Al-Baqara 141

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This axis brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

Text of the Verse as Cited

Such is a community that has passed away; theirs is what they earned …

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur cite Al-Baqara 141, what distinction does he draw from it, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?

Shahrur cites Al-Baqara 141 in The Book and the Qur’an, p. 405, together with Al-Baqara 134. He makes it a principle for reading history and narratives in a way that moves beyond disputes over persons and past eras toward drawing lessons. He therefore distinguishes between receiving narratives as history and instruction, and receiving them as binding legislation or material for sectarian adjudication.

Shahrur cites Al-Baqara 141 together with Al-Baqara 134 in the context of criticizing a historical reading that becomes an accusation against, or defense of, figures of the past within a sectarian and confessional conflict. He understands the two verses as guidance to attribute the deeds of past communities to them, not to make present-day readers responsible for their deeds, while directing attention to what those in the present themselves earn. The function of the verse in his argument is to establish a method for dealing with narratives and history: drawing lessons and moving beyond fixation on the past era, rather than treating narratives of the past as legislation.

Citation and Location

The Book and the Qur’an — p. 405.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not explicitly state “not projecting the rulings of the past onto the present”; more precisely, it calls for not dwelling on the past and its sectarian judgments, and for moving from it toward the lesson.
  • The citation does not provide an independent linguistic interpretation of the words of the verse, nor does it establish a general ruling for every use of Al-Baqara 141 outside this methodological context.
  • The citation in the attached passage combines Al-Baqara 134 and Al-Baqara 141, and thus does not distinguish a specific function for each of them separately.

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Brief Reading

For Shahrur, the verse is employed to affirm that the positions of the past should not be projected onto the present, and that history should be made a domain separate from contemporary judgment.

Axes

  • Methodological
  • Narrative and historical
  • Separating history from the present: 2
  • Separating history: 2

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

It is connected to his method of isolating historical reports from their polemical use in the present.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Context: 1
  • Support: 1

Instances of Use

  • The Book and the Qur’an, p. 405: He employs it together with Al-Baqara 134 for a single meaning: not projecting the rulings or positions of the past onto the present.
    • Concept: Separating history from the present
    • Function of the verse here: Context
    • Textual citation: “His saying, exalted be He: {Such is a community that has passed away; theirs is what they earned …} (Al-Baqara 134 and 141).”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 204: He uses it to affirm that today’s battle is not the trial of the Companions and history, but a critique of the use of the concept of apostasy against contemporary opponents.
    • Concept: Separating history
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “We are not attempting here to put history and its people on trial … {Such is a community that has passed away …} (Al-Baqara 141)”

This page is presented within the overall methodology for building the atlas.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas