This axis brings together 1 instance 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
And in your creation and in the creatures He disperses are signs for a people who are certain * And in the alternation of night and day … are signs for a people who reason * These are the signs of God
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where are the verses located, what does Shahrur distinguish in them, and what function do they serve in his argument?
They are located in Al-Jathiyah 4–6. Shahrur notes that verses 4 and 5 enumerate cosmic phenomena, then verse 6 comes to call what is referred to “the signs of God.” Their function here is to register this textual sequence, not to establish a comprehensive division between cosmic phenomena and devotional rulings.
Shahrur observes that Al-Jathiyah 4 and 5 mention cosmic phenomena, and that Al-Jathiyah 6 follows them by calling them “the signs of God.”
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 217.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not explicitly state that “the signs of God” means cosmic phenomena exclusively.
- The citation does not mention devotional rulings, and therefore does not establish a contrast or distinction between cosmic signs and rulings.
- This passage alone does not establish that the sequence is a model for a general definition of the concept of “the signs of God” in Shahrur’s project.
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Brief Reading
It lays the groundwork for understanding the signs of God as cosmic phenomena apprehended by reason, rather than devotional rulings.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Cosmic signs: 2
- Phenomena: 1
- Reason: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It delineates a semantic boundary for the concept of the sign within the contemporary reading.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 217: He makes this sequence a model for the idea that “the signs of God” are cosmic phenomena apprehended by reason, rather than devotional rulings.
- Concept: Cosmic signs
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: “Here we observe in verses 4–5–6 of Surat Al-Jathiyah how cosmic phenomena were mentioned, then followed in verse 6 by the phrase {THESE ARE THE SIGNS OF GOD}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.