This axis brings together 1 locus where this verse is used in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the verse as cited
{There have come to you insights from your Lord. Whoever sees, it is for his own benefit; and whoever is blind, it is to his own detriment. And I am not a keeper over you.}
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite the verse, what distinction does he construct through it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the verse in The State and Society in his discussion of consultation, human freedom, and the abolition of religious mediation. He adduces it to show that the Messenger is not a keeper over people and has no power to impose a position upon them; the verse thus serves to deny tutelage and coercion in the context of defending freedom of opinion.
Shahrur cites the verse in The State and Society (p. 303) in the context of consultation, human freedom, and the abolition of religious mediation. He understands the verse as part of the assertion that messengers do not have the power to impose a position on people and are not their guardians or keepers; he connects this to safeguarding human freedom in determining one’s opinion and expressing one’s positions.
Citation and location
The State and Society — p. 303.
Limits of the reading
- The cited passage does not state exclusively that the Messenger’s role is limited to “conveyance and clarification”; therefore, this formulation cannot be established from this passage alone.
- The cited passage does not provide an independent terminological definition of the difference between “keeper” and “guardian,” but brings them together in the context of denying imposition and tutelage.
- This cited passage does not establish a general ruling for all of Shahrur’s uses of the verse beyond this location.
Continue from here
Brief reading
For Shahrur, the verse denies any tutelage of the Messenger over people and confines his role to conveyance and clarification.
Axes
- Political and social
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Denial of tutelage: 2
- Conveyance and clarification: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It is connected to a network of concepts that distinguishes between communication and the authority to coerce or keep watch.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Critique of tradition: 1
Usage locations
- The State and Society, p. 303: He employs it to deny the Messenger’s role as a keeper or guardian over people, confining him to conveyance and clarification.
- Concept: Denial of tutelage
- Function of the verse here: Critique of tradition
- Textual citation: “This was stated explicitly in His—Exalted be He—words: {There have come to you insights from your Lord … And I am not a keeper over you} (Al-An’am 104).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.