This axis brings together 2 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
On that Day it will recount its reports, because your Lord has inspired it
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where do the two verses occur, what distinction does Shahrur draw between nabaʾ and khabar, and what function do the verses from al-Zalzalah serve in his presentation?
The two verses occur in Surat al-Zalzalah (4–5). Shahrur presents a distinction whereby nabaʾ is general and concise, while khabar is detailed and extended; he then invokes the verses from al-Zalzalah in applying this distinction. However, the attached excerpt does not substantiate his interpretation based on the presence of the witness and the transformation of the unseen into a report.
Shahrur maintains that nabaʾ is general and concise, and that khabar is detailed and extended, in the context of his discussion of Qur’anic narratives. He cites al-Zalzalah 4–5 as a passage he seeks to understand in light of the distinction he has presented between nabaʾ and khabar.
Excerpt and Location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 1 — p. 147.
Limits of the Reading
- The attached excerpt ends before Shahrur completes his answer as to why “its reports” occurs in the verse; it therefore does not establish a detailed interpretation of the two verses.
- The excerpt does not establish that the presence of a witness on the Day of Resurrection is the reason why what the earth recounts is called “reports.”
- The excerpt, in the location provided, does not establish the claim that an unseen event becomes a witnessed report.
- The stated distinction is limited to what the excerpt explicitly says about nabaʾ and khabar, and is not by itself sufficient to establish other judgments concerning them.
Continue Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur uses it to ground the idea that the presence of the witness on the Day of Resurrection renders the event an unseen reality transformed into a witnessed report.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Report and presence: 2
- Report and presentiality: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to establishing a link between presence and testimony, and the meaning of report.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
- Supportive: 1
Contexts of Use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 1, p. 147: He interprets the description of the earth in terms of “its reports” as being due to the presence of the witness on the Day of Resurrection; presence transforms the unseen event into a report.
- Concept: report and presence
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual excerpt: “{On that Day it will recount its reports …} (al-Zalzalah: 4–5)”
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 147: He uses it to affirm that the expression “its reports” is appropriate because the event is present and witnessed; presentiality transforms nabaʾ into khabar.
- Concept: report and presentiality
- Function of the verse here: supportive
- Textual excerpt: “We can understand God’s statement concerning the earth on the Day of the earthquake: {On that Day it will recount its reports (4), because your Lord has inspired it}.”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.