This thematic entry brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
Say, “Who sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and guidance for the people …”
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Qur’an 6:91 in his discussion of legislation preceding Islam?
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence that Moses’s Book was “a light and guidance for the people,” within his assertion that Moses’s Book and law constituted the foundation of legislation before Muhammad. The attached evidence does not establish that he uses the verse as direct proof of God’s uniqueness or that His speech cannot be measured by human speech.
Shahrur maintains that the foundation of legislation before Muhammad was Moses’s Book and law. He cites Qur’an 6:91, which describes the Book brought by Moses as “a light and guidance for the people,” in the context of this assertion concerning Moses’s Book and preceding legislation. Shahrur explains this assertion by stating that Jesus came adhering to Moses’s law “toward alleviation,” and making lawful for the Children of Israel some of what had been forbidden to them.
Evidence and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 56.
Limits of the Reading
- The attached evidence is a footnote that groups Qur’an 6:91 with other verses and does not explain the verse’s wording in detail.
- This reading is limited to the meaning explicitly stated by the evidence in the cited location.
- The two attached pieces of evidence are textually identical, so they are not independent witnesses reinforcing the claim.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is invoked to affirm God’s uniqueness and to show the place of Moses’s Book in the context of preceding legislation.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Uniqueness: 2
- Moses’s Book: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It links the meaning of uniqueness with the place of earlier Books in the legislative framework.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Context: 1
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 56: He invokes it within his argument that God is one and not of the same kind as human beings; therefore, His “speech” cannot be measured by human linguistic speech.
- Concept: uniqueness
- Function of the verse here: context
- Textual evidence: «{… ONE} (Al-An’am 91)»
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 384: He cites it as evidence for the centrality of Moses’s Book in preceding legislation and for the fact that the Muhammadan message came later to modify what it contained.
- Concept: Moses’s Book
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: «- {.. Say, “Who sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and guidance for the people …”} (Al-An’am 91).»
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.