This locus 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.
The verse text as cited
{And when the Prophet confided a statement to one of his wives, and when she disclosed it and God made it known to him, he informed her of part of it and passed over part. Then, when he informed her of it, she said, “Who informed you of this?” He said, “The All-Knowing, the All-Aware informed me.”}
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Shahrur explain the shift in the statement in Prohibition 3 from a report to news?
Shahrur reads the verse as meaning that the statement was a “report” for the Prophet because it was uttered in his presence, then became “news” for the wife when something she had not witnessed was conveyed to her; hence the text asks: “Who informed you of this?”
Shahrur employs Prohibition 3 to distinguish between report and news according to presence: the secret statement is a report for the Prophet because he was present at the event; it becomes news for the wife when she is informed of what she did not witness; and what was disclosed becomes news for the Prophet because he was not present at the moment of disclosure.
Evidence and location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 1 — p. 147.
Limits of the reading
- The evidence establishes Shahrur’s reading directly connected to Prohibition 3.
- The rule should not be generalized beyond this context without other independent evidence.
- Interpreting “the All-Aware” through presence is an additional element of Shahrur’s reading and is not necessary to establish the verse’s basic distinction.
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Brief reading
The verse is employed to establish the distinction between a firsthand report and news conveyed to someone who did not witness the event.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Narrative and historical
Related concepts
- The distinction between report and news: 2
- Report and news: 2
Its place in the conceptual network
It belongs to the network distinguishing between linguistic formulation and the recipient’s position in relation to the event.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 1
- Distinction: 1
Instances of use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 1, p. 147: he makes the verse a linguistic model illustrating the transition of speech from a firsthand report for the Prophet to news for the wife because of her absence from the event.
- Concept: the distinction between report and news
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual evidence: “Thus, the statement in the verse is a report because the Prophet was present at the event … Then this statement became news for the wife … ‘Who informed you of this?’”
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 147: he uses it to distinguish between the Prophet’s “statement” as a report because he was present, and what became news for the wife because she had not witnessed the event.
- Concept: report and news
- Function of the verse here: distinction
- Textual evidence: “And His saying, exalted be He: {And when the Prophet confided a statement to one of his wives…} (Prohibition: 3).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.