This locus brings together 1 instance 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
And He is the One who made the night a garment for you
Answer for the Reader
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “And He is the One who made the night a garment for you,” in his inquiry into the meaning of the term “garment”?
Shahrur employs the verse within a group of verses through which he raises the question of whether the term “garment” can be understood in its literal or metaphorical sense. Night is not a garment worn in the direct material sense; the verse therefore forms part of his presentation of uses of the term that, in this context, call for an examination of metaphorical meaning. However, it is not cited in the passage as a standalone proof of a complete definition of “garment,” but rather as an example within a broader question concerning the proper understanding of the term in all its occurrences.
Shahrur cites Al-Furqan 47 alongside several verses containing the term “garment” or related expressions, then asks: is garment understood literally in them or metaphorically? In his presentation, Shahrur distinguishes the example of the “craft of making protective garments” as pertaining to clothing, from the term’s movement toward metaphor, where he connects it with “confusion and ambiguity,” and then cites the verse describing night as a garment among the following examples.
Source and Location
Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 272.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation is excerpted from a context presenting several verses and does not include Shahrur’s final answer to the question he raises concerning literal and metaphorical meaning.
- It is not valid to attribute a comprehensive definition of garment, or to construct a detailed interpretive relationship between night and covering or otherwise, on the basis of this passage alone.
- The association of the verse with other verses in the list does not, by itself, establish that they share a single semantic relationship; what is established is Shahrur’s grouping of them in the context of the question concerning the meaning of the term.
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Brief Reading
The verse is used as evidence of metaphor in the term garment when it describes night as something that is not an actual piece of clothing.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Garment: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It contributes to highlighting the metaphorical use of Qur’anic terms.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Example: 1
Contexts of Use
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 272: He uses it as evidence of metaphor in the term garment, as it describes night as something that is not an actual piece of clothing.
- Concept: garment
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual citation: “{ And He is the One who made the night a garment for you } (Al-Furqan 47)”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.