This axis brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Text of the Verse as Cited
He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists detest it.
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ verse 33 of al-Tawbah in his definition of the “religion of truth”?
Shahrur employs the verse to maintain that the “religion of truth” is not merely the name of a historical religious community; rather, for him, it is the religion of objective existence outside the human being—that is, the universe and the general laws that govern it. This characterization is attributed to his reading and does not assert the meaning of the verse by itself outside this context.
How Shahrur employs the verse: Shahrur cites al-Tawbah 33 under the heading “Truth,” then interprets the “religion of truth” as “the religion of objective existence outside the human self: the universe,” and as encompassing the general laws governing that existence. He also connects this to his idea that Islam, in his broad sense of the term, encompasses the historical stages of the different religious communities.
Citation and Location
the Book and the Qur’an — p. 534.
Limits of the Reading
- Limits of the reading: the citation establishes that Shahrur reads the “religion of truth” with this cosmic and legal sense, but it does not by itself demonstrate that this is the verse’s sole or necessary meaning.
- The quoted text breaks off after the phrase “and for motion,” so what follows it should not be completed, nor should additional details about those laws be attributed to this citation alone.
- The verse as quoted in the citation reads “over all those,” whereas the text of the verse displayed on the page reads “over all religion”; the idea is therefore attributed here to its location in the source without drawing an inference from this textual difference.
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Brief Reading
He makes it a basis for understanding the religion of truth as the law of objective existence and cosmic regularities.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Religion of truth: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It establishes a connection between religion and the general cosmic order.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 534: He makes it evidence that the religion of truth is the law of objective existence and cosmic regularities.
- Concept: Religion of truth
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “{He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all those, even though the polytheists detest it}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.