This thematic entry gathers 1 instance of this verse’s use in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The verse text as cited
Indeed, I am creating a بشرًا from sounding clay, from altered black mud
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, what does «البشر» mean for Shahrur, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Surat al-Hijr (28). Shahrur cites it as evidence that «البشر» denotes a purely biological living existence, and he uses it to support this definition in his account of the distinction between «البشر» and «الإنسان».
Shahrur relies on al-Hijr 28 in defining «البشر» as a living mammalian being and a purely biological existence.
Citation and location
A Contemporary Reading Guide to the Wise Revelation — p. 59.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s definition of «البشر» as a purely biological existence; the excerpt does not explain the meaning of «الإنسان».
- This reading is limited to the meaning explicitly stated by the citation in the indicated passage.
- The citation does not state a judgment concerning synonymy, or its absence, between «البشر» and «الإنسان».
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Brief reading
The verse establishes the definition of البشر as a biological being before entering into the meaning of humanization.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related concepts
- البشر: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It places the beginning of the concept at the level of natural formation rather than the social level.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of use
- A Contemporary Reading Guide to the Wise Revelation, p. 59: It establishes through it the definition of البشر as a purely biological being before humanization.
- Concept: البشر
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «It is a living being … according to His, exalted be He, saying: { Indeed, I am creating a بشرًا from sounding clay, from altered black mud } (al-Hijr 28).»
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.