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 Text of the Verse as Cited
{And those who spend the night prostrating and standing before their Lord}
Reader’s Answer
Question
What place does al-Furqan 64 hold in Shahrur’s presentation, what distinction does he draw, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in the context of Shahrur’s discussion of the “leaders of the God-conscious” in The Furqan of Muhammad. He makes it comparable in importance to understanding the verses of lordship, which he interprets through natural phenomena; it thus supports his presentation, which combines nighttime worship with commitment to material knowledge and reason, as opposed to what he calls Sufi extravagances and the miracles of saints.
Shahrur cites the verse in his description of the leaders of the God-conscious and maintains that understanding the verses of lordship, which he identifies with natural phenomena, is no less important than spending the night for God in prostration and standing. In his presentation, Shahrur distinguishes between an orientation that connects God-consciousness with belief in matter, knowledge, and reason, and what he describes as Sufi extravagances and the miracles of saints. The verse serves to establish nighttime worship among the characteristics of the leaders of the God-conscious, without making it a substitute for understanding natural phenomena.
Citation and Location
the Book and the Qur’an — p. 471.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation does not explain the detailed linguistic meaning of the expressions “prostrating and standing.”
- The citation does not establish that the verse concerns scientific “work”; rather, it mentions knowledge, reason, understanding natural phenomena, and material data.
- The citation does not state a general ruling concerning all people; rather, it confines this presentation to the leaders of the God-conscious.
- The citation does not establish a relationship with other verses except within the context of the presentation offered by Shahrur himself.
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Brief Reading
The verse completes Shahrur’s portrayal of the leaders of the God-conscious by describing nighttime worship as part of a God-consciousness connected to knowledge and action.
Axes
- Methodological
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Worship: 2
- Leaders of the God-conscious: 1
- Material knowledge: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is linked to the concept of God-consciousness as a combination of knowledge and worship.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
Instances of Use
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 471: He cites it to complete the portrayal of the leaders of the God-conscious as situated between material knowledge and nighttime worship, while emphasizing that God-consciousness is inseparable from scientific work.
- Concept: worship
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “And it is never less than His saying, exalted be He: {And those who spend the night prostrating and standing before their Lord}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.