This axis gathers 4 instances 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
O you who believe, let not a people ridicule another people … nor call one another by offensive nicknames …
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ verse 11 of al-Hujurat in his discussion of the meaning of “qawm”?
Shahrur employs the verse as linguistic evidence that “qawm” may mean the plural of “imruʾ,” that is, a group of males, in contrast to the explicit mention of “women” in the same verse. The accompanying evidence does not establish that he treats the verse as a general foundation for social ethics or that he begins with it in defining “qawm” as a rational group of males and females; this is another definition that he presents in a later context, rather than as the specific meaning of this verse.
Shahrur cites al-Hujurat 11 in his presentation of the meanings of “qawm,” making it an example of the word’s use in the sense of the plural of “imruʾ,” as opposed to “women” as the plural of “imraʾah.”
Evidence and location
The State and Society — p. 61.
Limits of the reading
- The available evidence from the book “The State and Society” supports the use of the verse only in examining the semantic significance of “qawm”; it does not support attributing to Shahrur a use of it to establish general social norms.
- The evidence from “Islam and Faith” concerns al-Hujurat 14 and 17, not al-Hujurat 11; therefore, it is not suitable as an evidentiary link for this page.
- There is no attached evidence from “Islam and Humanity” establishing the preceding description of the verse’s use in general ethics.
- Shahrur’s statement that “qawm” is the plural of males is the interpretive view reported here; it is not presented as a settled linguistic judgment outside the context of his reading.
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Brief reading
For Shahrur, the verse serves to establish social norms that prohibit mockery and disparagement, and to begin defining qawm as a rational group.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Political and social
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Mockery: 2
- Disparagement: 2
- Social norms: 2
- Qawm: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It is connected to the ethics of interaction and to constructing the concept of qawm in the social sphere.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Support: 2
- Critique of tradition: 1
- Foundation: 1
Instances of use
- Islam and Humanity: He makes it an example of the general ethics that regulate social relations and prohibit mockery and name-calling.
- Concept: mockery
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “God Most High said: { O you who believe, let not a people ridicule another people … } (al-Hujurat 11)”
- Islam and Faith, p. 42: He cites it to affirm that mockery and disparagement are among the ethical laws whose application varies according to the social context.
- Concept: disparagement
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual evidence: “From Surat al-Hujurat: the prohibition of mockery, disparagement, and calling one another by offensive nicknames …”
- Islam and Faith, p. 42: He employs it to state that mockery and disparagement are forbidden as psychological harm and defamation, then opens the door to legislative ijtihad to regulate exceptions.
- Concept: social norms
- Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
- Textual evidence: “From Surat al-Hujurat: the prohibition of mockery, disparagement, and calling one another by offensive nicknames”
- The State and Society, p. 61: He begins from it in defining qawm as a rational group connected by a shared language, rather than merely by lineage or number.
- Concept: qawm
- Function of the verse here: foundation
- Textual evidence: “This meaning occurs in His—Most High—saying: {O you who believe, let not a people ridicule another people …} (al-Hujurat 11),”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.