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 Thamud, when they were told, “Enjoy yourselves for a while.” But they rebelled against their Lord’s command, so the thunderbolt seized them as they looked on.
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite Al-Dhariyat 43–44, what distinction does he draw, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites it in State and Society (p. 92), alongside the two verses concerning Thamud in Fussilat and Al-Dhariyat. Its function here is not to assert that the thunderbolt is merely a form of seizure, but to raise the question of what is meant by “the thunderbolt,” after noting its occurrence in verses on the punishment of ‘Ad and Thamud alongside other descriptions of their punishment in earlier passages.
Shahrur joins Al-Dhariyat 43–44 to Fussilat 17 when observing that the description of the thunderbolt occurs in the punishment of Thamud, then makes this multiplicity of descriptions of punishment an entry point for asking about the intended meaning of the thunderbolt.
Source and location
State and Society — p. 92.
Limits of the reading
- The cited passage does not provide a final definition of the meaning of the thunderbolt.
- The cited passage does not state that the thunderbolt is a “form” of seizure or synonymous with it.
- The occurrence of rebellion before seizure is evident in the text of the verse, but the cited passage does not make this relationship the focus of its argument; its focus is the question of the significance of the thunderbolt.
- This passage alone does not establish any interpretive relationship beyond the comparison Shahrur draws between the descriptions of punishment.
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Brief reading
He uses it to confirm that the seizure of Thamud came after their rebellion against their Lord’s command, and that the thunderbolt was a form of this seizure.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Political and social
Related concepts
- Obstinacy: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It connects the historical narrative with the meaning of social rebellion.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Support: 1
Instances of use
- State and Society, p. 92: He uses it to confirm that Thamud’s seizure came after their rebellion against their Lord’s command and that the thunderbolt was a form of this seizure.
- Concept: Obstinacy
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{And in Thamud, when they were told, ‘Enjoy yourselves for a while’ (43). But they rebelled against their Lord’s command, so the thunderbolt seized them}”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.