Ar-Rahman 19-20

This locus gathers 2 instances of Muhammad Shahrur’s use of this verse in his books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

Text of the verse as cited

He has released the two seas, meeting together * Between them is a barrier; they do not transgress.

Shahrur cites it as an example of unseen verses that exceeded the Arabs’ initial understanding, so that the proper response was faith and submission.

It clarifies the relation of the unseen to the limits of human understanding at the moment of revelation.

The Book and the Qur’an, p. 115: He cites it as an example of verses that the Arabs at the time did not comprehend, so the believer believed in them and the disbeliever submitted to them or denied them.
- Concept: the unseen truth
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: «… and how did the Arabs, believer and disbeliever alike, understand His saying تعالى {مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ * بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ}»
The Book and the Qur’an: He cites it as an example of a verse that the Arabs did not initially comprehend, to emphasize that their reception of the Qur’an was one of believing submission, not interpretive understanding.
- Concept: the unseen
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: «His saying تعالى {مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ * بَيْنَهُمَا بَرَّزَحٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ} (Ar-Rahman 19-20)? I say: they did not comprehend it»

This page is presented within the general method of building the atlas.