This axis gathers 3 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking them to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The verse text as cited
And when his Lord tested Abraham with words, and he fulfilled them, He said, “Indeed, I am making you an imam for the people.”
Brief reading
The verse establishes the idea that imamate came after Abraham’s trial, and that the test was an entry point to advancement in knowledge and leadership.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Trial with words: 2
- Imamate: 2
- Trial: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It connects to the sequence of Abraham’s story and to the method of trial as a path to empowerment.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundation: 1
- Support: 1
- Example: 1
Instances of use
- State and Society, p. 184: He builds on it the idea that the words of the trial are the stars, the sun, and the moon, and that Abraham became an imam after passing the test of induction.
- Concept: trial with words
- Function of the verse here: foundation
- Textual evidence: “And Abraham became an imam for the people after succeeding in the examination by which God tested him, as indicated by His, Exalted, saying: {And when his Lord tested Abraham with words …} (al-Baqarah 124)”
- Drying Up the Springs of Terrorism, p. 170: He cites it to affirm that Abraham is an imam, and that his imamate is tied to the distinctiveness of conduct, not lineage.
- Concept: imamate
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “{… He said, ‘Indeed, I am making you an imam for the people …’} (al-Baqarah 124).”
- A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 52: It makes Abraham’s trial an example of human success in understanding objective laws and adhering to them.
- Concept: trial
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: “God Almighty tested Abraham with a set of objective laws … as stated in His saying: { And when his Lord tested Abraham with words … } (al-Baqarah 124).”
Related books
- State and Society
- Drying Up the Springs of Terrorism
- A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation
This page is presented within the general method of building the atlas.