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.
The Verse Text as Cited
Do you build a monument on every elevation, amusing yourselves?
The Reader’s Answer
The Question
Where does Shahrur situate the verse, what does «al-rīʿ» mean for him, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites the verse in his discussion of construction moving to hilltops in the time of Hud. He defines «al-rīʿ» as elevated ground or a plateau overlooking people’s routes, and takes the verse as evidence in his argument that the memory of Noah’s flood, which swept away low-lying areas, endured. He then connects the description of building as frivolity with the story of Noah’s son, who thought that a mountain would protect him from the water.
Shahrur places the verse within his discussion of the orientation of construction toward hilltops in the time of Hud. He explains «al-rīʿ» as elevated ground and a plateau overlooking people’s routes. In his argument, the verse serves as evidence that Noah’s flood, which affected low-lying areas, remained present in the memory of successive generations. He connects the description of building as frivolity with the scene in which Noah’s son sought refuge from the water on a mountain.
Evidence and Location
Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 51.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence presents this as Shahrur’s reading and argument; it does not historically establish that construction moved or that the memory of the flood endured.
- The evidence does not explicitly state that the construction was directly an “attempt to escape”; more precisely, it links it to the memory of the flood and to the idea that elevated ground does not protect one from God’s command.
- The evidence provides no further terminological distinction between similar terms, apart from its explanation of the meaning of «al-rīʿ».
- The evidence does not establish that Hud’s people are intended by explicitly naming the group; rather, it states that this occurred in the time of Hud.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
He uses it to link the construction of Hud’s people on elevated ground to an attempt to escape the previous flood.
Axes
- Narrative and historical
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Construction on hilltops: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to construction on hilltops as an image of frivolous human planning.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Example: 1
Places of Use
- Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 51: He cites it to link the construction of Hud’s people on elevated ground to an attempt to escape the previous flood, considering this frivolous.
- Concept: Construction on hilltops
- Function of the verse here: Example
- Textual evidence: “As evidenced by His saying, Most High: {Do you build a monument on every elevation, amusing yourselves?} (The Poets 128).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.