This axis brings together 2 instances 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
And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly…
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the verse, “And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly”?
Shahrur employs the verse in his discussion of the proper amount of spending, treating “proper measure” (qawām) as a position between extravagance and miserliness. In the passage connected to the verse, he particularly distinguishes between exceeding the proper amount in charitable donations and falling into what is prohibited: giving away all one’s money may lead to regret and remorse, but in his view it does not make a person fall into what is prohibited merely on that account.
Shahrur reads Qur’an 25:67 as setting forth a proper measure in spending between extravagance and miserliness. In his discussion of wastefulness and charitable donations, Shahrur states explicitly that giving away all one’s money may exceed the proper amount and lead to regret and remorse, but he does not regard it, in itself, as falling into what is prohibited.
Citation and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 155.
Limits of the Reading
- The more precise citation establishes the use of the verse to regulate the amount of spending; it does not establish that all substantial spending is “extravagance” in Shahrur’s prohibited sense.
- A broad economic or social significance should not be attributed to the verse alone; the excerpt from “Islam and Faith” places the verse beside an economic heading, but does not explain the mode of inference.
- The distinction between extravagance and wastefulness in Shahrur’s presentation extends beyond this verse, so his full definition cannot properly be inferred from it without additional evidence.
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Brief Reading
He makes it a criterion for moderate spending, in a middle zone between extravagance and miserliness.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Proper measure (qawām): 3
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to regulating financial conduct on the basis of moderation.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 1
- Foundation: 1
Contexts of Use
- Islam and Faith, p. 83: He makes it a criterion for moderate spending at the individual and social levels.
- Concept: Proper measure (qawām)
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “- {And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly…} (Al-Furqan 67).”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, pp. 155–156: He makes it the basis for distinguishing proper measure (qawām) as a middle zone between extravagance and miserliness in spending.
- Concept: Proper measure (qawām)
- Function of the verse here: Foundation
- Textual citation: “To set this out and clarify it, let us consider these verses… {And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but maintain a proper measure between the two}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the overall atlas-building methodology.