The Fig 4

3 min read

This axis brings together 1 instance of this verse’s use in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

Text of the Verse as Cited

{ Indeed, We created the human being in the finest form }

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur cite Qur’an 95:4, and what is its significance and function in his argument?

Shahrur cites the verse in Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence (p. 66), as part of his critique of a report attributed to Abu Bakr that includes a wish never to have been created. He invokes it alongside the verse on the honoring of the Children of Adam in order to present this wish as inconsistent, in his view, with the Qur’anic portrayal of the human being.

Shahrur cites Qur’an 95:4 together with Qur’an 17:70 in objecting to a report attributed to Abu Bakr that includes a wish that he had not been created. He presents this wish as unreasonable in light of what he calls the human being’s preference and honoring in the two verses.

Citation and Location

Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 66.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not provide an independent linguistic or terminological analysis of the phrase “the finest form.”
  • The citation does not distinguish between the meaning of Qur’an 95:4 and that of Qur’an 17:70; rather, it employs them together in objecting to the report.
  • The citation alone does not establish that the verse grounds an independent general principle called “the principle of human dignity,” although in this passage it links the verse to the human being’s preference and honoring.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

It supports the principle of human dignity and the fact that the human being was created in the finest form.

Axes

  • Humanistic and ethical
  • Faith-related
  • Finest form: 2
  • Human dignity: 1

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It contributes to constructing a conception of the honored human being in the Qur’an.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Support: 1

Instances of Use

  • Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 66: He uses it to affirm that the report of Abu Bakr’s wish that he had not been created conflicts with the Qur’anic principle of human dignity.
    • Concept: Finest form
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “And he did not preserve His—Exalted is He—saying: { Indeed, We created the human being in the finest form } (The Fig 4).”

This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.

Graph View

Muhammad Shahrur Atlas