Al-Israʾ 34

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This verse recurs in Shahrur’s project because it brings together fulfilling the covenant and protecting an orphan’s property, which for him are among the foundational ethical injunctions. It is central to his thought because it makes practical responsibility part of the text itself, rather than an addition to it.

Text of the Verse as Cited

And fulfill the covenant; indeed, the covenant shall be questioned about.

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Muhammad Shahrur employ Al-Israʾ 34 in his presentation of the injunctions?

Shahrur employs the verse as a text that brings together two injunctions within the list of injunctions found in Surat al-Israʾ: the prohibition against approaching an orphan’s property except in the best manner, and the command to fulfill the covenant. In his presentation, he identifies these as the sixth and ninth injunctions, without elaborating here on the meaning of “the best” or on the practical rulings concerning covenants and property.

Shahrur presents Al-Israʾ 34 as a verse containing two injunctions: safeguarding an orphan’s property and fulfilling the covenant. In his ordering, Shahrur designates these two injunctions as the sixth and the ninth.

Evidence and Location

The Book and the Qur’an — p. 463.

Limits of the Reading

  • The evidence establishes the verse’s place in Shahrur’s enumeration and numbering of the injunctions, but it does not establish a broader claim that ethics are “innate” or a comprehensive theory of moral responsibility.
  • This passage provides no detailed interpretation of the phrase “except in the best manner,” nor does it specify the conditions for dealing with an orphan’s property or the forms of fulfilling a covenant.
  • The other attached evidence is not used because it addresses verses or issues not directly connected to this verse.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

Shahrur understands the verse as prohibiting approaching an orphan’s property except in the best manner, while linking this to fulfilling the covenant. He thus treats it as evidence that ethics in the Revelation are not merely general meanings, but clear obligations concerning property and responsibility.

Axes

  • Human and ethical
  • Legislative
  • Methodological
  • Orphan: 3
  • Orphan’s property: 2
  • Covenants: 1
  • Covenant and orphan: 1
  • Language and jurisprudence: 1
  • Approaching: 1
  • Covenant: 1
  • Fulfillment: 1

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

The verse is connected to the orphan, the orphan’s property, covenants, and fulfillment. It is central because it connects ethics, guardianship, and practical right, and provides his project with an example of concern for positions of vulnerability and commitment.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 2
  • Example: 2
  • Context: 1
  • Foundation: 1
  • Critique of tradition: 1

Summary of Its Presence in the Atlas

  • Preserving an orphan’s property
  • Fulfilling the covenant
  • One of the loci of ethical injunctions

Contexts of Use

  • Islam and Faith, p. 23: He relies on it to establish that fulfilling the covenant is an innate value and a moral responsibility.
    • Concept: Covenants
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual evidence: “- {And fulfill the covenants; indeed, the covenants shall be questioned about} (Al-Israʾ 34).”
  • Islam and Faith, p. 23: He cites it as evidence that caring for an orphan’s property lies at the heart of ethical ideals and social justice.
    • Concept: Orphan
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual evidence: “- {And do not approach an orphan’s property except in the best manner…} (Al-Israʾ 34).”
  • The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna, p. 48: He cites it in enumerating the ethical injunctions that he understands as belonging to wisdom.
    • Concept: Orphan
    • Function of the verse here: Context
    • Textual evidence: “And [the prohibition] against approaching an orphan’s property except in the best manner (Al-Israʾ 34).”
  • The Book and the Qur’an, p. 463: He brings together the sixth and ninth injunctions, making it a basis for holding the guardian accountable and for the obligation to fulfill the covenant.
    • Concept: Covenant and orphan
    • Function of the verse here: Foundation
    • Textual evidence: “The four injunctions came … in the following verses: {And do not approach an orphan’s property… And fulfill the covenant…}”
  • Towards New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 94: He uses it to reject restricting the understanding of the verse to occasions of revelation or complex grammatical rules, stressing the clarity of its general indication.
    • Concept: Language and jurisprudence
    • Function of the verse here: Critique of tradition
    • Textual evidence: “If that is so, do you mean that His—Exalted be He—saying: {And do not approach an orphan’s property except in the best manner} (Al-Israʾ 34) …”
  • Towards New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 110: He places it under the prohibition against approaching, meaning prohibition of direct engagement, within a root-based analysis of the root “q-r-b.”
    • Concept: Approaching
    • Function of the verse here: Example
    • Textual evidence: “- {And do not approach an orphan’s property except in the best manner} (Al-Israʾ 34).”
  • Towards New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 110: He uses it among the examples of “do not approach” to affirm that the prohibition against approaching is connected to what is within reach and near to action.
    • Concept: Orphan’s property
    • Function of the verse here: Example
    • Textual evidence: “- {And do not approach an orphan’s property except in the best manner} (Al-Israʾ 34).”

This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas