This axis brings together 1 locus of use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The verse text as cited
Say, “Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path—an upright religion, the creed of Abraham, a monotheist…” Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites, my life, and my death are for God, Lord of the worlds…”
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Al-An’am 161–163 at the beginning of his book Islam and Faith?
Shahrur cites verses 161–163 at the opening of his book, then immediately follows them with Al-Rum 30. This evidence establishes that he places “the straight path,” “the upright religion,” and “the monotheistic creed of Abraham” alongside a text that speaks of primordial disposition and the upright religion. However, the cited passage alone does not establish a detailed definition of Islam or an explicit explanation of the relationship among these terms.
Shahrur opens page 9 of Islam and Faith by citing Al-An’am 161–163, followed by Al-Rum 30.
Evidence and location
Islam and Faith — p. 9.
Limits of the reading
- The evidence is an opening page consisting of two Qur’anic quotations and contains no interpretive paragraph explaining what Shahrur intends by the verses.
- The evidence alone does not establish the claim that Shahrur defines Islam here fully as an “upright religion of primordial disposition.”
- It is not valid to construct a broader interpretive relationship between the terms in the two verses merely on the basis of verbal similarity; what is established is their appearance alongside one another on the same page.
Continue from here
Brief reading
Shahrur introduces with them a link between Islam, the upright religion, and the creed of Abraham, as a straight religion of primordial disposition.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Upright Islam: 2
- The creed of Abraham: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It grounds a definition of Islam outside the narrow ritual understanding.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Loci of use
- Islam and Faith, p. 9: He introduces with them a link between Islam, the upright religion, and the creed of Abraham, in preparation for defining Islam as a straight religion of primordial disposition.
- Concept: Upright Islam
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual evidence: “{Say, ‘Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path—an upright religion…’} (Al-An’am 161–163).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.