One who sends the winds as glad tidings ahead of His mercy,” in his discussion of readings?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example of variant readings in its wording, especially between the singular “wind” and the plural “winds,” while also noting variation between bushran/nushran. However, he does not derive from the verse an independent thematic interpretation here; rather, he places it within a broader question about whether some differences in readings may have been connected to script and writing after codification, and explicitly leaves the answer to scholars.
Shahrur mentions Al-A’raf 57 among examples through which he discusses variant readings. At this point, he reports, from al-Razi, a difference between the reading “wind” in the singular and “winds” in the plural, and refers to readings of bushran/nushran. Shahrur raises the possibility that some differences in readings may be merely scribal corruptions that entered after codification, but he does not settle the matter; rather, he says: “We leave the answer to scholars.”
Citation and Location
Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 83.
Limits of the Reading
- The attached citation ends at the beginning of its presentation of the readings of nushran; it therefore does not establish the details of the remainder of the discussion or its conclusions.
- Shahrur’s hypothetical question should not be turned into a definitive judgment on the readings of the verse.
- This passage does not provide an interpretation of the meaning of “mercy” or of the verse on the sending of winds in terms of its thematic significance.
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Brief Reading
He mentions it as an example in discussing variant readings and the possibility that some of them may be scribal corruptions that do not alter the essential meaning.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Readings: 2
- Scribal corruption: 1
- Difference in meaning: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It belongs to the network of inquiry into textual differences and their effect on meaning.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
Occurrences of Use
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 83: He mentions it as an example within a discussion of variant readings and the possibility that some of them may be scribal corruptions or differences that do not alter the essential meaning.
- Concept: readings
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual citation: “In examples 13 and 17, the Exalted says: { And He is the One who sends the winds as glad tidings ahead of His mercy }”
- Corresponding traditional reading: the reading of al-riyāḥ/al-rīḥ (winds/wind) among the readers
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.