Al-Baqarah 61

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This axis 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

Humiliation and destitution were imposed upon them, and they incurred wrath from God. That was because they used to disbelieve in God’s signs

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does the verse appear in Shahrur’s work, what distinguishes his use of it, and what function does it serve in his argument?

The verse is cited in Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 83, as part of Shahrur’s objection to a conception according to which the Jews’ question to the Prophet occurred through divine inspiration and they were then deemed deserving of punishment because of it. In this context, the verse serves to highlight what Shahrur regards as a deterministic consequence that compromises divine justice, rather than to offer an independent interpretation of the verse’s terms or establish a general rule regarding the occasions of revelation.

Shahrur invokes al-Baqarah 61 when discussing a conception that attributes the Jews’ question to the Prophet to divine inspiration, then asks: how can their punishment afterward be coherent? Shahrur describes the consequence he understands from this conception as determinism that injures divine justice, and makes the verse part of the formulation of this objection.

Citation and location

Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 83.

Limits of the reading

  • The attached citation establishes the location of the verse in Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 83, while the usage field names vol. 1; therefore, the attribution to the first volume should not be accepted without a matching citation.
  • The citation does not establish a linguistic or terminological interpretation of humiliation, destitution, or wrath.
  • The citation does not establish a general rule for Shahrur concerning the occasions of revelation; rather, it presents an objection to a specific conception which, in his presentation, results in compulsion and determinism.
  • The citation does not establish a relationship to other verses or pages merely on the basis of verbal similarity.

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Brief reading

For Shahrur, the verse appears in the context of critiquing a reading that makes the occasion of revelation determinative of meaning, since it is used to reject determinism and safeguard divine justice.

Axes

  • Methodological
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Faith-related
  • Determinism: 2
  • Humiliation and destitution: 2
  • Divine justice: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

It is connected to the network of concepts that balances historical narration and the principle of justice in understanding the text.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Critique of tradition: 3

Instances of use

  • Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 1, p. 83: He cites it to show that interpreting the occasion of revelation in a way that assigns people predetermined roles produces a determinism that contradicts divine justice.
    • Concept: determinism
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “Now that He did so, as indicated by His saying, Exalted is He, {Humiliation and destitution were imposed upon them …} (al-Baqarah: 61), is this not a determinism that injures divine justice?”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: The view attributed here makes the Jews’ act a cause prearranged for the revelation of the surah.
  • Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 83: He uses it to critique the account attributed to the occasions of revelation, citing it to argue that attributing inspiration to the Jews leads to a determinism that compromises divine justice.
    • Concept: humiliation and destitution
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “As indicated by His saying, Exalted is He, {Humiliation and destitution were imposed upon them, and they incurred wrath from God …} (al-Baqarah: 61)”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: The occasion for the revelation of Surat al-Ikhlas was the Jews’ request.
  • Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 83: He deploys the verse to argue that attributing the occasion of revelation to the Jews’ question makes the divine appear as a compulsion that contradicts divine justice.
    • Concept: divine justice
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “Now that He did so, as indicated by His saying, Exalted is He, {Humiliation and destitution were imposed upon them, and they incurred wrath from God. That was because they used to disbelieve in God’s signs} (al-Baqarah: 61)”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: The claim that the Jews’ question was the cause of the revelation of Surat al-Ikhlas and of the resulting humiliation and wrath.

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

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas