This thematic entry gathers 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.
Text of the Verse as Cited
AND THE ALTERNATION OF NIGHT AND DAY… ARE SIGNS FOR A PEOPLE WHO REASON
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, what does “they reason” mean for Shahrur, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Surat al-Jathiyah, verse 5. Shahrur employs it as an example of reason as a process of connecting perceptions after analyzing them, and he holds that the phenomena mentioned in it are rationally interconnected.
Shahrur defines reason as a process of connecting perceptions received from the fuʾād after thought has analyzed them, in order to derive conclusions from them. He cites al-Jathiyah 5 among the verses concerning interconnected phenomena in which those addressed are described as reasoning. Shahrur interprets the alternation of night and day by referring to the four seasons, links this to changes in rainfall and winds, and describes these phenomena as rationally interconnected.
Citation and Location
Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 60.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes this use within Shahrur’s argument concerning reason and the connection between phenomena; it does not establish a complete general theory of all uses of “they reason” in the Qur’an.
- The citation does not establish a relationship between this verse and other verses merely on the basis of verbal similarity.
- The citation does not contain a judgment concerning synonymy, or its negation, among other Qur’anic terms.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
It supports linking reason to discerning and analyzing relationships between phenomena.
Themes
- Methodological
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Reason: 2
- Perception of relationships: 1
- Phenomena: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It serves the place of reason in understanding the world and reading.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Contexts of Use
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, pp. 60–61: He cites it to link reason to the process of perceiving and analyzing relationships between phenomena.
- Concept: reason
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “Thus, the verses in which interrelated phenomena are mentioned contain the words of God Most High: ‘you reason’ or ‘they reason,’ such as His words: { AND THE ALTERNATION OF NIGHT AND DAY … ARE SIGNS FOR A PEOPLE WHO REASON } (al-Jathiyah 5).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.