This axis brings together 4 instances of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the Verse as Cited
Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god? Would you then be a trustee over him?
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ the verse, “Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god”?
Shahrur employs the verse to place “the worship of desire” within what he calls manifest idolatry, or “idolatry of divinity.” In this usage, desire does not remain merely a psychological inclination; rather, it becomes taken as a god when it is treated as a reference for worship and obedience. The conclusion of the verse concerning trusteeship also appears in the same text, as Shahrur likewise cites it among verses affirming that the Messenger is not a trustee or overseer over people; however, the available evidence does not explain in detail how he connects this meaning to his classification of idolatry.
Shahrur considers “the worship of desire” an example of manifest idolatry, which he also calls “idolatry of divinity.” He places the verse in the context of examples of manifest idolatry alongside the worship of idols, natural phenomena, and the deification of the individual, linking this to the belief that benefit may be brought about or harm averted.
Evidence and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 112.
Limits of the Reading
- The direct evidence establishes Shahrur’s classification of the worship of desire as manifest idolatry, but does not provide a detailed linguistic or philosophical analysis of the meaning of “takes his own desire as his god.”
- The occurrence of the verse among verses denying trusteeship establishes that Shahrur groups it in this context, but this alone is insufficient to establish a complete theory concerning freedom of belief or the limits of the Messenger’s authority.
- The attached evidence contains no quotation from the book “Islam and the Human Being” that establishes the usage attributed to it in the page description; therefore, this link is not relied upon here as direct evidence.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
Shahrur uses the verse as an example of manifest idolatry in following desire and of the denial that the Messenger is a trustee over one who has chosen this path.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Human and ethical
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Manifest idolatry: 3
- Desire: 2
- Denial of trusteeship: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the critique of the worship of desire and to the limits of the messengerly function.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 3
- Critique of tradition: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being: He cites it as an example of manifest idolatry embodied in the worship of desire.
- Concept: desire
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: “{ Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god? Would you then be a trustee over him? } (al-Furqan 43)”
- Islam and the Human Being: He includes it as an example of manifest idolatry when a person takes his desire as a god or worships other than God.
- Concept: manifest idolatry
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: “Such as the worship of idols, natural phenomena, the worship of the individual ‘deification,’ and the worship of desire: { Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god … } (al-Furqan 43)”
- Islam and Faith, p. 112: He considers following desire a form of manifest idolatry within the worship of idols and deification.
- Concept: manifest idolatry
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual evidence: “Such as the worship of idols, natural phenomena, the worship of the individual ‘deification,’ and the worship of desire: { Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god … } (al-Furqan 43).”
- The State and Society, p. 303: He adduces it to show the impossibility of the Messenger being a trustee over one who has chosen desire as his path.
- Concept: denial of trusteeship
- Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
- Textual evidence: “- {Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god? Would you then be a trustee over him?} (al-Furqan 43),”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.