Al-Furqan 10

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This entry 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

{ Blessed is He who, if He wills, can grant you better than that—gardens }

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does the citation of the verse occur, what distinction does Shahrur make through it, and what function does it serve in his argument?

The citation occurs in Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 64. Shahrur presents the verse as a divine statement that is sufficient—in his view—to reassure the Prophet through God’s promise and power. He then contrasts this with a report attributed to al-Suyuti, whose details and use in magnifying Umar he criticizes. Thus, the verse here serves as a criterion within his critique of that report, rather than as proof of a general rule concerning the context of the preceding verses.

Shahrur cites Al-Furqan 10 while discussing a report related by al-Suyuti. He considers the divine promise in the verse sufficient to reassure the Prophet, then challenges the details of the report and its repeated linking of the revelation of the verse to a merit of Umar, regarding this as an instrumentalization intended to entrench Umar’s preference.

Citation and Location

Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 64.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation does not establish that Shahrur refers the understanding of the verse back to the context of the preceding verses or to the polytheists’ objection.
  • The citation does not independently explain the occasion of the verse’s revelation, nor does it establish a general ruling regarding all reports of occasions of revelation.
  • The citation does not establish a relation of synonymy or a technical distinction between the words of the verse.
  • The critique attributed to Shahrur in this passage is directed at the report, its details, and its preferential function as he sees it, not at the text of the verse itself.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

The verse affirms that it should be understood by referring it back to its immediate context, rather than to mythic reports about its occasion of revelation.

Themes

  • Methodological
  • Narrative and historical
  • Context of revelation: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It is connected to the method of contextual reading rather than transmitted exegesis.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Distinction: 1

Instances of Use

  • Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence, pp. 64–65: He affirms that the verse is to be understood by referring it back to the context of the preceding verses, which respond to the polytheists’ objection, rather than to mythic reports about its occasion of revelation.
    • Concept: Context of revelation
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual evidence: “The one seeking to understand the verse need only return to its context… and God—exalted is He—undertakes to answer them in verse 10, saying: { Blessed is He who, if He wills, can grant you better than that—gardens }”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: A mythic occasion of revelation linking it, according to al-Wahidi and al-Tabari/al-Suyuti, to Gabriel and Ridwan

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas