This axis 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
So whoever God wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam…
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur read God’s statement, “So whoever God wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam,” in al-An’am 125?
Shahrur reads the verse within his broad definition of Islam: for him, guidance to Islam is not confined to belonging to the followers of Muhammad, but is connected to the primordial disposition, faith in God and the Last Day, monotheism, and higher ideals. He therefore understands “opening the breast to Islam” as acceptance of this general human level, and understands the constriction of the breast in the continuation of the verse as the condition of one who rejects Islamic higher ideals.
Shahrur employs al-An’am 125 to establish that Islam is “the religion of the primordial disposition,” and that guidance to it has a universal human meaning. According to this usage, Shahrur connects “opening the breast to Islam” with the guidance of most of the earth’s inhabitants to Islam according to his broad definition, rather than merely affiliation with the community of believers who follow Muhammad. Shahrur links the continuation of the verse, “He makes his breast constricted and tight,” to the rejection of Islamic higher ideals, and describes this rejection as leading to an inability to confront people and society except in this condition.
Citation and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 251.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation is from the conclusion of the book and states the general outcome of Shahrur’s reading; it does not provide a detailed linguistic or contextual analysis of the verse here.
- The citation does not establish that the meaning of the verse in the inherited exegetical reading is confined to, or identical with, this meaning; what is established is how Shahrur employs it.
- The phrase “most of the earth’s inhabitants” is an explicit claim by Shahrur within his particular definition of Islam, not a conclusion that can be derived from the wording of the verse alone.
- The constriction of the breast should not be reduced generally to “constriction before values”; the citation defines it more precisely as the rejection of “Islamic higher ideals” within Shahrur’s system.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
The verse makes guidance to Islam dependent on the opening of the breast, and links misguidance to the constriction of the breast before ideals and values.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Opening of the breast: 2
- Misguidance: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It grounds an understanding of Islam as the religion of the primordial disposition and human openness.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
- Supporting: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 251: He employs it to establish that Islam is the religion of the primordial disposition and that guidance to it means opening the breast to Islam at a universal human level.
- Concept: Opening of the breast
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “Toward a clear universal human concept of God’s statement: {So whoever God wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam…} (al-An’am 125)”
- Islam and Faith, p. 251: He makes the constriction of the breast a sign of rejecting Islamic higher ideals and of an inability to confront people and society.
- Concept: Misguidance
- Function of the verse here: Supporting
- Textual citation: “And whoever actually rejects Islamic higher ideals is subject to God’s statement… {And whoever He wills to misguide, He makes his breast constricted and tight…}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.