This locus 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 Quoted
{Successful is the one who purifies it * and failed is the one who corrupts it}
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where do these two verses occur, what is the distinction that Shahrur links to them, and what function do they serve in his argument?
The two verses occur in Surat al-Shams (9–10). Shahrur employs them to establish that immorality and piety are two poles in a dialectical relationship within the human self, and that giving preponderance to one over the other can be achieved only through education; he consequently links this to attention to mental health alongside attention to physical health.
Shahrur describes immorality and piety as being in a dialectical relationship and as representing the human self. He holds that giving preponderance to immorality or piety comes only through education, and cites al-Shams 9–10 to affirm this. In this context, the two verses support the transition in his argument from education to the necessity of society’s care for mental health, alongside care for physical health.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 455.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not provide an independent linguistic interpretation of the terms “purifies it” and “corrupts it.”
- The citation does not establish that purification exclusively means giving preponderance to piety; rather, it explicitly speaks of giving preponderance between immorality and piety through education.
- The citation’s distinction between “human beings” and “the human” occurs in the context of rights and physical and mental health, and does not itself define the two verses.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
The verse supports the idea that giving preponderance to the side of piety within the self can occur only through education and purification.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Purification: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It serves the network of concepts linking the self, purification, and moral choice.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 455: He uses the verse to affirm that giving preponderance to the side of piety within the self can occur only through education and purification.
- Concept: Purification
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “For immorality and piety are in a dialectical relationship… thus He said: {Successful is the one who purifies it * and failed is the one who corrupts it} (al-Shams 9–10)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.