Al-Isra' 16

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This theme brings together 3 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

And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people, and they transgress therein; then the decree against it becomes due, and We destroy it utterly.

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Shahrur employ Al-Isra’ 16 in explaining the destruction of towns, and who are the “affluent” in his distinction?

Shahrur reads the verse as an answer concerning the mechanism of the destruction of towns within what he calls the “law of history.” He distinguishes the “affluent” from the wealthy: for him, they are those who place themselves above the law and accountability. He then makes their existence a consequence of the one-dimensional society and the dictatorial system, linking them to the cause of destruction in his argument.

Shahrur presents Al-Isra’ 16 as an explanation of how towns perish and places it within the framework of what he calls the law of history. Shahrur distinguishes between the affluent and the wealthy; for him, the affluent person is not merely rich, but someone who places himself above the law and accountability. Shahrur links the one-dimensional society to an affluent class and a dictatorial system, and makes the affluent the cause of destruction in his reading of the verse.

Citation and Location

The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought — p. 16.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation establishes Shahrur’s reading of the verse and his functional definition of the affluent; it does not establish that the term “luxury” in the verse is synonymous with wealth or with transgression.
  • The citation does not establish that “transgression” is an independent social concept with a specific meaning for Shahrur; his focus here is on the affluent, one-dimensionality, and accountability.
  • The usage entry mentions the book The State and Society and page 113, whereas the attached citation is from The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, page 16; therefore, the stated usage reference cannot be documented by this citation alone.

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Brief Reading

The verse makes the affluent, luxury, and transgression signs of social imbalance and the collapse of its order.

Themes

  • Political and social
  • Human and ethical
  • The affluent: 3
  • Luxury and transgression: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It is connected to the critique of the affluent class and to the law of a town’s destruction when it rises above accountability.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Foundational: 3

Atlas Pages Referring to This Verse

These links gather the pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.

Usage Instances

  • The State and Society, p. 113: He makes it central to explaining that luxury and transgression within the town lead to destruction as the result of a deviant one-dimensional system.
    • Concept: Luxury and transgression
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “{And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people, and they transgress therein; then the decree against it becomes due, and We destroy it utterly} (Al-Isra’ 16)”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: Exegetical readings that do not link destruction to the town’s one-dimensional structure, but only to individual disobedience.
  • The State and Society: He derives from it a law according to which class privileges and luxury above accountability lead to the destruction of the town/the one-dimensional system.
    • Concept: The affluent
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “{And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people…} (Al-Isra’ 16)”
  • The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, pp. 16, 20: He makes it evidence that the destruction of the one-dimensional society begins with the emergence of a class of affluent people who rise above the law.
    • Concept: The affluent
    • Function of the verse here: Foundational
    • Textual citation: “The answer is found in this verse: {And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people…} (Al-Isra’ 16)”

This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas